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Growing Beets
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Beets
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Beets
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Our Growing Guide to Beets covers planting, growing, and harvesting. A staple in our garden, beets grow easily and you won’t have to wait long until harvest time. They can be harvested from about the size of a golf ball to the size of a tennis ball. And the greens are edible, too!
Beets or “beet root” are a colorful, cool-season annual vegetable that is easy to grow from seed in well-prepared soil—and grows quickly in bright sun.
They are a great choice for northern gardeners because they can survive frost and near-freezing temperatures.
If you are a beginner, look out for bolt-resistant varieties. But there are many different varieties which showcase deep red, yellow, or white bulbs of different shapes.
Beet greens have a delicious and distinctive flavor and hold even more nutrition than the roots!
Planting
When to Plant Beets
- Set an early crop in March/April and a late crop anytime from June to September.
- Successive plantings are also possible as long as the weather doesn’t exceed 75°F. Space plantings about 20 days apart.
- You need to wait until soil reaches a minimum of 50°F before sowing or planting outdoors; germination will take place in 5 to 8 days.
- Winter crops are a definite possibility in Zone 9 and warmer.
Choosing and Preparing a Planting Site
- Beets prefer well-prepared, fertile soil but will also tolerate average to low soil fertility.
- Soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is best and slightly alkaline (7.0+) soils can be tolerated. Beets do not tolerate soil with a low pH.
- If you fertlize, go easy on nitrogen; an excess will cause sprawling greens and tiny bulbs beneath the soil. Learn more about soil amendments and preparing soil for planting.
How to Plant Beets
- We prefer to sow beets directly in the garden so that we don’t have to disturb their roots.
- Sow seeds ½-inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in rows that are about 1 foot apart.
- After sowing, cover the seeds with the soil and tap it down with your hand or rake. Label your rows.
- Make sure soil remains moist for germination.
- Tip: In areas with low moisture and rainfall, soak the seeds for 24 hours before planting.
Check out this video to learn how to plant beets.
Care
How to Grow Beets
- Thinning is necessary, as you may get more than one seedling out of each seed. When the tops are a few inches tall, thin seedlings to 3 to 4 inches apart. Pinch or cut off the leaves. Pulling them out of the ground may disturb the roots of nearby seedlings.
- Mulch and then water regularly with about 1 inch per week. Beets need to maintain plenty of moisture.
- Weed as needed but be gentle; beets have shallow roots that are easily disturbed.
Pests/Diseases
- Flea Beetles
- Leaf Miners
- Leaf spot
- Cercospora
- Leafhoppers
- Mosaic Virus
Harvest/Storage
How to Harvest Beets
- Days to maturity tend to be between 50 and 70 for most varieties, 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, begining 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.)
How to Store Beets
- Fresh beets can be stored in the refrigerator for 5 to 7 days. Clipping the tops off beets will keep them fresher for longer. Leave about one inch of stem on each beet, and store the greens separately.
- For root cellar type storage, make sure you brush off any soil clinging to these crops, then bury in layers (but not touching) surrounded by dry sand, peat moss, 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.
Recommended Varieties
- ‘Detroit Dark Red’ - Sturdy, traditional variety. Round, red root.
- ‘Formanova’ - Long, cylindrical beets that grow in the same fashion as carrots. Excellent for canning.
- ‘Chioggia’: red skin; when sliced open, reveals red adn white concentric rings
- Yellow varieties include ‘Bolder’ or ‘Touchstone Gold’
- White varieties include ‘Avalanche’ or Dutch hirloom ‘Albino.’
Wit & Wisdom
- Beets have long been considered an aphrodisiac: Ancient Greeks thought that Aphrodite, their goddess of love, used them to enhance her appeal.
- Romans believed that beet juice brought on amorous feelings.
Recipes
Cooking Notes
Beets are a nutrient-dense food considered especially beneficial for health. Learn more in “Beets: Health Benefits!”
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Reader Comments
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clarity
"Don’t let greens grow above 6 inches before harvesting." which could mean "harvest when they get close to 6 inches".
beets
I don't understand "don't let greens grow above six inches" comment. The greens were probably four inches when I bought them at the nursery. Now around 50 days later they are around 18 inches tall.
fungus spots on beet leaves-
I have Cercospora fungus spots on my beet leaves. Can I still eat my leaves or is the fungus harmful?
Cercospora
The fungus isn’t harmful, though you may want to remove the obviously infected parts of the leaf just to get rid of the dead leaf tissue.
Cercospora
Thank you...Being my first year of veggie gardening, it gets overwhelming sometimes. Sooo much to learn! :) But organic is wonderful and so much cheaper than the grocery store!
Oops! I forgot to pull my beets!
I had a crazy busy fall this year, and very unpredictable weather which, long story short, means that I forgot to harvest my beets this fall. Do you think they are ruined now? Is there any hope for them still? Is it possible to dig them up if the ground is frozen?
