How to Grow Beet
Beet At a Glance
Difficulty
Easy
Category
Vegetable
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
Frost Tolerance
Frost Hardy
Cold Hardiness
Survives to -7°C
Plant Family
Amaranthaceae
Growing Season
Cool Season
Plant Lifecycle
Biennial
How to Start It
★ Recommended for beginners
Beets handle light frost, so sow them about 4 weeks before your last spring frost, as soon as the soil can be dug, and again every 3 weeks until midsummer for a steady supply. Sow seeds 1 cm deep and 10 cm apart, and cover them with fine soil. They sprout in 5 to 10 days. Each knobbly seed is really a cluster of 2 to 4 seeds, so thin them (pull or snip the extras so each beet has room) to one seedling per spot.
Beets are one of the easiest roots for a beginner and grow well in a pot at least 30 cm deep. You get two crops from one plant: the young leaves are good in salads and the roots are sweetest when picked small.
When To Start
First chance to plant
30 Days Before Last Frost
Last chance to plant
30 Days Before First Frost
When should you plant Beet?
Your planting dates depend on your local climate. Sign up and add your location to unlock personalized dates.
Your Beet Planting Window
Start planting
May 15, 2026
Last chance
Sep 10, 2026
Your Beet Calendar
Set your location to turn these into exact dates and reminders.
Sow beets outdoors now, they handle light frost
30 days before your last frost· every year
Pull beets when the roots are 4 to 7 cm across
55 days after your last frost· every year· optional
Did you water your beet seedlings today? Keep the top of the soil damp until they are up and growing.
About 1 days after you plant it
Time to thin the beet seedlings: snip the extras at soil level so each one has room to grow.
About 20 days after you plant it
Your beets are coming along! Thin them to about 8 to 10 cm apart, and enjoy the thinnings as baby greens.
About 28 days after you plant it
Your beets are getting close. They are best pulled when the roots are about 4 to 7 cm across.
About 47 days after you plant it
Picking time may be here: check your beet.
About 55 days after you plant it
The Journey Ahead
Beet's Lifecycle
Seedling
Mature Plant
Seed Production
Step 2
Planting & Sprouting
Expect sprouts in 5–10 days
Growing Tips
- 1Grow beets in full sun, with at least 6 hours a day, though they still do well with a little afternoon shade.
- 2Loosen the soil well, pick out stones and mix in compost, so the roots can swell smoothly.
- 3Water evenly, about 2 to 3 cm a week, since dry spells make the roots tough and woody.
- 4Feed with a little worm castings or compost tea once the leaves are about 10 cm tall, but skip rich manure, which grows big leaves and small roots.
- 5Thin each cluster to one seedling early, and eat the thinnings as baby greens.
- 6If you see pale tunnels or blotches in the leaves, pick off those leaves, and keep row cover over young plants to stop the small flies that cause them (leaf miners).
Seedling Phase
Step 3
Growth & Maturity
~55
Days to Maturity
17 cm
Mature Height
17 cm
Mature Width
Pests to Watch For
Diseases to Watch For
Mature Plant
Step 4
Harvesting
Harvest Window
45 days
When to Pick
Harvest when roots are 4 to 7 cm across
How to Harvest
- 1Pull beets when the roots are 4 to 7 cm across, usually about 8 weeks after sowing.
- 2Loosen the soil beside the row with a fork, then hold the leaves at the base and ease the root out.
- 3Twist off the leaves, leaving 2 to 3 cm of stem, so the root does not bleed its colour.
- 4Pick a few young leaves from each plant along the way, and cook them like spinach or Swiss chard.
- 5Store the roots unwashed in a bag in the fridge for a month or more, and eat the leaves within a few days.
Step 5
Saving Seeds
How to Save Seeds
Beets are biennial: they make roots the first year and only flower and set seed in their second summer. In most of Canada the roots will not survive winter in the ground, so in fall lift a few of your best, twist off the leaves, store them in damp sand somewhere cold but above freezing, and replant them in spring. Beet pollen travels far on the wind and crosses with other beets and with Swiss chard, so let only one variety flower within about 800 m, and let at least 6 plants flower together. Hybrid F1 seeds will not grow true, so save only from a variety that is not a hybrid. When most seed clusters on the tall stalks turn brown, cut the stalks, dry them in a paper bag for 1 to 2 weeks, and strip off the clusters. Store them labelled in a cool, dark, dry place, where they keep about 5 years.
Seed Production
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