Cylindra Beet

Beta vulgaris 'Cylindra'

vegetable

Cylindra is a Danish heirloom beet from the 1880s (also called Butter Slicer or Formanova) that produces dark red roots shaped like fat carrots, 5 to 8 inches long and 2 inches wide. The cylindrical shape slices into uniform rounds for pickling and roasting, and the smooth ringless flesh has a tender sweet earthy flavor.

✅ Plant alongside

Good neighbors that attract beneficial insects or deter pests

• Onions — Repel beet pests and use different soil layers
• Cabbage — Beets and brassicas live well together and use different nutrients
• Lettuce — Quick early companion that finishes before beets size up
• Bush Beans — Fix nitrogen and grow at a different height

❌ Keep away from

🛡️ Pest & disease prevention

Proactive ways to stop trouble before it starts — tap a name with an arrow for its full guide

• Leaf miner →

  Cover the bed with floating row cover; pinch infested leaves and destroy off-site

• Flea beetles →

  Row cover seedlings until they harden off; trap with yellow sticky cards

• Cercospora leaf spot →

  Space for airflow, water at the base, and rotate beets out of the bed for 2 to 3 years

• Boron deficiency (corky black spots inside roots) →

  Side-dress with a small dose of borax-based fertilizer or compost rich in trace minerals

🌾 Harvest & storage

Cylindra is ready 55 to 65 days from sowing when roots are 1 to 2 in in diameter at the shoulder. Loosen with a fork and lift; the long roots slip out easily. Greens are excellent steamed or sauteed (do not waste them). Refrigerate trimmed roots in a perforated bag for up to 4 weeks; pickled Cylindra slices keep all winter.

🥗 Nutrition & benefits

About 43 calories per 100 g raw with 2.8 g fiber, 4.9 mg vitamin C, 325 mg potassium, and high levels of folate (109 mcg, 27 percent of DV) and dietary nitrates linked to improved blood-pressure regulation. The deep red color comes from betalain pigments studied for anti-inflammatory effects.