Beetroot seeds - are they always so erratic to germinate?

I've not grown beetroot before so this year have tried sowing some Boltardy, initially in seed trays which are outside (although I bring them in at night, mainly due to the risk of slug and snail attack on any seedlings). Germination has been fitful and erratic to say the least despite about 30 seeds being planted in the exact same compost, watered the same, etc.

A few germinated after about a week, then none for a week, then a few more in fits and starts.

Are they always so erratic or is it my seeds, growing conditions, etc?

I even tried soaking another batch in warm water first for about an hour but that didn't seem to make an difference to the erratic germination.

Most peculiar, they are the only seeds I've had problems with since I started dabbling in gardening.

 

TBH, when I’ve sown beetroot, they’ve always done better when sown direct. Bear in mind, each seed is actually a clump of seeds, so sow thinly.

 

I agree with Freddy, direct sowing now should be ok, for early sowing I used to use cell trays with 2 or 3 seeds in each cell and they need to be planted out before the tap root gets all tangled up.
They don't like root disturbance and can bolt if you do.

As to why they are slow germinating is a mystery unless the seed is old.

 

Thanks. The seed is new and I sowed them pretty shallow into deep cells.

 

I am going to recommend that you change your seed source for next year. My recommendation for brilliant germination is www.realseeds.co.uk, or if you work on a restricted budget use Lidl, who have a limited range of fresh seeds available from approximately 28 January , for no more than 4 weeks as they are gone in a trice. Generally at 29 pence per packet, with a 9 p discount on 5 packets assorted. Never had a sowing failure from either source, apart from mice!
For your own interest, sprout a few (say 10) of each variety on damp kitchen roll , just to see them go.

 

I'm going to be looking out for mice seeds from now on, they sound interesting.
But I know what you mean

 

I think seeds in general are not seeming as good as they were only a few years ago for germination. Roots in particular seem to vary quite a lot, Beetroot from the same supplier seem to vary from year to year, last year about 10 Beetroots germinated from a packet, this year from the same kind of packet, there must be a hundred. Carrots the same, last year first sowing nothing, this year, loads of seeds growing and I'm doing nothing different that I can see.

 

Regulary start off Boltardy in cell trays in the greenhouse and find them one of the easiest seeds to germinate, being reasonably even.

You do not mention the compost, one of the non peat types ?

As an experiment, gather some decent garden soil and use that in the cell trays, one seed per cell and see how they germinate, in this weather would expect them all to be up in a week, but do protect them from blazing sun.

 

I sow the roots direct in the ground, have done so for decades, some seeds like Parsnips can be erratic, but the other roots veg used to be reliable. I have done a few experiments over the years and I did identify some companies generally were better than others, some cheap supermarket brands were also hit and miss, some good some not so, but over the past three or four years, I have seen a marked increase in seed germination, both in the soil outside and also in seed trays inside under glass. Now this did seem to get worse as the multi purpose compost quality dropped, but my raised beds also had varying results and I couldn't say that the weather was a huge influence. This years trials with pea seeds has given me a clear route forwards, so I shall see how next years trials work out, I'm also making my own liquid feed and potting compost, so as to remove uncontrolled variables from my trials. Time we tell.

 

Thanks everyone for the great recommendations and advice.

To answer one particular question, I've mostly been using peat free compost.

 

Peat free should be fine for sowing seeds in, the old method of seed sowing was to use low nutrient compost for sowing in. Only problem with that is you have to pot on or give a liquid feed once the seeds have set a proper leaf, as your compost might be light on nutrients.

 

When I grew beetroot on my allotment some years ago I didn't see any particular problems. At that time I think I mostly bought seeds from the 99p store, before it was taken over by £land. If I remember rightly there was little difference to sowing them in seed trays & pricking them out into their bed & sowing direct.

I did successional sowings & rarely had plants that bolted. I sowed Bolthardy a lot as well as other varieties as I love Beetroot!
.

 

Oh, I can let you have some cuttings.