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Root vegetables at a glance: carrot, beetroot, parsnip and more

Root vegetables are the quiet department of the vegetable garden. They need little attention, deliver yields that store well, and fill exactly those months when little else comes out of your own beds.

Most species have similar demands: deep, stone-free, loosely worked soil without fresh manure. Manage that and you have done most of the work already.

In short

  • Root vegetables are almost always sown direct — the exceptions are celeriac and partly beetroot.
  • The soil must be deep and stone-free, otherwise you get forked roots.
  • No fresh manure and no fresh compost: that leads to forking and splitting.
  • Thinning on time is the single most important job — rows left too dense produce nothing worthwhile.
  • Late sowings make the best keepers for autumn and winter.

Carrot

The carrot is the classic and at the same time the most demanding species in this group. It needs two to three weeks to germinate and a soil that does not cap over in that time.

  • Sowing: March to July depending on variety. Early types from March under fleece, storage types from May to early July.
  • Spacing: rows 25 to 30 cm, thin to 3 to 5 cm within the row.
  • Depth: only 1 to 2 cm. Carrots germinate in darkness, but shallow.
  • Trick for the long germination: sow a few radish seeds along with them. They come up within days and mark the row so you can hoe between.
  • Main problem: carrot fly. Insect netting from the start; intercropping with onions helps as well.

Beetroot

Beetroot is the most rewarding species in this group: undemanding, quick and productive. The seed is actually a cluster containing several seeds — which is why three or four plants often appear in one spot.

  • Sowing: from late April to early July direct, 2 to 3 cm deep.
  • Spacing: rows 30 cm, thin to 8 to 10 cm in the row — here thinning really is necessary.
  • Harvest: from tennis-ball size. Larger than 10 cm they often go woody.
  • Use the leaves: young leaves work like chard.
  • Storage: twist the tops off rather than cutting, then store in moist sand in a cellar — they keep into spring.

Parsnip

The parsnip is an old winter vegetable that was long forgotten and is rightly coming back. It tastes sweet and nutty and improves with frost, because starch converts to sugar.

  • Sowing: March to May, early, because it needs a long growing season of five to seven months.
  • Germination: slow and unreliable. Use only fresh seed, it stays viable for just one year.
  • Spacing: rows 40 cm, 10 to 15 cm in the row.
  • Harvest: from October, and leave them in the ground into winter if you like. They taste best after the first frost.

Salsify, mooli and radish

  • Salsify: long season, sow from April, harvest from October into spring. Needs very deep soil. The milky sap stains when cleaning — gloves help.
  • Winter mooli: sow July to August, harvest from October, stores well. For summer mooli sow from April.
  • Radish: the fastest crop of all, ready in four to six weeks. Sow again every fortnight for a continuous supply. The most important rule: keep evenly moist, otherwise they turn hot and pithy.

The commonest mistakes

  • Fresh manure or rough compost in the bed. This produces split, forked roots. Root vegetables come in the second or third year after manuring.
  • Not thinned. By far the commonest reason for miniature roots. It feels wrong, but it is the only way.
  • Watered unevenly. Alternating dry and wet makes carrots and radishes split.
  • Sown too deep. Fine seed such as carrot needs 2 cm at most, otherwise it never gets through.
  • Stones and compaction. Every obstacle in the soil gives a distorted root. Loosen thoroughly before sowing.

Tip

If your soil is stony or shallow, choose short, round varieties. Ball-shaped carrots and round radishes manage with 15 cm of topsoil and give good yields where long types produce only cripples.

Caution

Celeriac, parsnip, root parsley and carrot all belong to the umbellifer family. Do not grow them straight after one another on the same ground, or carrot fly and soil-borne diseases build up. Leave at least three years between them.

Frequently asked questions

Why did my carrots stay so small?

Almost always because they stood too close. There must be 3 to 5 cm in the row. The second commonest reason is sowing too late with too little water in high summer.

Can I raise root vegetables as young plants?

Not carrot, parsnip or radish — the taproot resents transplanting and forks. Beetroot and celeriac, on the other hand, transplant well.

How do I store root vegetables best?

In boxes of moist sand at 1 to 4 °C and high humidity. Remove the tops first, do not wash the roots, and sort out damaged pieces.

Why do my radishes taste hot?

Water stress. In dry conditions they form more mustard oils and go pithy as well. Keep evenly moist and harvest promptly.

Beetroot and celeriac are available from us as young plants too — that saves the germination phase and makes the stand even from the start.