Kitchen Garden Forum

Can Beetroot be sown in modules or pots and transplanted? I've only sown in situ before now.

Martin.

Yes - carefully. As you probably know, betetroot seeds are actually clusters of seed. If you sow 1 to a module and transplant as soon as you can handle them, they'll be fine. I grow my early beetroot this way, then sow directly later on.

I always grow mine from sowings in pots. It saves a lot of effort crawling along weeding as they come through and I prefer clusters of 3 or 4 so as to have madium sized roots to pull, not monsters.
All the beet family transplant well in the early stages despite categorical statements denying this by some who should know better than to slavishly copy other peoples advice without trying it out for themselves. I am assuming that we are talking about globe beet, not long ones for exhibition, they obviously wouldn't be appropriate for modules or pots.
Allan

Has anyone else tried these? I bought some from Moles Seeds earlier this year. It does recommend soaking the seeds, but does not say for how long.

The first lot I sprouted were disgusting. Although I soaked the seeds for an hour or two, it was impossisble to separate the seed cases from the sprouts, and the result was that it was like chewing coarse grit.

The second lot I soaked for about a week, and they were still no better.

I think the remaining seeds I have will be consigned to the bin.

valmarg

Allan

Can you confirm, beets are infact swollen stems rather than roots, and as such should transplant OK?

I have done so for the last 3 or so years and have had a great crop that taste 100% better than shop bought. Simply baked in their skins wraped in foil and served with a drizzle of walnut oil is hard to beat(no pun intended).

Thanks

Jerry

Hi Jerry,
You are perfectly correct they are swollen stems.
I have transplanted Beetroot for near on 30 years and never had a bad crop yet.
Although most varieties are cluster seed the new gereration of Beetroots are single seeded. They are called Monogerm Seeds. I have never tried them as I have grown Boltardy and a couple of others but always come back to Boltardy.
I grow mine one cluster seed per module in 126 trays times two and that is enough for me. I thin them when they are about the size of a golf ball and pickle them and keep pulling from then on.

Johnboy, it's nice to know you go for module growing too. I never seem to get the theoretical germination rate on beet clusters so I put extras but at the price of Boltardy as long as it gives results it doesn't matter. I trim down to 3 or possibly 4 per station when planting, by scatter sowing in the modules there can be a few extras to fill in gaps in the trays where none come up. I would do anything possible on a greenhouse bench to save doing it at ground level.

Allan, I hope the bench is strong enough.

I picked up from a garden centre some free module things that have about 300 segments about 3/4 inch square.

I sow one seed per module and when they fill the module with root they are planted out. By then the plants are about 2" high. There is then no thining out at all. It is a good way of starting off celeriac, turnips and swede as well. No gappy rows and no thining.

I can bring some spare trays to Malvern if anybody wants one.

I already grow my beetroot in modules but I like the idea of the swede and turnip, I didn't know you could transplant them successfully. Thanks

Peter, wash your mouth out!

Hi Piglet,
I specifically grow mine with thinning in mind for Baby Beets for pickling and make an allowance on the spacings when planting out. I do exactly the same as you and find they are best transplanted as you say when the root has filled the module. You can actually plant out 126 in almost as many seconds.
I hit the tray on the ground to loosen them in the module and they are so much easier to handle and plant out.
I have grown Swede's that way but for some unknown reason always sow Turnips direct??? Obviously one of my little quirks!!!

Hi Valerie,

I tried these too, from T&M as part of a package and like you I thought they were disgusting and not worth the effort to get the corky seed husk off them. So I threw mine out, into my old compost pot for taking down to the compost bin latter, but the dog eat them! As she did with the onion sprouting seeds, again not much taste and hard seed shells that were difficult to separate off. I did not like sunflower sprouts either (I'll stick to ready shelled sunflower seeds). However Alfalfa was delicious, easy to grow and kept for 2 weeks in the fridge.

Thanks Vivie. When you try something new like that when its not very nice you think you might have done something. I'm glad it wasn't just me.

I've done red cabbage, onion and mung beans, and they weren't bad. I agree with you though that alfalfa takes a bit of beating.

Best wishes.

valmarg

Piglet - if you've got trays to spare - I'm your receptacle.

I got a 640 module tray from a local nursery this year in return for a substantial investment and have been like a dog with two tails since.

It's already in it's third life and I've only had it just over a fortnight.

Little things please little minds......