Baffled by beetroot

[Gruener Daumen]

Hi everybody!

This is the second year running where my beetroots have been abysmal.

Last year, I sowed straight into the soil of my raised bed (south facing, partially shaded by a tree, filled with council "compost"). I got a few seedlings but they never amounted to anything. Most just withered away and died. I think I got one beetroot the size of a pea for my trouble.
I tried carrots in the same bed and they didn't even produce seedlings. Broad beans and peas thrived.

This year, I tried a different tack. I added some manure to the raised bed late last year. A few weeks ago, I sowed seeds into cellular trays (?). They grew fine but as soon as I transfer them to the raised bed, they too shrivelled up and died.

I've got some more waiting in trays now but I'd prefer to know what the problem is before releasing them into the wild.

Any suggestions? I'm getting desperate- beetroot isn't the kind of veg that's easily obtained in shops and we all really love it.

Many thanks.

[zazen999]

The problem was last year was rubbish and until a couple of weeks ago, so was this year. Ge t a good rootball before planting out and plant them nice and deep. Water in well.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Could be one of several things,

They are only half hardy so frosts or cold temps would be a problem.

Soil PH should be about 6.5 to 7.

Swallow roots so the top of the soil should be kept moist to prevent drying out.

Cut worm could be another problem.

Boron deficiency also poses a problem.

Funny your beans grew well I read somewhere they don't make very good companions so there might be something there to look at.

Potty

[Gruener Daumen]

Wow! Thanks. There's a lot here to think about. On reflection, I think I might have been a bit too stingy with the watering. I might also test the soil.

Many thanks

[chefgage]

i always sow my beetroot seeds into modules then transplant them into 4" pots untill they are fairly big.
Then they get planted out in the raised beds. Before repotting them/planting out i give them a very very big soaking. This seems to stop them withering away.

[johnWM]

I put 2 rows of beetroot seed in a few weeks ago then the weather went very cold, the seed has recently come up a bit patchy, but the little plants look fine. I also put a few seeds in 3 inch pots indoors so that I could fill any gaps in the outdoor planting.
Now here's the interesting bit, I watered the row well, then decided it was time to plug the gaps, so put a long trowel in, in a couple of the gaps I actually found that seed had germinated and was about to break through, the truly amazing thing was that from the seed a tiny thread like tap root was already six inches long! I now know why beetroot need regular watering from a few days after seed sowing until the leaves are a few cm long and then they seem to become quite hardy, that tap root must be getting longer and longer and until it is nice and deep in sandy soil the seedlings are vulnerable

[Alison]

I prefer to sow my beetroot directly (there's not many things I do but this is one of them) and normally sow my first row weeks ago. This year the weather has meant that I've delayed and only just sown so I wonder if the weather is part of your problem.