Veggie garden

Grow beetroot from seed

• For good beetroot ‘bulbs’, till the soil to loosen it (30cm deep) and rake to remove sticks and stones.• Sow seeds 3cm apart directly into the soil about 2 – 3cm deep in rows 30cm• When seedlings are 5cm high, start thinning them out so that they are spaced 5cm apart. Don’t pull out the seedlings but use kitchen scissors to snip off the unwanted seedlings at ground level. Keep thinning out until the final spacing is about 10 – 15cm apart.• Drawing the soil up around the plants after the final thinning will help to support them.• For maximum flavour harvest when the roots are 5 – 10cm in diameter. Twist off the beetroot tops to prevent bleeding, and be careful not to damage the tap root either.