Beats
My last harvest of beats was different than previous ones. It had fibery / strings inside, just like cellery strings. What cuases that.
stringy beets
Sometimes if beets are harvested too late (grow too large), they will be tough, fibrous, and stringy. In general, beets 1 to 2 inches wide are ideal, but it will really depend on the variety.
No show of beetroot seedlings.
Planted beet seeds in compost and put them in the green house, still a no show after waiting nearly 4 weeks, I kept the compost gently moist aswell. What did I do wrong.
Harvesting beet
Will my beets be OK if we get a 32 degree frost tonight ?. Thanks
Beets
Beets are a cold weather plant. I usually plant late March once ground is unfrozen from winter. I live in Grand Junction Colorado we have pretty mild winters . I let them grow large there easier to handle since I pickle them usually harvesting after first frost. There sweeter if you wait after first frost. The tops are a different issue they get frosted and wilt harvest tops before a freeze . Beets are done after tops wilt but can remain in ground before ground freezes. I am going to harvest mine after first frost and trim some of the tops for a friend . To answer your question there okay at 32 degrees but must be harvested before ground freezes.
Skin before cooking?
I want to roast my freshly harvested beets...do I remove the skin first? Obviously I'll wash them, but they've got the roots sticking out all over. Ha! What's the best process?
Roasting Beets
Yes, you will want to use a vegetable peeler (or knife) to peel the beets before cooking. Treat them as you would carrots!
Cooking beets
Wash well, cook whole til soft, cool, slip the tough skin right off.
Beet farm business
Birds Beets
Birds Beet Farm,
Which name should I pick?
Going to start in March
Name
I like the second name since the first makes me think the beets are only for the birds.
To remove skin from beets
An attack of the peeler on a beet is too much work. For pickling or canning wash them well cutting tops off to 2-4 inches from beet. Using an oil like vegetable ,canola ,virgin brush each beet with oil and place in aluminum foil wrapping them tightly.Put a little water in bottom of a roasting pan add beets. Bake in the oven until tender at 350. Remove foil once cooled and put beet under cold water skins should fall off. Prepare beets as you choose.
nope, alkaline soil
Beet like slightly alkaline, not acidic soil. They can actually tolerate slightly acidic or slightly alkaline soil. I grow in 7.7 pH, and my beets are never ever stunted. They grow like crazy. Other references agree.
beet soil pH
Thank you for your feedback! We have revised the copy to better reflect recommendations from state Cooperative Extensions.
How long can I wait to can beets after picking?
I harvested my beets 3 days ago. I thought I would be able to can my pickled beets the next day but didn't get to it. Is it ok to wait a few days to can beets or do they have to be done immediately after picking? I put them in a cooler with a damp towel over them in the mean time. Should I have tried to make room in the fridge for them?
Crop rotation
My location is Hilton Head, South Carolina. I had a beautiful crop of beets harvested this fall. I planted banana peppers in the same location late spring, after the soil warmed. They failed miserably, loosing all their leaves and the roots never expanded. Would this crop rotation be the cause?
banana pepper ail
Not sure if it was the crop rotation for you but I feel like that shouldn't have effected anything as long as you put nutrients back into the soil...I planted banana peppers and bell peppers this year and the bell peppers were amazing producers while the banana peppers were an utter failure....same thing for me---leaves were yellow and fell off, barely flowered, didn't set fruit...I think i got two banana peppers total...it was pitiful...while right next to those plants, the bell peppers took off, easily growing 4 to 5 on each plant at a time....who knows. I personally think they are just difficult to grow or maybe it was an issue with the starts I used.
Beet greens
Can you harvest the greens before you harvest the beet? Will it harm the beet?
Harvesting beet greens
First, you may harvest beet greens as you thin the seedlings in the beginning and continue until the greens are too tough.
Also, you may indeed harvest some of the greens before you take the root, but not all of them. Just one or two per plant. Otherwise, the root will not mature.
The greens are best when they’re young and tender–about 6 inches long.
Leaves
I have huge beet leaves and don't know how many to take off without harming the beet. Is the 6 inches the leaf size itself or how long the stem is?
harvesting beet greens
Beet leaves can be snipped from the plant at any time. However, if you wish to eat both the beet leaves and the beet root, we would just snip one or two leaves from each plant before the beet root is mature. Once the beet root is mature, snip away! By 6 inches, we’re referring to the leaf blade.
Beetroot
I planted a beetroot coz there was little baby sprouts, so now it has shoot up about 15" and going to flower, should I let it flower and use the flowers to grow new plants or should I eat the flower, don't know what to do, I will wait for your reply, thanks, yours,
Masha
Beet root
Masha, Beet root, the ball (usually) that grows under the ground, is edible. And beet leaves are edible. The flowers can be saved and the seeds harvested from them. It is not common to eat the flowers. So prepare the leaves like you would spinach (raw or cooked) and roast or boil the root. There is a lot of eating in a beet!
Thanx for info I'll get this
Thanx for info I'll get this to my daughter who loves beets "who knew"
Planting beets
When should I plant beets in Louisville ky
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