How do you start beetroot?

1. 73

   Spirit Whispererposted 12 years ago

   I love beetroot and find that when I planted the seed directly into the ground they didn't come up. It has been particularly cold this year and the weather has only just started to warm up. I live in the Isle of Man.

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   1. 91

      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It might be your weather. (I'm in California at a level high enough to get a little snow each winter.) I've usually had good luck with beets, sowing them directly in the ground. They come up two to a seed, so they need to be thinned.
      You would probably do best to get advice from someone in your locale.

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   2. 72

      muslima61posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      just sew some more, it was prob the weather.. i grown them in containers as well.. they are very easy just make sure you do not sow the seeds too thickly as the beetroot do need space to grow. Happy sowing

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2. 86

   IzzyMposted 12 years ago

   I grew beetroot a couple of years ago, but wouldn't bother again. You can plant beetroot seeds in a pot with warmth, and transplant the seedlings out when they are bigger.
   
   But for some reason, everything living underground seemed to love them too.
   
   All that watering resulting in nothing edible - full of holes and stuff.
   
   What's the joy in organic gardening? Use pesticides, I say.

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   1. 91

      Rochelle Frankposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I haven't had too much trouble with insect pests. We get an occasional gopher who seem to like our potatoes better than beets or turnip roots, but my hubby has an old fashioned trap that takes care of them in short order. Once he gets a couple, others don't seem to follow in that season.
      
      I am not that fond of beetroot-- for one thing they leave so many stains in trying to  prepare them. The greens are good to cook like spinach, and our chickens love the beet tops. They have lots of calcium and other nutrients.

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      1. 86

         IzzyMposted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Absolutely! Just buy a jar of ready-prepared beetroot in the shops. Cheaper, cleaner, insect-free, less problems.
         
         I am into growing stuff, as anyone looking at my hubs would realise, but some things, not so much.

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3. 88

   mistyhorizon2003posted 12 years ago

   LOL at some of the other responses. I grow literally hundreds of beetroot every year, all organically, and with little or no loss to pests. I live in Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Just plant the seeds a 1/4  inch deep in warm soil, (thinning as necessary) making sure the soil is well raked beforehand. Keep moist in very dry periods, and mulch with seaweed, grass clippings or home made compost to keep this moisture in and weeds to a minimum. Beetroot can cope with some shade, so no worries if the area you are planting them in is not sunny all day. Harvest when about the size of a tennis ball (or a little smaller). Best variety I have grown is 'Boltardy'.
   
   Very easy, so good luck should not be necessary

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   1. 61

      recommend1posted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Beetroot grow easy in the UK and obviously further south in Guernsey.  Everything Misty says is bang-on right from my experience but if you live where the soil is poor then any root crop is harder to grow.  To get the kind of soil that you need it may be necessary to buy an earth based compost and fill a trench with it.  For the seeds the earth should be fine and hold moisture and not in direct sun (as has been pointed out). To get them going if it is a little too cold or a little too  dry by getting the soil nicely moist, plant the seeds and then cover the whole area with clear polythene held off the ground an inch or so.  As soon as the green tops are open a couple of leaves remove the polythene top.  You then become a watercarrying slave until they are big enough to look after themselves better.

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   2. 0

      BRIAN SLATERposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Thank heavens for your reply misty, i grow beetroot every year, best successful for me is to grow them in  a large round container. Plant the seeds about 0.25" (quarter) below the soil and cover them with some fine sifted compost. Water regularly and feed one a week once established. If you grow them in pots move the pot around to sun and partial shade, place among other containers. it is best if there is something yellow in one of the other containers as this attracts all the black and green fly.
      You will enjoy them 10 times more than the ones IZZY has bought from her spanish market.

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4. 91

   Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

   There was bound to be a beetroot specialist here on HP.
   I am not familiar with the variety Misty mentioned. I usually have one that is about golf-ball in circumference, but more cylindrical (about two golf-balls or more long). I can't remember the name right now. One thing I prefer is they are tender, easier to peel and easier to slice into more small slices.

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5. 60

   SomewayOuttaHereposted 12 years ago

   ...good info...fresh, would be sooooo tasty!  i'm not planting a garden this year - next year.

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6. 73

   Spirit Whispererposted 12 years ago

   Thank you all for your advice and it now seems that I will need to prepare the ground better and I like the suggestion to fill a trench with compost. I act on this advice and today.

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7. 79

   earnestshubposted 12 years ago

   Only on hubpages could one learn so much about beetroot! I love this place!

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8. 91

   Rochelle Frankposted 12 years ago

   . . . and the beet goes on . . .

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