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Post by twiams on Jul 7, 2012 22:25:47 GMT
Here i go again with another silly question ;D Can anyone give me a low down on best ways to grow beetroot ? potted, in the ground ? green house, outside, inside ? Marmite pig has taken a liking to the veg and i thought it would be great to grow my own as i find it hard to find raw un cooked beetroot in shops, unless i get it in this lettuce salad pack thing Thanks !
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Post by sweetpea on Jul 7, 2012 22:54:24 GMT
Beetroot are quite an easy plant to grow. Each 'seed' is actually a little pod of seeds and will sprout more than one plant which then needs more thinning out so space them out along a shallow drill outdoors. Put the seeds about 1" or so apart and cover with about 1/2" soil. If you are growing quite a few then a salt water dilution watered over them will help to keep many weeds at bay. beet are maritime plants and won't be harmed by the salt.
One of the easiest varieties and also a good one is Boltardy. Red Ace and Pablo also excellent plus the yellow Golden Globe. There is also a white variety though I have never tried it. When you harvest them, twist the stalks/leaves off. Do not cut them as they bleed. HTH
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Post by twiams on Jul 8, 2012 17:30:38 GMT
thanks for the help sweetpea ! Sounds quite straightforward, now to find some beetroot seeds, i never knew there was so many different types of vegetables, im being opened up to a whole new world
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Post by Cherry on Jul 8, 2012 19:14:56 GMT
I am growing long ones this year and they are coming up a treat. I think they would be easier to cut and put into jars. Boltardy are still probably the best. They are part of the beet family, so if you like spinach, they are grown in the same way. I am growing different sorts of spinach because I love it.
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Post by sweetpea on Jul 8, 2012 19:43:37 GMT
I am growing long ones this year and they are coming up a treat. I think they would be easier to cut and put into jars. Boltardy are still probably the best. They are part of the beet family, so if you like spinach, they are grown in the same way. I am growing different sorts of spinach because I love it. I used to grow the long beet for shows but the problem was later when trying to get them into the cooking pot. If you cut them there is that tendency to bleed like me since that stroke and having to take aspirin now.
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Post by Cherry on Jul 8, 2012 19:59:25 GMT
I will make them fit SP. I would not dream of cutting them, nor do I like to have a broken root because of bleeding. I cook them even with some dirt on them so that no roots or tops are broken. My Scottish mother-in-law taught me well.
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Post by sweetpea on Jul 8, 2012 21:54:41 GMT
I will make them fit SP. I would not dream of cutting them, nor do I like to have a broken root because of bleeding. I cook them even with some dirt on them so that no roots or tops are broken. My Scottish mother-in-law taught me well. I have twirled them round in a casserole dish and microwaved them. I did have a BIG saucepan which was kept only for boiling beetroot but it was a job getting the l o n g ones in.
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Post by twiams on Jul 18, 2012 0:55:23 GMT
I had the joyus task of cutting a beetroot up for my piggy today Very pink fingers but i used what little brain i have and put a plastic bag under the beetroot as i cut so i didn't make any mess, was quite proud of my little beetroot cutting operation, although i hope this staining on my fingers fades soon ! A quick question, but on the pack of the beetroot seeds i have it says plant directly. However i want to plant them in a small pot on my window until they get a little bigger and then plant them outside, in my sink, once they're bigger and once i have a few more egg shells i can put around to protect them! Would this effect them badly or would it be okay
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Post by Tel on Jul 18, 2012 6:46:16 GMT
If its only a small pot and you are growing them for the pigs, i would sow 3 or 4 seeds in there and when they are about 6 cms high plant the clump in the garden without trying to separate them, they will push each other apart as they bulb up. If you want perfectly round beetroot really you should sow them singly in the garden about 10cms or 4in apart.
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Post by Lou78W on Jul 18, 2012 6:50:38 GMT
Beetroot are quite an easy plant to grow. Each 'seed' is actually a little pod of seeds and will sprout more than one plant which then needs more thinning out so space them out along a shallow drill outdoors. Put the seeds about 1" or so apart and cover with about 1/2" soil. If you are growing quite a fe w then a salt water dilution watered over them will help to keep many weeds at bay. beet are maritime plants and won't be harmed by the salt. One of the easiest varieties and also a good one is Boltardy. Red Ace and Pablo also excellent plus the yellow Golden Globe. There is also a white variety though I have never tried it. When you harvest them, twist the stalks/leaves off. Do not cut them as they bleed. HTH Thats a good tip SP....haven't heard that one before. Thanks!!
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Post by Tel on Jul 18, 2012 6:55:51 GMT
Beetroot are quite an easy plant to grow. Each 'seed' is actually a little pod of seeds and will sprout more than one plant which then needs more thinning out so space them out along a shallow drill outdoors. Put the seeds about 1" or so apart and cover with about 1/2" soil. If you are growing quite a fe w then a salt water dilution watered over them will help to keep many weeds at bay. beet are maritime plants and won't be harmed by the salt. One of the easiest varieties and also a good one is Boltardy. Red Ace and Pablo also excellent plus the yellow Golden Globe. There is also a white variety though I have never tried it. When you harvest them, twist the stalks/leaves off. Do not cut them as they bleed. HTH Thats a good tip SP....haven't heard that one before. Thanks!! If you are showing beetroot, leaving them in a bucket of salted water for hour or so, is supposed to give them a better internal colour.
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Post by twiams on Jul 18, 2012 8:04:51 GMT
If its only a small pot and you are growing them for the pigs, i would sow 3 or 4 seeds in there and when they are about 6 cms high plant the clump in the garden without trying to separate them, they will push each other apart as they bulb up. If you want perfectly round beetroot really you should sow them singly in the garden about 10cms or 4in apart. Okidoke I'll give that a go, thanks. I was recommended to put them outside but I just prefer having them inside as they grow from seeds because I just love watching them grow day by day and most of my plants are inside not out right now so I'm not spending much time outside !
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