Transplanting carrots and beets

Hi all,

This is my first time ever growing vegetables (or any type of plant if I'm honest) and I believe I've made a mistake already .

So, I was bought a small vegetable kit which included a small propagator and some seeds - carrots, beets and tomatoes. The mistake I've made is planting all of the seeds in the propagator quite close together - shown below - and that I've read that beets and carrots should ideally be planted straight into the ground. My question being whether I'll be able to transplant them into raised bed at this point or is there no hope for them? And if not, should I remove them from the propagator and just leave the tomatoes?

 

Hiya Domscore, warm welcome to the forum. Well, we have all done similar things when first starting.

You can transplant carrots and beetroot but.....
Usually when sown in modules and the round rather than long tapering carrots.
However, carrots are usually ( and better for it) sown direct in the garden soil. I would discard the carrot seedlings

Beetroot can be transplanted if done carefully. I have done this at thinning stage and when rows have gaps in them. Have a go and pop a couple of beetroot seedlings into 9cm pots ....if they grow then you can carefully transfer them to your raised bed

So, yes keep only the tomatoes in the propagator.

Agree with Marley's sentiments.....have fun

 

Hi Domscore,

I always start beets in modules and transplant. You could try getting some modules and transplant the beets and grow on. I have never had an success with carrots so cannot give advice.

Rusty

 

Last year was my first attempt at carrots. I started the seeds off in a tray and then transplanted them to a raised bed. The result was not good and very similar to to the ones below.




Carrots should be seeded directly into their growing area because right after sprouting, the seedlings will send down one really skinny, long tap root that will later grow into a carrot. If this tap root is disturbed in any way, such as meeting the bottom of a shallow container, or if it is simply bent or moved a little bit as you try to transplant it, it will grow in very funny ways and often want to shoot out new arms and legs from here and there, and they will end up looking like the ones in the above picture. This can also happen when carrots grow in debris filled soil.

The above carrots were from seeds that were started inside and then transplanted rather than being planted directly into the soil.


I have also grown beetroot in a tray and transplanted it to a raised bed. The beetroot grew fine.

 

Is the same true of parsnips? I had very poor germination last year so was thinking of trying to start them in the propagator this year to keep a closer eye, but will that just lead to trouble down the line?

 

Yes I found transplanting Parsnips was the same as Carrots in that you got forked roots.Parsnip seed doesn't keep very well so always best to use fresh seed unlike other vegetable seeds which usually are fine for quite a few years. The other thing with Parsnips is they seriously dislike cold soil so don't be in too much of a hurry to sow. I sowed some last June and they grew just as big/better than others I had sown earlier in the season. For earlier ones I now don't sow in the ground but in huge tubs in the greenhouse which then get moved outside when (if, this year) it warms up.

 

For me, here in my sandy loam, I grow excellent carrots. Free of pest and forking! Sow, thin 2 weeks or so after germination and fleece
I tend to pay extra for F1 hybrids like Mokum and Tendersnax......delicious and sweet

 

When I grew carrots last year, I had a problem with carrot fly. This year, I plan to grow them with onions. Will that stop them?

 

No it wont kazzawazza. Many will say it does. However, I do grow carrots and onions/spring onions together; the onion smell helps mask the carrot smell, the smell attracts carrot fly.
I use nematodes for veg pests and I fleece. I water after thinning too.
Remember, parsley attracts the same carrot fly so planting parsley in a small group well away from carrots is sensible

 

As per @Verdun 's initial advice, and it seems the general consensus, I think I'll scrap the carrots in the tray and try transplant the beets. Keeping the tomatoes in the tray until they have a few more leaves.

Ouch! These don't look like happy carrots

This is the first I'm hearing of fleecing. I've just had a look and would I be right in saying that you can just cover the plants with the fleece sitting on them? It doesn't need to be held up in any way?

Thank you for all of the excellent advice guys! I really appreciate it.

 

Kaz I grew mine in a raised box bed to try and stop the carrot fly. Apparently, they won't fly over 2ft.. that's a load of bull in my experience though Also, I read somewhere best time to thin or potch about with carrots is v. early morning or late evening as the sun won't make the smell so strong as it is easily released even just by brushing the leaves..
To try and minimize attacks this year, without using pesticides, I'm growing flyaway and resistafly for my eating carrots...

I'd peg the fleece down in each corner stop it blowing away Domscore, you could also use envriomesh but it is rather pricey.

 

Not quite Domscore
You need to peg it down.....carrot fly is an enterprising critter and will crawl under any fleece not pinned down. You can buy cheap metal or plastic pegs but soil scooped over the edges too will do.

 

Always Plant From Seed
Root Vegetables

• Beets
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Salsify
• Turnips