Beetroot issues

Hi everyone

This is my first post... Just joined today as have been getting into gardening recently

I don't have an allotment but figured beetroot is probably a popular allotment choice!

I planted some beetroot seeds on 6th April and will upload a pic as to what they look like now. Probably going about it all wrong but I started them in a small terracotta pot and recently moved them into a larger plastic pot with drainage holes.... But I have kept them indoors the whole time....

I found that even if I place them outside for 5 mins they start to wilt and just look sad. I am in Liverpool and we have awful weather but has been really nice last week and I think too hot for them maybe.

Yesterday I noticed that now they are looking wilted on the outside but the newer leaves are looking nice.

I did plant some chilli pepper seeds the same day and that plant is looking strong and healthy.

Also when I repotted the beetroot I was expecting a larger root clump but really would be surprised if there was anything in there and it's been 8 weeks now.. does beetroot take a long time to establish? I thought it would be about 12 weeks.

What should I do?!!??

 

Here is a photo... As you can see the stalks look lame

 

Beetroot are quite tough plants and need to be outside.
By coseting them they have grown soft and need to aclimatise to outdoor conditions.

But really to grow well they will need a much bigger container, and best planted in that sooner rather than later as root crops rarely like distubance.

I think you are looking at longer than 12 weeks as they have been only growing slowly.

 

oh really, how big would you recommend??

And will they be ok when it rains heavy on them?

yes I suppose I have been babying them, they were like a little pet experiment

 

Well you need something with depth, although, I'm guessing you have the round ball type, they still have a long fangy root out the bottom so, Just guessing because I've never tried growing them in containers, I'd say at least 6 to 9 ins deep.
So quite a large pot.

They will be ok outdoors in all weathers once they get used to the conditions, at the moment they are very soft.

 

Well thanks

I will get a new container tomorrow and fingers crossed some new pics will be up when they are faring much better!

 

Well it's been three weeks.. at first I really didn't think they would make it as we had continuous storms, thunder and even hail

But they are doing amazing! They have really grown into their new pot and the primary stalks are thick and strong. They have been nibbled at a bit though!

Looks like you were right, I shouldn't baby my plants

 

I did it the other way from you, planted straight outside into soil about the same time, I'm based in the Midlands.... here are mine!

 

You can see some onions from seed also, but please excuse the weeds. Had a back op and have been a little lazy

 

Those look much more appropriately spaced out than mine! I'm not even sure how the beetroot is going to grow if I clumped all the seeds together.. will be an interesting one!

Those look good!

 

Beetroot is interesting in that each seed can produce several plants. They have a number of embryos in the one seed. The same goes for sugar beet and other relatives, so they need to be singled, all but one plant removed from each point and thinned out to reasonable separation. If left you tend to get one beet bulking up nicely and the others not really developing.
To avoid this breeders developed beet with only one embryo per seed (monogerm), these varieties often have mono in the name.

 

I have grown beetroot in cell trays for planting in the ground well before they get potbound.
Two or three seeds to a cell, yes you get a cluster of plants but when planted out and spaced they tend to push one another away, if you start by pulling the biggest in each cluster when the size of a golf ball the others then get more room, and so on.

I do the same with seed grown onions, but obviously dont pull any of them till late august when I dig up the whole clump, its amazing how they all push one another away and still reach a nice size.
Its the old Geoff Hamilton method.

 

Wow loving the science behind that!

So maybe I'm going to end up with one jacked beetroot and some poor looking outsiders!

Can't wait

 

No, because when you remove the biggest the others get more room, and you let them grow on, so right through the summer you get a succession of niced sized beetroot from just one sowing.

 

Ohh okay.. so I leave the rest to grow a bit after I take the middle out. That's good