How do i know.....

Martron

when my beetroot and spuds are ready for harvesting?

( i also have onions but they are way off yet. )

thanks

Martin

Sedum and Sage

You can harvest your beetroot whenever it's the size you like.. ie small for salads or pickling, or bigger for boiling and roasting. Potatoes are usually ready when they start to flower, but you can always dig a few to see what size they are. They are very tasty when they're small, but you'll get a smaller crop if you eat them all when they are still tiny, obviously. You can start to eat the onions once they are big enough, but if you're planning to store some for the winter they should be left in the ground until the leaves go yellow, and then pull them up on a sunny day and let them dry properly.

Martron

with regards the beetroot. would it be possible to carefully dig it up to see if its big enough. and if its not then replant it?

Sedum and Sage

Martron wrote: »

with regards the beetroot. would it be possible to carefully dig it up to see if its big enough. and if its not then replant it?

I would have to say no, not possible! When it is big enough you should be able to see the top part of the beetroot above the soil, if you can't then it must still be very small. Have patience!:)

Martron

thanks for the info.

the main reason i ask is that i literally just planeted everything into the small patch i have . and i need to move stuff around. as i have plated sweetcorn and they are now over shadowed by the spuds. and they are in desperate need of direct sunlight.

( the beetroot is more so i can relace them with soemthign else)

I guess i will know for next year!!!

Corsendonk

Martron wrote: »

thanks for the info.

the main reason i ask is that i literally just planeted everything into the small patch i have . and i need to move stuff around. as i have plated sweetcorn and they are now over shadowed by the spuds. and they are in desperate need of direct sunlight.

( the beetroot is more so i can relace them with soemthign else)

I guess i will know for next year!!!

If you have a small patch I wouldn't have planted sweetcorn, not worth the hassle for such a small site outdoors. You should have a good idea of your beetroot size from the top of the beetroot globe visible above ground. If the leaves of the beetroot are nice and green they go well in salads. When did you plant you beetroot and spuds?

Martron

well i have a small site and i only really bought the sweetcorn to see if it would grom. i really did not plan it very well at all.

the potatoes are dead one of them went black so i dug it up ( as a friend of mine said it was blight) to save the other one. but the wind gave that plant a good thrashing today and there is signs of black on it too.

the beetroot i can see something poking out of the ground where the leaf come out but its not massive . ( the beetroot leaves are about the size of a good head of lettuce if thats ant indication)

i have lettuce and ionions too that seem to be doing ok. and butternut squash and cucumbers so all is not lost.

i do however have a large sapace in the gorund where the spuds came from so is there any thing i can plant now that will have a crop . or is it too late?

Corsendonk

Martron wrote: »

well i have a small site and i only really bought the sweetcorn to see if it would grom. i really did not plan it very well at all.

the potatoes are dead one of them went black so i dug it up ( as a friend of mine said it was blight) to save the other one. but the wind gave that plant a good thrashing today and there is signs of black on it too.

the beetroot i can see something poking out of the ground where the leaf come out but its not massive . ( the beetroot leaves are about the size of a good head of lettuce if thats ant indication)

i have lettuce and ionions too that seem to be doing ok. and butternut squash and cucumbers so all is not lost.

i do however have a large sapace in the gorund where the spuds came from so is there any thing i can plant now that will have a crop . or is it too late?

Yeah sounds like blight, seen a bit of it around the area.

I know you live in sunny Rush but you will struggle with cucumbers outside. Courgettes are more hardy. Beans like runner beans and french beans work well in gardens, you can build a wigwam type structure and plant some seed either direct in the ground or in some pots first and then plant at the base of the wigwan when the plants are 6ins tall. And the beans then climb up the structure so good crop for a tight garden. Once you keep picking them you get a good crop.

Or you could get some strawberry plants. But it depends on what you like to eat because if you wish to keep fruiting crops like butternut, beans and cucumbers in good condition you need to keep harvesting.

Martron

is it too late to plant the beans and courgettes from seed?

as i said i did not really plan anything too well. more of an experiement more than anything. i will know for next year i suppose.

Corsendonk

Martron wrote: »

is it too late to plant the beans and courgettes from seed?

as i said i did not really plan anything too well. more of an experiement more than anything. i will know for next year i suppose.

Nope not too late to sow. Sow in pots, leave on the window still and cover the potswith clingfilm, then remove the film when you see the seed head pop above the peat.

Gardening is all about trial and error anyway. People often make the mistake of planting everything in the garden at once but better to stagger your planting so you have crops coming in from mid summer to winter rather than a big bumper harvest for 4 weeks then nothing. Keep an eye out on the fields near you and what crops are planted when, you can use that info on how to plan your own plantings in the garden.

Lunaarli

Corsendonk wrote: »

Nope not too late to sow. Sow in pots, leave on the window still and cover the potswith clingfilm, then remove the film when you see the seed head pop above the peat.

Gardening is all about trial and error anyway. People often make the mistake of planting everything in the garden at once but better to stagger your planting so you have crops coming in from mid summer to winter rather than a big bumper harvest for 4 weeks then nothing. Keep an eye out on the fields near you and what crops are planted when, you can use that info on how to plan your own plantings in the garden.

Do you really need cling film on top? do you water the seeds every day?

I planted out two plants I bought in garden centre last month & they look terrible, leaves are withered looking and yellow. They have lots sun, water and I gave them food too!

So am going to sow seeds this week in the greenhouse