Vegetable · Root crop
Beets
Beta vulgarisA reliably productive root that gives two harvests in one — sweet baby leaves early, plump roots later. Each "seed" is really a papery cluster, which is why thinning always follows sowing. The one rule: keep the seedbed evenly moist until clusters germinate.
Sow depth
¾ in
Spacing
4 in · rows 12 in
Sun
Full sun
Germination
5–14 days
Time to harvest
50–65 days
Difficulty
Easy
When to sow beets
- Sow from about 3 weeks before your last expected frost until about 8 weeks after your last expected frost.
- Sow from about 11 weeks before the first expected autumn frost until about 8 weeks before the first expected autumn frost.
Soak seed clusters overnight to soften the corky coat before sowing.Sow direct in shallow drills; beets dislike root disturbance.Keep soil consistently damp — dry patches cause patchy germination.
Thin to one seedling per 4 in; each cluster produces several sprouts.Water evenly through the season; irregular moisture makes woody rings.Weed by hand near the row — shallow roots bruise easily with a hoe.
Pull at golf-ball size for the sweetest, most tender roots.Twist off tops rather than cutting to avoid bleeding the root.Leave a late sowing in the ground — a light frost sweetens the crop.
Companion plants
Keep fromPole beans
Beets and onions share shallow, non-competing root zones and rarely shade each other out.
Watch out for
Leaf miners — Tunnel pale blotches into leaves in mild weather. Remove affected leaves and cover young plants with fleece.Boron deficiency — Shows as black internal spots on the root. Work a little compost or seaweed feed into poor soils.