leggy beetroot seedlings

After having several failures sowing beetroot direct I've sown them in modules this time, in an unheated conservatory, but the seedlings are all long thin and leggy. Does this mean it's a waste of time planting them out? And what am I doing wrong?

 

Noo, I grew a load in the hotbed last year in january, they got leggy but were fine once they were in the ground, here's one of them,

 

Oh my word!! How deep do you recommend I plant them out then Ziggy?

 

Only to the base of the true leaves, they'll sort themselves out. I planted a few out a month ago, but they're not doing so well, got another few trays to harden off yet which are doing better.

Didn't get the hotbed together this year, too much hassle going on, but if you click the link in my signature you'll see it there.

 

Thanks! Congratulations on the hot bed! I'm always on the look out for glass panels to make a proper cold frame - at the moment I'm improvising with the inside of the old dishwasher which we dismantled! We never throw anything away without first thinking whether it could be used for something else. (however OH sometimes sees this as an excuse to simply hoard...)

 

They are full of Carrots, Early Spuds & Salad at the moment, going to plant leeks in an open one in an effort to defeat whatever has been destroying the crop last year.

Do you have a Freecycle Scheme in The Pays Bas ?

 

Not officially as far as I know. What happens is, people leave things out in the street to be collected, but they've usually disappeared before the official 'refuse collectors' come round.

 

I sow in a small seed tray and then prick-out, that enables me to "bury" the seedling up to its seed leaves when I prick out - which counters the legginess.

I prick out 3 seedlings to a 9cm pot, and then plant "as one" and pull two of them for early thinnings leaving the best one to fatten up for later. That extends the length of the harvest.

 

Thanks Kristen. I might try that. I just always thought they didn't like being transplanted, but with the success I've had sowing direct, I've got nothing to lose!

 

"Roots" generally don't, but I've not had any trouble with Beetroot (or Celeriac & Swede), but I only grow Parsnips in newspaper pots that I can plant out "whole", and although I did that once for Carrots it was too much faff, so I sow them direct now.