Beetroot not swelling

maryxyz

Beetroot planted as seed at end of March has reasonable leaf but most roots are tiny, not swelling to beetroot shape at all, same problem with every 4th radish - what am I doing wrong ? Am going to plant some more seed - anyone have any advice ?

Same problem with kohlrabi - bought seeds in Lidl - no bulb developing -luckily the leaves are delicious - cross between spinach & cabbage !

Also my spring onions are more like chives ! I refuse to buy Tesco spring onions as they are imported from Mexico- how mad is that ! It must be possible to grow them here.


Maryxyz

Minder

Beetroot, first earlies should be ready to lift in June and July, second earlies in July and August, maincrops from late August through October. Beets, kohlrabi and radish all need moist soil constantly, so mulch around them to help with moisture retention.

muggyog

Have you done a soil test? Beetroot does not like acid soils (lime might help here ) Could be a deficiency in (P)Phosperous [(P205) Phosphate, oxide version].

Good info here.

maryxyz

Thanks for your help folks. In relation to the beetroot in particular, I think I will just pull it up and start again ! I sowed the seeds on 27 March (Johnsons Boltardy variety). Our soil is slightly alkaline, I made sure to keep them moist, fed with manure & organic fertiliser and added superphospate a few weeks ago. However the leaves are max 8in high and the roots max diameter of 1in ! ! ! They are growing in raised bed where lettuce & tomato plants are thriving. The carrots & radish are also bit slow/small so perhaps root veg don't like the soil.

Mary

The Sweeper

What else is in the bed? Companion planting guides say beetroot tends to like onions, chives, kohlrabi and dwarf beans (but not runner beans or climbing beans). It doesn't like lettuce, silverbeet, cabbage or leaf mustard.

Carrots don't like sharing with radishes, tomatoes aren't supposed to like sharing with beetroot, though yours have apparently gained the upper hand...

Beetroot grows best in cooler weather, but doesn't like it very hot or very cold. It needs to be well drained though - so while you're keeping them wet, is that moisture draining off or is it swamping them?

Apparently working compost into the soil just before seeding beetroot can cause the beetroot to turn into thick lateral roots as opposed to nice tubers. You need to compost a season before you sow. Try planting beetroot after you've harvested cabbages from the same patch.

Beetroot likes a lot of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. If you don't want to go to that depth of analysis, try a couple of seasons of planting things like fill the soil (for instance beans fill the soil with nitrogen) and then try your beetroot again...

NextSteps

Make sure they're well thinned too.

maryxyz

The veg are in a raised bed built on top of a lawn so drainage should be ok and we have had a very damp cool summer so far ! The beetroot are at one end of the bed, I did thin them out, their nearest neighbours are carrots & past the carrots, kohlrabi. The lettuce & tomatoes are at the opposite end. The beetroot haven't even developed thick lateral roots, just skinny vertical ones.

Thanks for your help & encouragement anyhow, I will try again !

Maryxyz

Nonmonotonic

Just a thought. How fresh is the manure you are using? Root crops dont like the fresh stuff. Any issues with your carrots?

Tedious Bore

anyone here know where I can buy beetroot?

I mean fresh, raw. not pre-cooked.

thanks

dh0661

Tedious Bore wrote: »

anyone here know where I can buy beetroot?I mean fresh, raw. not pre-cooked.thanks

My greengrocer in Tralee stocks it.