Planting out beetroot

[bario1]

Hi everyone,

How big should beetroot grown in modules be before planting out? I tried planting out some this morning, it was about 1" tall, two or three shoots per module. It didn't feel right though, the soil in the modules disintegrated when i popped them out, leaving very floppy and unhappy looking seedlings lolling about with hardly any real roots. I planted half of them like this and then decided to leave the others to grow on in the modules... was it too soon? And is there any real point starting beetroot in modules rather than sowing direct?

Thanks.

[Two_Sheds]

is there any real point starting beetroot in modules rather than sowing direct?

yeah, if it's too cold outside you can start the plants indoors, and get them to a good size before planting out.

Yours just aren't big enough to go outside yet. The roots should be showing out the bottom of the pots, then they're ready

Beware of sparrows too: they love ripping the leaves off baby beetroot

[Bren In Pots]

I sow my beetroot in newspaper pots then the whole thing gets planted out.

[jacob]

Beware of sparrows too: they love ripping the leaves off baby beetroot

Yes.... with a load of compost straight out of the wormery hoed into the top layer, the blackbirds excavated any that the sparrows left. (Actually, I had about 40% survival. Luckily there's more in modules awaiting their turn.)

[Frana]

I have tried both palnting out and sowing straight into the ground over the years and have always had better success straight in the ground - always grown Boltardy aswell. Touch wood I have had a reasonable degree of success.

[WilliamD]

Ditto here: Boltardy seeds straight into the ground works for me, thinning them out as they come up.

[bario1]

Yeah i'm not going to bother with any more in modules - been a bit of a disaster, and its warm enough now for direct sowing. Cheers.