Clump spacing

[Don Foley]

Hi Charles,

I want to try growing Beetroot and Radish in clumps of 3 or 4 and was wondering what eachway spacing you would recommend in this situation. I was thinking 6″ for these or could I go lower? I’m looking for golf ball size Beetroot.
I seem to recall you suggesting sowing Peas in clumps also. What spacing would you suggest for these, again aiming for clumps of 3?

Don.

[charles]

Hi Don

These spacings are in my books, and they depend on what size roots you like.
6″ for radish is possible, I suggest 12-15 for beetroot clumps of 4, and for peas, it depends on whether they are dwarf or climbing.

[Rhys]

Don, I planted radish at 200 roots/square metre using soil blocks and modules this spring, sowing 4 to a group and keeping under fleece for 3 weeks up to 10th April. Although around 10% fof plants were unusable, failing to produce a meaningful root, the overall yield per unit area was very good. Maybe now the spring is more advanced, the failure rate would drop?

[Don Foley]

Hi Charles/Rhys,

I suppose Rhys it all depends on why they failed!
I thought the clump planting would give me more produce for a given area but it appears it does not.
For instance, I would plant Greenshaft Peas in double rows 20cm apart at 5cm between plants in each row, so 3 plants would take up 15cm of row.
With Charles’s spacing he plants clumps of 3 every 15cm. So no gain.
However, it is faster and easier to plant clumps of 3 every 15cm then 1 plant every 5cm.
Charles, I can’t find a reference in your books (that I have) that mentions planting Radish in clumps but based on the spacings for Beetroot and Peas I guess I just multiply the normal row spacing by the number of plants I want to put in at each station.

Don.

[charles]

Yes Don that is it.
The advantage of multisowing is indeed time saving as much as anything, also less space and compost needed to raise the plants.

[Rhys]

Don, I was reading an old book called ‘Know and Grow Vegetables’ by Salter et al and they stated that field research indicated the highest yields per unit area occur at plant densities where not all plants result in edible produce.

Apparently amateur gardeners and thought leaders of the time turned their nose up at such waste, whereas farmers were supremely indifferent!

The sowing densities suggested in that book are higher than Charles suggests in several cases, although there is no detail on how yield measurements were made, whether single harvest on one date gives different results to daily pickings etc. I make no judgement, having done no trials myself, merely highlighting an interesting source of information and contentions.

I must say my direct sowings of radish this spring into soil with freshly laid compost on top have such incredible yields that modules in the main season seem unnecessary where radish is concerned….

[Author]

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