When we inspected BERTIE just before we dug him up, we found some springtails living in the crack in BERTIE's crown. These springtails live on the soil surface and hopped into BERTIE's cracked crown. Springtails that live in the soil can sometime damage beet seedlings, but they are not a problem for larger beet.
For more information about Broom's Barn and BERTIE please contact brooms.barn@bbsrc.ac.uk Broom's Barn, Higham, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6NP. United Kingdom. Tel: +44 (0)1284 812200