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Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Beets
Planting
Choose a planting site that gets full sun. Beets should ideally receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Beets grow best in well-prepared, fertile soil, but will tolerate average to low soil fertility. A soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is best, and slightly alkaline (7.0+) soils can be tolerated. Beets will not tolerate acidic soils (pH below 6.0). To allow the round beetroots to develop properly, the soil should be free of rocks and other obstacles.
Avoid planting beets where Swiss chard or has recently been grown, as they are cousins of beets and are susceptible to similar pests and diseases.
When to Plant Beets
- Start your first round of beets in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. Make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer.
- Successive plantings are possible through summer as long as daytime temperatures don鈥檛 exceed 75掳F (24掳C).
- In soil that鈥檚 at least 50掳F (10掳C), germination takes place in 5 to 8 days. In soil colder than that, germination may take 2 to 3 weeks.
- Tip: To speed up germination, or when planting in areas with low moisture and rainfall, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours before planting.
- For a fall harvest, sow beet seeds from mid-summer through early fall, starting about 4 to 6 weeks before your first fall frost.
- Winter crops are a definite possibility in Zone 9 and warmer. Plant beets in early to late fall for a winter harvest.
How to Plant Beets
- We prefer to sow beets directly in the garden so that we don鈥檛 have to disturb their roots. However, beets鈥攗nlike many root crops鈥攄o generally tolerate being transplanted while still young. Since they are cold tolerant, , though.
- Sow seeds 陆-inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in rows that are about 12 to 18 inches apart. After sowing, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil.
- Make sure the soil remains moist for optimal germination. Soak seeds for 24 hours prior to planting to speed up germination.
Beet seeds are actually capsules that contain several seeds, so you may get two or three sprouts from each one.
Check out this video to learn how to plant beets:
Types
Beets come in quite a few shapes and a rainbow of colors. Deep red is typical, but yellow and white varieties are also available, as are red-white ringed ones (pictured below)!
- 鈥楥丑颈辞驳驳颈补鈥: red skin; when sliced open, reveals red and white concentric rings.
- 鈥楧etroit Dark Red鈥: Sturdy, traditional variety. Round, red root.
- 鈥楩辞谤尘补苍辞惫补鈥: Long, cylindrical beets that grow in the same fashion as carrots. Excellent for canning.
- Yellow varieties include 鈥楤辞濒诲别谤鈥 or 鈥楾辞耻肠丑蝉迟辞苍别&苍产蝉辫;骋辞濒诲鈥
- White varieties include 鈥楢惫补濒补苍肠丑别鈥 or Dutch heirloom 鈥楢濒产颈苍辞鈥
Harvesting
- Days to maturity tend to be between 55 and 70 for most varieties. In other words, plan to harvest beets about 2 months after planting.
- Harvest roots when golf ball-size or larger; very large roots may be tough and woody.
- Loosen the soil around the beet and gently pull it from the earth.
- Harvest the beet greens at almost any time, beginning when thinning seedlings. Take one or two mature leaves per plant, until leaf blades are more than 6 inches tall and become tough. (Roots will not fully form without greens, so leaving some is necessary for proper development.) The leaves can be twisted off and cooked like spinach. Or, see our recipe for Beet Greens Salad.
- If you experience mild winters, you can leave roots sown later in the season in the ground to dig up as you need them. Or, store roots in boxes of dry sand in a cool, frost-free place.
How to Store Beets
- Fresh beets can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days.
- Tip: Clipping the tops off beets will keep them fresher for longer. Leave about 1 inch of stem on each beet, and store the greens separately.
- For long-term root cellar storage, make sure you brush off any soil clinging to the roots, then bury them in layers (but not touching) surrounded by dry sand or sawdust.
- Store in a cool, dry place. An unheated closet might do, or put them in a cooler in your basement. Read more about a new way to store beets in the root cellar.
- Sprouting is a sign of poor storage and leads to decay.
- Beets can be frozen, canned, and pickled, too!
- You can also freeze beet greens to use at a later date!
Cooking Notes
Beets are a nutrient-dense food considered especially beneficial for health. Learn more in 鈥Beets: Health Benefits!鈥
Catherine Boeckmann
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Beetroot is the root part of the beet plant (vs. the leaves, or greens).
As for companion plants, I'm usually finding that beets are helped by lettuce, and according to some sources, they also help lettuce in turn. I can not find a scientific paper verifying this, however. You might try an experiment in your own garden and conditions.
http://www.aces.edu/counties/Limestone/MastGard/companions.htm
I believe lettuce helps soak up excess nitrogen in the soil, which assists beets in forming good roots instead of going all to greens.
I tend to plant beets in soil formerly occupied by lettuce or other leaf crops. This year I didn't, but the first ones to bulb up had been planted right next to the spinach.
Hi there,
I am curious about the watering of beets. I fear I may have overwatered mine as I have lush greens, but minimal root. Also they are flopping around a bit- a bit stalky. I have put compost around to help prop them up, with a light water to finish- but I am now unsure when to water again? Some sites say don't let the soil dry out....help please :)
Maintain even soil moisture. It helps to add mulch or compost around the beets to supress weeds and keep the moisture in the soil. Too much nitrogen in the soil can promote leaf growth and cause beetroots to be small.
I have stored some beets and some are sprouting. Can I cut these beets like I do my potatoes and plant the sprouts?
Sorry, Gregg: No, beets will not reproduce like potatoes. Sprouting on beets is a sign of poor storage and leads to decay, according to our sources. Storage temperatures should not exceed 45掳F, and you should have clipped off the greens about an inch from the beet.
Get yourself some seeds for this growing season and start again.
My beets have white stripes inside. What does this mean? Please help! Thx in advance!
This is just different variety of beets. There are also beets that are orange like carrots and orange with white strips.
Thanx so much for your comment...when my beets cooled down after cooking they did turn purple Evgeniya
hi, I have apassion for beets since I was once instructed by a doctor to eat, Now I want start planting, my question is do I have to plant seeds in nussery bed first or sow seeds direct and is possible to use organic manure ? kindly advice
