Growing Beetroot
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For growing beetroot your soil preparation should be completed by early in the spring prior to sowing. Choose a site that gets a fair amount of sun and give the soil a good digging over – do this on a dry day when the soil is moist. When you have cleared out all the weeds, rake it to a fine crumbly texture making sure there are no stones left over as these can restrict the root growth of your growing beetroot plants.
If you are going to add manure, ensure it has been well-rotted, otherwise it may cause the roots to develop incorrectly. for growing beetroot ideally the soil should be slightly acidic (pH 6.5-7).
You should wait until after the last frost before sowing. If you want to give the beetroot a headstart, you can do this either indoors in seedling pots or by using a poly tunnel or cloche to raise your seedlings until they are ready to transplant (usually when the seedlings are about 10cm tall).
If you are going to sow seeds directly into the ground, you will need to make sure the soil is warm enough to allow the seeds to germinate.
Drill a little trench about 2cm deep using the rake or a trowel. Plant your monogerm seeds in the drills you made about 3cm apart – seed clusters should be sowed around 5cm apart. Cover them with soil and water them in. If sowing in rows, ensure there’s 30cm between each row.
You will need to keep the soil damp but not wet until after the seeds have germinated (usually within 10 to 14 days). You can do this by mulching between the rows, all the while making sure the rows are free of weeds. Be warned that letting the soil dry out can stunt or affect the beetroots’ growth rate. Not only that, it can cause the roots to become woody and less succulent.
When the seeds have grown to about 5cm in height, its time to thin them to their final positions. For the globe varieties, this is about 10cm and for the long varieties, about 15cm. Use netting to protect your beetroot from wild birds.
The beetroots will normally be ready for harvesting around 11-16 weeks after sowing. Harvest equally from each row – this will create space for the beets remaining in the ground and will help with their development
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