Transplanting Beet Seedlings

A few years ago, we discovered that beet seedlings transplant quite readily. Your nursery soil must be quite loose (so the beet roots don't get damaged when you dig them up) and you need to prep the receiving soil also to minimize transplant shock. This saves seed, and room in the germination process as you only transplant the viable seedlings.

To initially plant the seeds, dig a shallow trench and water thoroughly. The trench assures that future waterings channel the water directly to the seedlings and their roots and they're less likely to dry out between waterings. 

Lay out seeds on the surface of the trench about 3/4" apart and cover them with a light sprinkle of sifted soil and gently push them into the soil so they have good contact. 

Beet seeds in the lower, left foreground. A clear plastic nursery cover placed over them keeps them moist (showing at left of picture). We've used plastic sheet-cake covers too, that we rescued from recycling. If the soil starts to dry out, water gently using a watering can (so the seeds don't float away).

To transplant: once seedlings have leaves that are 2"-3" tall, prepare another shallow, well-watered 'groove' to transplant them into. While the seedlings are still in the nursery, cut the tops off, leaving about 1-2" of greens attached to the root. The cut greens can be eaten in a salad or lightly steamed...Water the roots well before gently prying them out of the nursery soil. We put ours on a tray to carry them to the new transplant site.

If dug up when beet plants are young, they can be successfully transplanted to a new site with great success.

Transplanting is best done on a cool/overcast day to minimize shock. It can also be done in the evening so the beets have a chance to settle in before being subjected to full sun. Make planting-holes with your finger or dowel 4-5" apart. Place a beet root in each hole and gently squeeze soil back around them, even with the level they were in the ground in the nursery bed. 

Water them thoroughly, and water twice a day till they're well established. 

Here, Donn uses a piece of bamboo to make holes for the seedlings. They are planted about 4 inches apart.  

Three rows of beet seedlings shortly after transplanting.

In this picture, Donn is transplanting beets. Llyn, on the right is planting lettuce seedlings. (for more info, see below). 

Our current favorite way to grow lettuce seedlings: in egg cartons. Each seedling is torn individually from the carton, including the egg carton cell, seedling and soil. The roots grow right through the egg cartons. Transplanting them this way reduces transplant shock. Each 'cell' is planted 6-8" apart.  When they get big, we harvest every other one so the remaining ones can get even bigger. (Growing Seedlings in Egg Cartons).