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Beetroot Seedlings

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.