Your comments and tips

05 Jul 11, John Bee (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Hi Gloria, There could be several causes of your problem but it is difficult to identify exactly from such a short request for help. The most likely cause is too much nitrogen right from planting time onwards. However, associated with that is commonly an outbreak of leaf diseases. If it is too much nitrogen I’d suggest side dressing the plants with a fertilizer mixture with very low or NO nitrogen, preferably dig it in and give a good watering. On another point, too much watering over time could also cause your problem. Also, another reason could be that some beetroot varieties are notorious for high foliage and small root production as they are specifically grown as leaf beets. The leaves of beetroot are very tasty and nutritious and it is shame ort not eat them either after harvesting or from on-growing plants. Hope this helps a bit. John Bee Master Gardener

Reply or Post a new comment

02 Jul 11, Gloria (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

Planted beetroot back in March. Have lots of nice leaves but only mini little beets - about 2 by 1 cm. What have I done wrong?

Reply or Post a new comment

31 May 11, arthur (Australia - arid climate)

MAY 30 Hi Helen I have awooden stake which Ive painted white it is 25mm x 25mm x 2 metres long ive mark it with a black marker pen at 100 mm along the entire stake.This gives me a guide when planting seeds or seedling.Answer to your question if you want to use the beetroot when they small 100mm is alright if you want to grow them larger 150mm. (space can be a problem.) Arthur the mad gardner

Reply or Post a new comment

30 May 11, Helen H (Australia - temperate climate)

Is the plant spacing info correct? I thought you could plant betroot much closer than that - 10cm - 15cm apart.

Reply or Post a new comment

27 Jun 11, daniel (Australia - temperate climate)

Hi Helen, There are a number of ways to plant beetroot. If you want to harvest them at golf-ball size then plant them at 10cm spacings. If you want to harvest them when they are large then they need around 40cm spacing. There is one other way to plant them (only to harvest at golf-ball size) which is by planting 4 seeds in one hole and spacing those holes 15cm apart. Make sure that you only have 4 seeds in each hole and thin them if you have more after germination. With 4 seeds they will nicely push each other out to make a perfect bunch of beetroot and give you a much large yield. This also works well with onions, leeks, spring onion, spinach and corn among others. Daniel

Reply or Post a new comment

31 May 11, Liz P (Australia - temperate climate)

I have had no problems growing them about 10 - 15cm apart.

Reply or Post a new comment

06 Mar 11, Lucy (Australia - temperate climate)

I've sprouted some beetroot seeds but they are not progressing beyond two leaves each. Any suggestions on how to get them to grow into plants?

Reply or Post a new comment

06 Mar 11, Helen (Australia - temperate climate)

I bought a salad leaf mix last year and the only plant that remained was the beet leaf. I have since moved house and planted the beet out into the garden where it has taken off in a big way. My question is: Will this plant produce an edible beet root, or has it been bred specifically as a salad crop?

Reply or Post a new comment

24 Jan 11, Mohan (Australia - temperate climate)

beets grow best in soils with pH range : 6 to 7.5, while boron is absorbed from the soil in the pH range 4.5 to 6. Boron is immobile and the older parts of the plant having it cannot supply it to new growth. It is therefore best to spray a solution of boron salt in the recommended dilution on the leaves, alternately the pH of soil has to maintained at value 6.

Reply or Post a new comment

22 Jan 11, steve brown (Australia - temperate climate)

Didn't know boron/ borax were the same,but boron is an S5 keep away from children, corrective element produced by Manutec , so you are probably right and a bit richer than me.Should be available at most nurseries and is quite costly. My 500 gram purchase will see me out though. Apply at rate of 5g per litre of water. The beets I planted and watered in with mixture are booming despite the flooding they copped last week Cheers and Happy Gardening folks from Steve

Reply or Post a new comment