'Dawlish Wild' Sea Beet

Beta vulgaris subsp. maritima Origin: Dawlish, Devon, England Improvement status: Cultivated wild material Seeds per packet: ~30 Germination tested 12/2024: 85% Seed harvested, Fall 2024. Life cycle: Perennial, biennial, and annual Sea beets are the wild ancestors of all modern beets and chards. They come in a range of forms and colors, much like cultivated beets, and can range in size too, though most are quite small (smaller than a violet plant or dandelion). They can also be annual, biennial, or even perennial — and this one seems to be one of those! From the reports of our grower, Jason Mills of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, this sea beet produces tasty green leaves over a long season (think small Swiss chard), grows larger than most common sea beets, and — tantalizingly — the plants didn't die after flowering and going to seed. We won't know for sure until their third year in the ground if they're truly perennial, but based on the structure of the root system and this report from Jason, it