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06 Apr 16 Ben (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi, i have not had to much success with my beets... i have only had around 3 germinate out of about 20 seeds. Can you please advise if i should put a few seed clusters into the 1 hole? i have been only sowing 1 seed cluster per hole so far, but this is not giving me a good success rate. Also, with the soaking of the seed cluster, should i break it open after the 24hrs and remove the seeds to sow individually or should i leave the cluster intact and sow? any advise would be great as the beets are my flavor haven! Regards Ben

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13 Apr 16 Bob Dobbs (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

".... planting into a hole ....", I presume, therefore, that you are planting your seed straight into your garden bed. I do not know why you are getting uneven germination but to save you time and worry - you could plant your seeds into punnets or into a seed tray. Once the seeds have germinated (even if there is still uneven germination) and formed into seedlings, you could then transplant the good seedlings into your garden bed. This way you will have a 100% planting coverage in your garden bed without any gaps. All the best, Bob.

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15 Apr 16 Ben (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Bob, thanks for the reply! Yes, I am sowing direct into the garden, i am trying to steer clear of using punnets / trays and purely want to direct sow... would you recommend sowing more than 1 cluster per hole (direct)? is this just wasting seeds to do more than 1 per hole? Regards Ben

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18 Apr 16 Bob Dobbs (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Ben, You can certainly sow more than one seed cluster per hole if you like. There is no harm done in doing this, provided you leave only one plant per hole once they germinate. I would recommend just snipping out the extra seedlings (and throwing them away) rather than trying to ease them out for replanting elsewhere. This way the seedling left standing will not be damaged in any way. Seeds are cheap enough to do this. All the best, Bob.

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01 Jul 16 Sally Su (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi to Bob & Ben, When you thin out your beetroot seedlings, you dont have to throw the extra seedlings away, you can actually eat them. Young plants have a higher percentage of nutrients than older plants. So next time you think of thinning, toss those extra beet leaves, stalks and the pencil lead thin beetroot into a salad or in a sandwich. You can even steam or cook them and have with any meal you would like. If you dont want to eat them, the worms in the compost can enjoy them instead. Happy gardening, Sally Su

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