QUESTION TIME

GOT A FRUIT OR VEG PROBLEM? ASK KG FOR HELP

ALL LEAF AND NO BEET

My beetroot was very small this year but I had plenty of leaves. Any advice for next year? Aimee Fewtrell, Evesham

STEVE SAYS: You don't mention when you sowed your beetroot, but I experienced the same thing from an early spring sowing in March this year and put it down to the wet, cold spring. The soil took a long time to warm up this spring and seeds were quite slow to germinate and develop. Once they did, development of the plants was equally slow and I found that a high percentage of the plants didn't produce roots of a usable size, although some were fine and the top growth was healthy.

Another thing that can tend to encourage leafy growth at the expense of root development is too much nitrogen and this could happen if the soil had a heavy dose of manure, garden compost or high nitrogen fertiliser prior to sowing.

With next year in mind, if you have a polytunnel or a cold frame you could try an early crop in late February/early March under cover, or March outside, but delay until April or even May for an outdoor sowing if the weather is cold and wet again in the spring. They will always catch up!

WHY IS MY GARLIC SO SMALL?

I took on an overgrown allotment last year and sorted it enough to grow some garlic. All the garlic was very small. Eddy Thomas, Kent