Why Are There Big Gaps in My Beetroot Row?

A beetroot row where some positions have germinated well and others remain stubbornly bare — even after waiting three weeks from sowing — usually means the seeds at the gap positions have either failed to germinate or been eaten. The most common causes are old seed with poor viability (particularly problematic in beetroot, which stores less reliably than some other crops), slug and snail predation on emerging seedlings, damping-off disease killing seedlings immediately after emergence, or localised dry or compacted soil in the gap positions that prevented germination.

Old seed — the most common cause of poor stands

Beetroot seed viability is not particularly long-lived compared to crops like tomato or onion. Seed from two to three years ago may have germination rates of 40–60% rather than the 80%+ of fresh seed, producing noticeably gappy stands. Test old seed by placing ten seeds on a damp paper towel in a warm spot for ten days — if fewer than seven germinate, the batch is poor and you should sow fresh seed more densely (two to three seeds per position rather than one) to compensate. Buy new seed if germination rates are very low.

Slug damage to seedlings

Slugs and snails eat small beetroot seedlings readily, and their damage creates gaps that look identical to germination failure — the seedling simply disappears between one inspection and the next. Look for silvery slime trails on the soil surface near gap positions and check after dark on warm, damp evenings. If slugs are present, apply iron phosphate pellets or nematode biological control around the affected area and resow the gaps. Beetroot seedlings become much less attractive to slugs once they reach 5–6 cm tall.

Filling gaps

Gaps in a beetroot row can be filled by direct resowing into the gap positions (which will produce later roots than the existing plants — useful for succession) or by carefully transplanting thinnings from overfull positions in the same row. Beetroot transplants surprisingly well if moved with care — dampen the soil first, transplant with as much root intact as possible, and water in well. Transplanted beetroot may bolt at a slightly higher rate than direct-sown, but the majority will root successfully and produce usable roots.