Rubbish Beetroot

[sawfish]

Can anyone give me any hints in growing big juicy beetroot up here in cold wet Glasgow as mine have been rubbish for the last two years, resulting in tiny globules that dont seem to grow at all no matter how long they're in.

[sawfish]

[cambourne7]

I am sorry i dont know the magic, all i know is that mine are monsters.

What variaty have you tried?

[sawfish]

Sanguinea an italian variety and a couple of others. What about you? Do I need to make sure the ground is heavily fertilised?

[cambourne7]

I grew mine either side of my beans this year with a row of parsnips around them.

The soil was heavy clay with compost on top. The beans were grown in a trench this year but did not really do anything.

I grew Beetroot - Perfect 3 & Boltardy for next year i am trying Beetroot Chioggia Pink as well.

Just came home with about 6 beetroot bigger then my fist and about 10 smaller then my fist for pickeling.

There is about the same again on the plot.

[calendula]

maybe try an early variety such as Pronto - beetroot likes a rich soil but not fresh manure as it has to be well rotted down - don't use this year to judge anything by as it has been strange for most of us in some way or another but improving soil will be a start - good luck :)

[Pigletwillie]

I module sow them, one or two clusters per module and plant out when the module is full of roots.

By using this method I also get succession as the modules of beetroot are not thinned, just pulled as required when of a size that is suitable. The pulling of the bigger beets gives the smaller ones room to grow. I use the same method with spring onions and onion seed.

http://pigletsplots.blogspot.com/2007/07/i-know-i-keep-banging-on-about.html

My general purpose variety is boltardy, failsafe really.

[Suzanne]

I have to agree with piglet..I have grown allsorts of different beetroot but boltardy never fails.

[Wicker]

It's true Boltardy rarely fails.  I'm in Edinburgh - so similar conditions.  I have found over the years that. no matte the variety, successive sowings are the best safeguard.  I prefer my beetroot to be fairly small so maybe that is why I have not been disappointed and I am happy with my shelf of ruby coloured beetroot and beetroot/apple chutney!

[growmore]

Beetroot is a hungry crop so If  you haven't mucked the previous autumn rake in some blood fish and bone prior to setting your seed ..
When you have raked your drill out sprinkle a little salt in it. Then set your seeds ..Bolthardy is reliable and should do well...

[Rhubarb Thrasher]

our beetroot did badly this year. Surprisingly the best lot was the first, sown in March under glass in guttering and planted out in April. All the sowings in open ground up until june struggled a lot, which suggested that if conditions aren't right around germination they never fully recover. All the beetroot were poor - boltardy, detroit, perfect and di chioggia. The one that grew the best by far was di chioggia, which was a shame because nobody liked the look of it. Doesn't look like it does on the packet, when cooked looks more like a rhinoceros testicle

[manicscousers]

we grow boltardy and the long one, can't remember the name, both planted in fibre pots and transplanted like pigletwillie does
RT, how do you know ?  ;D

[froglets]

I've had some good success this year with Wodan ( a dreaded F1) on roughly cultivated wet clay and in free draining compost in tubs.  It doesn't get big, but roasts beautifully.

[growmore]

Here is some bolthardy I have just picked in the rain  ..Bit mishapen but it wern't  thinned  out. This was sown  early June..

[Trixiebelle]

Boltardy here as well as a main crop.

I ADORE beetroot so I always mollycoddle them. Plant 1 seed per toilet-roll pot and plant out when they look nice and strong.

I also tried some white beetroot this year and it grew the best of the lot! Can't for the life of me remember what variety it is though - probably from Thompson & Morgan?

[Sparkly]

Our first year on the plot but our beetroot were fantastic. I planted 2 rows about 6ft long in April. The variety was 'Boltardy'. I planted 2 clusters about 4inches apart and thinned them out by pulling the baby beets. The crop was astounding. I pickled most of it and I have probably had enough to make about 15-16 1.5lb jars or more. I did not stagger the planting as I was planning to pickle most anyway. Our soil is a loam. It had not been manured for at least 2 years, but had been well manured every year before then. The area had been heavily infested with bindweed so had not been cropped for that 2 year period. We cleared it out and planted without any soil treatment. Our soil drains well and is just about pH neutral. I don't know what the secret is, but don't give in! I think beetroot is one of those veg that is so different homegrown, compared to shop bought. If you would like a pack of 'Boltardy' seeds I have some going spare so give me a shout.

[Froglegs]

I put in one called "Action f1" from Marshalls this year, sold as a baby beet but the ones you don't pull grow on to make nice tennis ball size beets that are not woody at all. :)

[twinkletoes]

I too am a Boltardy fan and had a good haul this year.    Manics was the long one you planted Cylindra?  I tried this this year and it was fine though not a big as I thought they would be, but that might just be because of the year we have had?  Going to try them again next year though.
Twinkletoes

[manicscousers]

spot on, twinkletoes, I've been sorting through today and found half a packet left, they're a good shape and size for slicing, yes, it was a wierd year all round, looking forward to a better one  ;D

[Lauren S]

Make sure you plant them on a *ROOT DAY*... ;)

[twinkletoes]

OK Lauren S - I'll take this one........what is a ROOT DAY????   

Twinkletoes