Growing root vegetables
There's a particular magic to lifting a root — the moment a carrot or a beetroot comes clear of the soil is one of the quiet joys of growing your own. And roots are wonderfully low-fuss: most are sown straight into the ground, left to get on with it, and pulled fresh or stored to see you through winter. Get the soil right and the rest very nearly looks after itself.
This is the family overview — for sowing dates and varieties of each, follow the links through to its own page, or check dates tuned to your postcode.
The roots worth growing
From the fastest crop on the plot to the slow, sweet rewards of autumn, the roots between them keep you digging something fresh for most of the year.
The one everyone wants to crack. Stone-free, un-manured soil and a defence against carrot fly are the whole secret. Sow direct, thin in the evening.
The forgiving root — quick, colourful and happy in most soils. Each 'seed' is a cluster, so thin to one seedling for good globes.
Slow to germinate and worth the wait — use fresh seed, sow in spring, and leave them in the ground until after a frost, which turns them sweet.
The fastest crop there is — roots in about four weeks. Perfect for filling gaps and for marking slow rows like parsnips.
Quick and easy from spring to late summer; the young leaves are good eating too. Best grown fast in cool, moist soil.
Get the soil right and you're most of the way there
Nearly every root-vegetable disappointment — the forked carrot, the parsnip with three legs, the stumpy beet — comes back to the soil. Roots want it light, stone-free and not freshly manured. A stone in the path of a growing root makes it fork around it; fresh muck makes it split and “fang” into a tangle of side roots. So grow your roots on ground that was manured for a previous crop, and rake out the stones from the top few inches before you sow.
If your ground is heavy clay or full of stones, don't fight it — a deep raised bed filled with sieved soil or compost gives long, straight roots where the open ground never would. Short, stump-rooted carrot varieties are the other good answer for difficult soil.
Sow direct, sow thinly
Roots hate having their roots disturbed, so most are sown straight where they're to grow rather than raised in modules and moved (beetroot is the easy-going exception). The real knack is sowing thinly— a few seeds per inch, no more. Sow too thickly and you're forced to thin out the crowd later, and with carrots that thinning is exactly what calls in the carrot fly.
Water the bottom of the drill before you sow in dry weather, sow into the damp, and be patient with the slow ones — parsnips can take three weeks to show, so sow a few quick radishes along the same row to mark it while you wait. Sow little and often for a steady supply; see succession sowing.
Carrot fly — the one to plan for
Carrot fly is the root grower's main adversary: the larvae tunnel through carrots, parsnips and celery, leaving rusty trails. The fly flies low and finds its target by scent, which gives us the two best defences:
- A mesh barrier— because the fly flies low, a 60cm wall of fine insect mesh or fleece around the bed keeps the great majority out. The single most reliable method. On Amazon →
- Mask the scent— grow onions or other alliums alongside (see companion plants for carrots), and avoid bruising the foliage by sowing thinly.
Lifting and keeping
Half the joy of roots is that the ground stores them for you. Most hardy roots are happiest left where they grow and dug as you need them — parsnips and many carrots are actually sweeter after a frost, which turns their starch to sugar. Only where the ground freezes solid or floods do you need to lift and store: pack the roots in boxes of damp sand somewhere cool and frost-free, and they'll keep for months.
With beetroot, twist off the leaves rather than cutting them, to stop the roots “bleeding” their colour, and store the same way. A few minutes now and you've a larder of your own roots right through the cold.
Common questions
Why are my carrots and parsnips forked and stunted?
Almost always stones in the soil (the root forks around them) or freshly manured ground (which makes roots split and fang). Grow roots in stone-free soil that was manured for a previous crop, not this one. On stony or heavy ground, a deep raised bed of sieved soil gives long, straight roots.
How do I stop carrot fly?
It flies low and hunts by smell, so a 60cm barrier of fine insect mesh or fleece around the bed is the best defence. Help it by sowing thinly to avoid thinning, thinning in the evening if you must, and growing onions nearby to mask the scent.
Should I sow root vegetables direct or in modules?
Direct, as a rule — roots resent disturbance, so sow them where they're to grow. Beetroot is the exception and transplants happily from modules; carrots and parsnips should always go straight into the ground.
How do you store root vegetables over winter?
Many hardy roots are best left in the ground and dug as needed — parsnips and some carrots sweeten after frost. Where the ground freezes hard or floods, lift them and store in boxes of damp sand somewhere cool and frost-free. Twist (don't cut) the tops off beetroot first.