Beetroot harvesting

[littlemoney]

I am gowing beetroot, but how do I know when they are of a size to be worth harvesting. Sorry silly question but I don't know the answer.

[ameno]

You can usually see the top half of the beetroot standing proud of the soil, so it should be easy enough to judge. If you can't see anything yet, they are definitely still too small.
You can start harvesting as baby beetroot once they reach about golf ball size. Take every other one, so that the ones left are given more space to grow larger.

[littlemoney]

Will it make any difference that the beetroot were initially sown indoors and then transplanted into the garden so the depth might be different from direct sowings. Sorry said I was a beginner at the vegetables this year.

[MarkPelican]

I grow mine both as direct sow and as transplanted seedlings. It doesn't make any difference. I thin the direct sow for salad leaves as well as baby beetroot.

You'll be able to see when they're big enough - patience.

[annie8]

You can also feel around it to get an idea if it isn’t sitting proud of the surface.

[Chestnut]

I also tend to start my beetroot in modules , then plant them out as seedlings, as I tend to get quite poor germination when I sow them direct.
As they get bigger, their shoulders usually come up above soil level, so it’s easy to see when they’re getting bigger.
I personally like to pick them relatively small - somewhere between golf ball and snooker ball size, as they’re more tender and I prefer eating them that way.

[Ms-T]

And by the way it's not a silly question.

[bikermike]

I start mine inside.

I think just generally have a quick furtle round and see how big they are.

I sew in clumps and try to carefully tease one or two out from a clump, so if they are a bit small, they will allow more room for the others to grow.

I generally take most out small, but leave one or two to see how big they can get...

Mike

[Gordon the gardener]

I also multisow in modules Indoors and plant out in clumps, they grow together quite well and you just take the biggest once a week. A 24 module tray four to a cell gives you about 100 beetroot, repeat sowings as necessary. Not the biggest of beet but who needs big?