Image Credit:
Darasp Kran/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Beta vulgaris
Grown as
Toxicity
Sun Exposure
Water Needs
Height
Spread
Soil pH
Special Features
Resilience
Plant Type
Planting
Beets should ideally receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day. While they grow best in well-prepared, fertile soil, they tolerate average to low soil fertility. This root vegetable will NOT tolerate acidic soils (pH below 6.0). A soil pH between 6.0 and 7.0 is best, and slightly alkaline (7.0+) soils can be tolerated.
Avoid planting beets where Swiss chard or spinach has recently been grown, as they are cousins of beets and are susceptible to similar pests and diseases.
When to Plant Beets
- Start seeding your first round of beets in early spring, as soon as the soil is workable. To allow the round beetroots to develop properly, the soil should be free of rocks and other obstacles.
- Make successive plantings every 2 to 3 weeks until mid-summer.
- Successive plantings are possible through summer as long as daytime temperatures don’t exceed 75°F (24°C).
- Germination takes place in 5 to 8 days in soil that’s at least 50°F (10°C). In soil colder than that, it 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
- Sow beet seeds directly into the ground. They do not like being transplanted.
- Sow seeds ½ inch deep and 1 to 2 inches apart in rows about 12 to 18 inches apart. Cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil after sowing.
- Make sure the soil remains moist for optimal germination. Soak seeds for 24 hours prior to planting to speed up germination.
Beet seeds are capsules that contain several seeds, so each one may yield two or three sprouts.
Check out this video to learn how to plant beets:
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!
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)!
- ‘Chioggia’: red skin; when sliced open, reveals red and white concentric rings.
- ‘Detroit Dark Red’: Sturdy, traditional variety with a round, red root.
- ‘Formanova’: Long, cylindrical beets that grow in the same fashion as carrots. Excellent for canning.
- Yellow varieties include ‘Bolder’ or ‘Touchstone Gold’.
- White varieties include ‘Avalanche’ or Dutch heirloom ‘Albino’.
I started my beets in home-made plant starters. I used newspapers that I rolled up and stuffed with a mix of topsoil and compost. Once I had leaves that were about 2 inches, I unrolled the newspaper and planted the "pods" into my raised beds (they are 1 1/2 feet deep). They raised beds have the same top soil/compost ratio. My beets are doing fantastic and I will be ready to harvest this weekend.
I used the same plant starters for most of my veggies this year and they are all doing very well.
That sounds interesting. Were they individual pods, I am trying to visualize this. and am thinking of rolled newspaper like a log, but that does not sound right. How do you roll dirt in paper? if it worked I would like to try it.
I'm not sure if your question was already addressed or not so I'm dong so now.
I have used newspaper like this and it works well. Transplanting is a breeze. The only thing I would make sure of, which now days they usually are, is if the newspaper ink is a vegetable based ink. Other than that shouldn't be any problems.
Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6qkqyWvZnA
I'm not sure if your question was already addressed or not so I'm dong so now.
I have used newspaper like this and it works well. Transplanting is a breeze. The only thing I would make sure of, which now days they usually are, is if the newspaper ink is a vegetable based ink. Other than that shouldn't be any problems.
Enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6qkqyWvZnA
I read down a,few comments, one said can they be started and then planted.. I started my beets inside in a pot because we had a long winter and some crazy storms. Planted outnside in middle of May when they where about an inch. Doing good.
I am not sure I even know how to describe this! I live in Central Indiana. I planted onion bulbs and then beets behind them (in rows). Now my garden has been taken over by what I assume to be the beets because from the ground for about 2" is red before it stems of into two long "stems" but there are no leaves! I did not know about cutting them or "thinning" until today. ANY advice on that would be helpful. I have been looking and looking all day and found something that looks similar and that is wild leeks it's just they are coming up exactly where I planted stuff. I have a mole so it's possible that some of the seeds were moved around.
We're stumped. Beets do have reddish stems. However, they also have leaves! You could always bring a sample to your local garden nursery. I guess the plant will keep growing and you'll find out soon enough!
This year is my first time trying to grow vegetables. I live in south Louisiana. I have been planting small things in pots. Such as garlic, green onions, radishes, and celery. I love beets and carrots, so I was wondering if they can be planted in pots and if so when do I plant them because it stays over 70 degrees for a long time. Thanks for your help.
Yes, beets grow well in deep containers (more than 1 foot deep). In Louisiana, the best planting dates for beets are 1/15 - 2/28 (spring) or 8/15 -10/1 (fall) because, as you said, they need cooler weather. We'd probably go with a fall planting.
I planted my beets probably about 45 days ago, and they germinated like crazy, but they are all extremely floppy and have had trouble standing up, and many have died. They are very top heavy with biggish leaves growing well but no strong stem and they keep falling over, and there is NO root swelling. Is there any hope for beetroot? What could I have done wrong? They were very crowded but I thinned them out twice in a pretty reasonable timeframe. I did get a decent amount of greens but not really worth all the work, not sure if I want to try them again next year.
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