[NATHAN]

I planted a whole row of beetroot  at the beginning of May and i have loads of greenery but with very little in the way of roots!! What am i doing wrong?? The bloke in the next plot has beetroot the size of golf balls at the mo. I should perhaps mention that i have only just thinned them out - surely they would have made room for themselves?? :?:

[shaun]

the ones i sown directly i think it was towards the end of april are just starting to swell but are realy looking ill, i dont think they like being under water.but the ones i sown in modules(end of feb)and planted out in april have been great,i dont think i will ever plant directly again its modules all the way for my beetroot from now on,

[corndolly]

I agree Shaun, the only globes I've pulled were sown in modules , those sown direct in the soil have nt swelled at all .

[loubylou29]

mine are lovely, just the right size. Planted seed direct in mid May, and they look great, I have had a couple in salad already. YUM!

I have a raised bed that was well manured (which I know roots are meant to hate!) and had pots on last year.

[Aidy]

like most of the above I always sow in mods first, saves wasting seeds thinning and i can stagger the crop so i dont get a glut, I normaly do them in batches of twenty every three weeks.

[Trillium]

Nathan, it sounds like your beets are getting too much water and putting on lush top growth at the expense of roots. If at all possible, cut back on the water and be patient. Also, don't overfeed either, another boost to lush foliage. Mine are direct seeded in lightly manured beds and that's all they get other than some water when it's too dry.

[WG.]

I should perhaps mention that i have only just thinned them out

That will be your problem.

[Aidy]

There is one big problem here Tillium, the weather, its throwing water down in biblical amounts, so there is nothing can be done on that score, many people here have lost this years crops, we were one of the lucky ones but the spud fields here are lost, great big fields of rotting spuds. I think next years project is a great big umberella  

[Trillium]

I know there's far too much rain in the UK, Aidy, but a few parts aren't sharing Noah's bounty. I don't know the various parts of UK and who isn't getting soaked. Sadly, I think Nathan might be eventually losing his crop this year. Truly a shame for all who have worked so hard to grow decent veg.  :cry:

[Annie]

Can`t think offhand who hasn`t had too much rain this year Trillium.We had a lovely day yesterday,a nice morning and then enough rain in an hour or two to flood the local village,again,then a sunny afternoon.don`t know who ealse is affected today.Loads of grain crops flattened around here and it is usually a big potato producing area.