Too late to thin???

I don’t think so.  Although I didn’t give myself a chance to take NO for an answer.  I thinned the beets out when they were perhaps a bit too old.  Ok, definitely, they were definitely too old.

Beetroot seed is known as cluster seed, meaning they contain around 3 seeds per cluster.  This means that all three generally germinate, hence the need for thinning to get that beetroot shape we’ve all become accustomed to.  This is an example of a germinate cluster seed, you can see three roots pushing out.

Germinated Cluster Seed

Leaving them too late means they’ve established themselves and the roots are nicely developed.  So I literally had to cut them out, leave the strongest and space them accordingly.

I have unfortunately not had uniform success before thinning.  There was much die-back but now I have successfully filled the space.  LOTS of beetroot left over:

The Leftovers

That’s literally half a sink-full (2 shopping bags full).  What’s great about beetroot leaves is that they can be used much the same as spinach or as salad greens.  High in Vit A and Vit C, fibre, protein, iron and calcium.  They go down great with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, in the pan or out.