Growing Beetroot

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1 Soil preparation

To make a seed bed, remove weeds and dig over the site with a spade, removing any particularly large stones.
Level roughly and then work over the area with a rake to leave a fine finish.
If you can, two or three weeks before sowing, spread a general granular fertiliser across the site and rake into the soil.

2 How to sow seed

Seed can be sown directly into the soil from April to July.
Make a 2cm (0.75in) deep trench with the corner of a rake (or a cane will do) and drop in two seeds every 10cm (4in).
Cover, water well and label - when the seedlings are about 2cm (0.75in) high, remove the weakest of each pair to leave one beetroot seedling every 10cm (4in).
If you want a plentiful supply of beetroot, sow seeds every month, keeping rows 20cm (8in) apart.

If you have a small garden, beetroot are easy to grow in pots.

To grow in pots (ideal for round varieties, not long cylindrical ones), choose containers that are 20cm (8in) in diameter and at least 20cm (8in) deep.
Fill loosely with multi-purpose compost leaving the compost just shy of the top.
Tap the pot gently to settle, and firm with your finger tips aiming to leave a 4cm (1.5in) gap between the surface of the compost and the top of the pot.
Sow seeds thinly across the surface and cover with 2cm (0.75in) of compost.
Water and thin out seedlings when they're about 2cm (0.75in) tall, leaving 12cm (5in) gaps between them.

3 Aftercare

This is really easy. Remove weeds and keep seedlings well watered, especially during dry periods as this will stunt the growth of plants.

Category: Recipes

Filo Pie with Swiss Chard, Ricotta Cheese and Tomatoes

Filo Pie with Swiss Chard, Ricotta Cheese, and Tomatoes

Stuck for an idea for how to use Chard, well why not try this dish?

Perfect Roast Potatoes

Perfect Roast Potatoes
My foolproof way of getting that perfect roastie!

Baked Salmon & Asparagus with Jersey Royal's

Tasty and so easy to make, great dinner party dish or a cracking family treat, and a healthy dish too especially if like me you have an Asparagus Bed or two!.

Category: The Growing Season

Jobs to do on the Allotment in January
January is generally a very cold month with hard frosts freezing the ground and when the ground isn't frozen it is generally too wet to do much although there are no guarantees with British weather. Looking through my diaries, snow isn't that likely for a prolonged period but you never know.

Jobs to do in October

October is the month when it feels like the season is about to turn, the days start to shorten and the sun appears lower in the sky, the leaves change colour and fall to the ground and temperatures drop. The first frost are likely too, which will be the end of many of your crops out in the open so if you still haven’t harvested frost sensitive crops now is the time before Jack Frost gets them!

Jobs to do in May

May is usually one of the busiest months

The soil is warm and the plants growing well. But watch out for a sneaky late frost.

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