[manna]

hi, I've just transplanted my baby beetroot, which I do every year instead of just thinning out. normally I do it before the beetroot have really formed, but was late this year so a lot of them are marble sized. the leaves always die back before new ones appear and they pick up again, but this year it's been so hot I'm worried. I've covered them with fleece and water them daily, but wonder whether to trim off the large leaves which are dead anyway and help the plant concentrate all it's energy on the new ones, or would this damage the plant?

[doubledug]

I have a friend that does this and not allways with great success. beetroot is a short season veg and transplanting even when done carefully is likely to check the growth and possibly effect the quality of your beets. why do you do this? If it is so as not to waste seed then you could chit them first although i dont think it neccessary at this time of year.
 you could try putting them in aplastic bag with some most compost until they sprout, a couple of days usually. I find this a good way to get speedy germination and you can then plant them spaced as you would otherwise when transplanting. but of course you are still likely to get more than one plant per seed.

[corynsboy]

Hi doubledug

I've just posted something on this on another thread.  Thinning always strikes me as such a waste of time and crops.  I also find it boring and takes a really long time.  Transplanting is a smarter approach (IMHO) if you have the space for seed modules.

Marble size is a bit too late in the day.  Once sown, the beets do pretty well if you transplant them when the leaves are about an inch high.  The root is long and thin and they take off really well.  At marble size the plant is a fully fledged beetroot and you'll do well to keep any of them. 

The plant will lose leaves because of the shock of the transplant and the loss of root surface area.  With the loss of roots the plant can't always support it's bigger leaves.  You can strip away properly dead leaves but you risk disturbing the plant of you pull them so scissors only for that job.  If new leaves appear then you stand a good chance of survival but I'd try and keep them small and well watered,otherwise the beets with a disrupted start might just bolt quickly.

You still have plenty of time to sow some more.

[missycat]

I agree with Corynsboy.
I started my first beetroot off in a seed tray and transplanted them before the beet began to form (twice the work) but I'm now harvesting and about 80% are perfect...the rest are edible but misshapen.
I sowed seed direct on Saturday for a second crop and they are already nearly an inch tall!
Except when trying to get a head start (ground too cold/wet or just not cleared) I'll be sowing direct next time and using thinnings in salad.
Hope your transplanted beets do well.

[manna]

thanks for all the advice - I do this every year as when i first got my allotment my dad came up to look one day when I was about to thin out and told me that he'd always transplanted them. I sow direct, so thinning or transplanting seems most efficient for me. It has always worked, and essentially it gives you 2 crops, as the transplanted ones take a bit of a knock and a while to grow compared with the ones left alone. However, that works well for me, and I often harvest until october here in london. however, the advice about transplanting late makes sense - i felt uneasy uprooting tiny beetroot - usually it's just a long root, easier to get out intact. The good news is that there are already signs of new growth, with baby leaves peeping through and even a few of the old leaves picking up - they are still covered in fleece and watered daily. I think I'll risk snipping the larger leaves off - the plant obviously can't cope and I was worried it would expend it's energy trying to maintain the bigger leaves instead of making new ones. thanks for all the advice, though.
wish me luck with the snipping!