What happens if the betroot seedlings are too close?

[Nick Blair]

Do they grow smaller or die? I some of mine a very close but I don't mind them being smaller than normal, but I am thinking of removing some.

[oldie]

They will just be mini beetroot. Delicious when freshly picked. If you carefully pull alternate ones the rest will grow bigger.

[Nicos]

I sow mine too close on purpose- and just remove the largest to eat as they grow- that thins them out nicely!
I much prefer small sweet beetroot!

Also the leaves of the smaller ones are yummy in salads!

[coreopsis]

Look at the beets first(before you start removing any),some roots are not swelling if they grow too close so at the beginning maybe it would be better to remove these ones and eat them in salad.

[Pumpkin Becki]

I suppose it depends what you mean by too close. One Beetroot seed is actually a cluster of smaller seeds in an outer casing, so if all the seeds from that one outer seed case germinate, then you may have to thin.

Personally I don't bother. I sew a row, and as they start to swell they will naturally push themselves apart. Then as the first ones get to golf ball size, I come along and harvest the biggest, leaving the rest to carry on developing in the ground, and so on and so forth until they're all harvested.

[Jeanied]

They argue and try and push each other out of the way, Nick - so you go along and referee between them all and pull out the one you think is the trouble maker and cook it.
My fave way of gardening!