[BicesterKev]

I've got 3 lots of Beetroot on the go in the cold frame, planted over a series of about 4 weeks. The first lot got to about an inch and a half high and I could see there were 3 lots of shots per module. I've read in various places that the seeds are infact clusters of seeds, and also read in various places about thinning them out. From those snippets of info I thought I would snip 2 out of 3 of the shoots coming out and when I checked after work tonight (approx 72hours later) most of them had dropped dead! I'm guessing that I shouldn't of done that!

Can one of our experienced growers on here tell me what I should be doing with them, in the meantime the snippers are staying well away. 

[Salmo]

Beetroot only bolts in hot weather, not cold. Ditto for chard.

Wrong. If you plant in cold weather it is liable to bolt.....Fact

Beet bolts if it experiences a period of cold while small (vernilisation). Bolthardy has been selected from plants that are slow to bolt and should therefore be the choice for early sowing. Other varieties  should usually be delayed until the soil is warm and prolonger periods of cold/frost are unlikely. That is usually mid-April. That could still be right.

[compostqueen]

I like a Bolthardy.  Very easy to grow and way tasty, leaves too 

[Salmo]

After over 30 years of gardening I read my Beetroot label and it mentioned a Endogenous Inhibitor. Never new about it before, but here's a link............
http://aob.oxfordjournals.org/content/35/1/31.short
I always do a few in toilet rolls and I soaked the seeds first this year. Also in my search it said the deeper you sow your seed, the bigger the root, but it didn't mention what depths.
Steve

Sugar beet growers always used to soak the bag of seed into a dike for 24 hours before they sowed it. The scientific explanation for the improved germination was that the chemicals that impeded germination were washed out. It works with beetroot. Nature creates these chemicals so that not all seed germinates at once and the chances of survival of at least some of the plants is improved.

[fatcat1955]

Please read the original post carefully. He sowed on the 13th March in a cold Greenhouse. Modules were not mentioned. He did not mention Bolthardy. Read John's book page 140. "The earliest sowing's can suffer from bolting." Read Joy Larkcom's book page 210." Beetroot normally sown in situ as only very young seedling's can be transplanted however respond's to being grown in modules" "Beetroot is liable to bolt if sown early in cold condition's." Hope this clear's this post up.

[waxwing]

Cheers for that Salmo, as I said after all these years I never knew that.
Also Hubballi, I seem to get the impresion your green house is unheated. Well we had the second coldest March on record, so that may not help things.
Steve

[hubballi]

Still nowt showing. Surely the seeds are wasted now ?

[vanessa.xx]

Hi
first timer here but i planted bolthardy seeds in my cold greenhouse on about the 10th march they are about an inch high now but i am in cornwall and we've had no snow, dont know anything about bolting etc as this is my first year and im pretty much winging it   

[Benandbill]

Got my Boltardy and Globe 2 seeds in the outdoor plastic greenhouse this morning.  It's still v/cold overnight but we're getting some sun in the day so they should get a good variety of light and temperature..  Who knows what to expect?!?!   

[hubballi]

Oh, what's this ? Purple tips showing through 

[waxwing]

Congratulation Hubballi 

[hubballi]

Well very few have come up. I take it that as they were sown at the begining of march they have had it now ?

[mumofstig]

Could slugs/snails be eating all your seedlings as soon as they come through and before you've even seen them?

I really don't understand how you manage to get very little to geminate 

[hubballi]

No slugs and snails at all in greenhouse. Just very patchy germination. New packets of seed from Aldi too.

[JayG]

Could be worth trying to germinate your seeds indoors rather than the greenhouse. Temperature fluctuations should be much less and you can keep an eye on watering more easily.

The hardier stuff can be moved back into the greenhouse as soon as they have germinated.