Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 3" (if allowing to grow larger for storage, then plant 4" apart)
Row Spacing: n/a
Watering: Water evenly.
Special Considerations: Beets, chard and spinach are all related and are all prone to leaf miners. Leaf miners, at their maggot stage, will live between the layers of the leaves of these plants, eating tunnels into them. It's gross! While they seem to leave the beet roots themselves alone, if you want to avoid losing your beet greens, and want to reduce the leaf miner population in your garden, grow beets under row covers (if you do, in fact, have leaf miners in your garden - if not, be thankful!). Growing under row covers may present a problem if the outside temperature rises, so use very light row cover.
Carrots
Depth to Plant Seeds: Surface sow or cover very lightly (I surface sow).
Seed Spacing: 2", or scatter sow and thin to 2" when seedlings are a few inches high.
Row Spacing: 6-8"
Watering: Water very regularly while seeds are germinating. Carrot seeds must be kept moist in order to germinate. Some gardeners cover their newly planted carrot beds with burlap to retain moisture, removing the burlap as soon as the seeds germinate (at which point they'll need light). After germination, water regularly.
Special Considerations: Growing in well dug soil will help prevent carrots from growing strange shaped roots. If growing in containers, try a variety called Parisienne, which grows small round roots rather than long skinny roots. Parisienne carrots are available from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds (rareseeds.com).
Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 4"
Row Spacing: 4"
Watering: Water regularly
Special Considerations: Juice from the stems and leaves of parsnip plants can cause severe skin irritation. Wear protective clothing and goggles when working with parsnips. Some people plant parsnips with radishes because the radishes grow quickly while parsnips take a long time to mature.
Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 2" (thin later to 4"-6" apart); I often sow about 4" apart to avoid thinning.
Row Spacing: n/a
Watering: Water regularly and evenly.
Special Considerations: Pick radishes when they reach full size (or before) or they will continue to grow and will become woody.
Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 8"
Row Spacing: 8"
Watering: Water regularly.
Special Considerations: Rutabagas are a member of the cabbage family. If cabbage family pests are a problem in your garden, grow rutabagas under floating row covers until they are a few weeks old.
Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/2"
Seed Spacing: 8"-10" apart (closer if you plan to harvest the entire plant at once instead of harvesting the outermost leaves periodically)
Row Spacing: 8"-10", stagger so that plants in rows opposite to each other don't line up.
Watering: Give even and steady water.
Special Considerations: Beets, chard and spinach are all related and are all prone to leaf miners. Leaf miners, at their maggot stage, will live between the layers of the leaves of these plants, eating tunnels into them. It's gross! If you have leaf miners in your garden, grow chard under row cover (this may present a problem if the outside temperature rises, so use very light row cover). Leaf miners destroyed my entire crop of chard one year - don't let it happen to you!
Depth to Plant Seeds: 1/4"-1/2"
Seed Spacing: 1"
Row Spacing: 6"
Watering: Water regularly.
Special Considerations: Harvest when 1"-3", otherwise turnips will continue to grow and won't taste as good.
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