Allotments 4 All

 ;D Hello!

Anybody had success with beetroot, swede in modules . I seem to have problems with germination of both of them in the soil this year and last. I have heard they do not take to transplanting well.
Here in Yorks its been very wet to sow seeds in the ground at all? 

I am sowing all mine in tubes from toilet and kitchen rolls and in paper pots as recommended on here.

Quote from: chrispea27 on April 30, 2005, 10:19:02
;D Hello!

Anybody had success with beetroot, swede in modules . I seem to have problems with germination of both of them in the soil this year and last. I have heard they do not take to transplanting well.
Here in Yorks its been very wet to sow seeds in the ground at all? 

I've just sown a module tray of beetroot and chard.  Have had success in previous years, no problem.  Swede (well, turnips...) I have more of a problem with flea beetle...

moonbells

Chard - yes.

Crispea,

They don't transplant well if you disturb the roots. If you use modules and carefully remove the plant, root and compost in one lump they do very well as do onion, beans (all types) even round carrots

Phil

Thanks a lot phil i'll do that

I have grown chard, beetroot, turnips form growing them first in a normal seed tray and they have grown great! I have had more sucess growing them that way.

I was running very short of kitchen roll tubes for my parsnips so I used my remaining tubes to make long paper pots using the method posted on this board.  They seem to be very effective - nice and stable.

Did beetroots that way and planted them out about 4 weeks ago, then sowed a few in the gaps  last week  as I find the birdies like to nip these seedlings out, yet they leave the directly sown ones alone!  That is the only root I grow in modules, the rest go in directly and have to fight with all that slithers and slimes to grow and survive!

This is the first time I have visited this site and I am finding all so helpful I shall be here till the early hours!!! I have never thought about growing beetroot in pots & transplanting. What a good idea, cos mine always miss and I end up with a very sparce row. I shall start some tomorrow to fill in the gaps. If I sow carrots the same doesn't that encourage carrot fly?

My aunt sows Beetroot in root trainers (she's in Aberdeen, so doens't have much of a growing season). I tried them in modules last year, but the pigeons ate them and threw the tray around the garden. One that were left, I transplanted, but they didn't grow.

This year I'm sowing direct.

X - carrots will fork unless you sow them direct. They may look funny, but they are evil to peel!

Quote from: aquilegia on May 03, 2005, 13:55:38
X - carrots will fork unless you sow them direct. They may look funny, but they are evil to peel!

Carrots can be sown in toilet roll tubes - or paper pots made using toilet roll tubes for size.  They should be filled with a bog standard compost - not one that is fertile.  I am doing this with both carrots and parsnips because I have very stoney soil.

I can't seem to grow swedes UNLESS I start them in modules. Beetroot are easy, Geoff Hamilton used to multi-sow in modules so it must be right

Transplanted parsnips from bare root from a pot, worked quite well, ok if you want to avoid early hand weeding.

thanks for all the info i will go for modules and direct sowing ,should get some results!