Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: sunshineband on April 25, 2017, 09:14
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When I thin down the beetroot in my efforts to ensure beautiful round roots, well spaced and all that stuff, I end up with a pile of plants with about four leaves, in a heap on the path and off to the compost bin they duly go.
But no more!
After seeing these leaves, plus the red stems cut into short lengths in bags of mixed salad we bought on holiday (and since then spotted in supermarkets here, but I had missed seeing them before as I don't usually buy salad leaves for obvious reasons lol) I thought I'd press them into service: wow!
As you can see from the photo, after a decent rinse and a trim, mixed red and golden beetroot leaves made a beautiful salad. The two leaves were quite different textures too!
And don't forget to settle the remaining plants back in and give them a good deep drink too, so their roots can quickly recover from being disturbed
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I always eat the leaves - from fully-grown beetroot, too. Delicious raw in salads, or wilted like spinach. :)
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I always eat the leaves - from fully-grown beetroot, too. Delicious raw in salads, or wilted like spinach. :)
Mina often look quite tatty and unappetising... maybe I should think about picking some of the decent ones though!
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Best keep to young leaves if eating raw as the older leaves have a build up of oxalic acid which may cause upset tummy. Older leaves OK wilted. Same as eating perpetual spinach or chard, close relatives
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Best keep to young leaves if eating raw as the older leaves have a build up of oxalic acid which may cause upset tummy. Older leaves OK wilted. Same as eating perpetual spinach or chard, close relatives
Useful tip Salmo. Thank you 😀
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They sure contain oxalic acid, but how this differs by age of foliage I have not heard about.
At any rate (and data are varied):
- some green leaves contain much more (parsley, chives and obviously, rhubarb)
- not stomach upset, but crystal build up/toxic effect it causes in susceptible people
- only those with kidney stones, gout and stomach problems need to be worried about this
- those with a lot of dark green leaf intake on a continuous basis should pay attention to consume many cooked and with/prepared with milk or other dairy products.
Not often mentioned, but the roots themselves contain rather similar amount (some data says more).
So, there's no need to worry and yet again shows, that traditional recipes often have some food knowledge... don't leave the cream out, let that be rhubarb or spinach.
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on the subject of beetroot,I had no luck last year with direct sowing, so sowed into modules (bolthardy and touchstone gold), come to plant out today as the seed leaves on both were yellowing rapidly...what an effing mare...all the roots had congregated at the bottom of the modules, leaving pretty much untouched compost above, really difficult to get out...made a reet dogs dinner out of it...module sown spring onions the same, any tips?
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Bottom watering, by any chance?
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Plant the whole module in one clump and the beets sort themselves out as they grow, pushing apart slightly. same with onions I've found.
It has been quite successful for me... hope that helps, Urbanite
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What size modules are you using gobs? Not sure if that might make a difference but I have no bother with mine.
I use tiny cells about 1/2" square. One large module has 60 cells. Once there are two leaves I use a thin metal (wire) tent peg to push each plant up and out of the module from underneath. Occasionally one has too much root and sticks but it's rare. The compost and roots come out in a block.
It may have been because your seedlings were in the cells for a bit too long so the roots were huge & tangled - that would explain the yellowing too.... run out of nutrients.
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Do you think starting beetroot in modules really helps, PP ? Whenever I do it they sulk when transplanted and the ones grown from seed soon catch up or even overtake them. Not sure I'd ever bother starting in modules again.
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Do you think starting beetroot in modules really helps, PP ? Whenever I do it they sulk when transplanted and the ones grown from seed soon catch up or even overtake them. Not sure I'd ever bother starting in modules again.
It means I can get an early crop in, before the ground is warm enough to sow directly
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I use fairly large modules - they are in sets of 6 and 2 sets fit into a standard seed tray. Like Sunshine I sow a few seeds in each and plant out as a clump.
My soil is a bit heavy and seed germination can be patchy if conditions are less than perfect. Modules mean I can plant out clumps and know I am making good use of space. Beetroot are stem, rather than root veg, so a bit of root tangling won't hold them back, even if they have been in the modules a little too long.
The salad leaf idea is interesting though. There are always beetroot seed in the 50p seed sales and a largish pot could yield a decent picking of salad.
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I have used cells in the past and transplanted successfully. However for the last 2 years I have sown direct and at the final spacing I want with great success and I haven't had to thin. On the rare occasion one doesn't come up I just plant another one to crop later.
I find this easier and it means I have more room for things that can't be direct sown.
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Do you think starting beetroot in modules really helps, PP ? Whenever I do it they sulk when transplanted and the ones grown from seed soon catch up or even overtake them. Not sure I'd ever bother starting in modules again.
It means I can get an early crop in, before the ground is warm enough to sow directly
Me too - start them off indoors or in a warm greenhouse that way I am sure I have some germinated and ready to grow on early on in the season. I direct sow too once the weather warms up.
I find sowing in cells and spacing as I want saves time weeding later. It's all a matter of personal choice and circumstances. Each to their own method/s :)
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What size modules are you using gobs? Not sure if that might make a difference but I have no bother with mine.
I use tiny cells about 1/2" square. One large module has 60 cells. Once there are two leaves I use a thin metal (wire) tent peg to push each plant up and out of the module from underneath. Occasionally one has too much root and sticks but it's rare. The compost and roots come out in a block.
It may have been because your seedlings were in the cells for a bit too long so the roots were huge & tangled - that would explain the yellowing too.... run out of nutrients.
You might well be right, but it wasn't my query.
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What size modules are you using gobs? Not sure if that might make a difference but I have no bother with mine.
I use tiny cells about 1/2" square. One large module has 60 cells. Once there are two leaves I use a thin metal (wire) tent peg to push each plant up and out of the module from underneath. Occasionally one has too much root and sticks but it's rare. The compost and roots come out in a block.
It may have been because your seedlings were in the cells for a bit too long so the roots were huge & tangled - that would explain the yellowing too.... run out of nutrients.
You might well be right, but it wasn't my query.
My apologies gobs.... I guess I was half-awake when I read through the thread.
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That doesn't matter a thing. It's just the person with the query might skip what you answer to others.