Do you love borscht? My husband makes the best borscht with beets and carrots from our own garden. So yes, we grow beets. And yes, we are excited when harvest time begins.
I love the taste of beets and I love growing beets. I love that I can sow beets directly in the garden in early or mid-May (so easy). And beets give me a good return on my small investment because one beet seed is actually 2, 3, 4, or even 5 seeds. Beet tops are high in vitamins and minerals, making them a good addition to my compost pile and to my dinner plate. Beets just keep on giving! So much to love about growing beets. Here’s how to plant, grow, and harvest beets.
Choosing Your Seeds
As with any seed, if you can, buy local seeds. I find that local seeds have a better germination rate and the plants are healthier. Check the date on the seed package and buy seeds that aren’t more than 2 years old. The newer the seed, the better.
Preparing To Plant Beets
Add organic matter like compost or well-rotted manure to the soil to improve structure and fertility. Or apply an organic, balanced fertilizer to the soil. Because beets are a root vegetable, I also add bone meal to the soil before sowing beets. Bone meal is high in phosphorus which helps the plants grow strong roots. Because we eat the roots of beets, adding bone meal to the soil makes sense.
Remove weeds, rocks, stones, and any other objects from the planting area. Beets grow partially on top of the soil, not completely under the soil like carrots. But still remove rocks, stones, and sticks.
Choosing A Location And Preparing Your Soil
Beets need full sun.
Beets like soil that has plenty of organic matter. If you’re planning to grow beets in the ground, gently dig the top 6” of the soil to loosen in.
If you can, grow beets near broccoli, corn, garlic, lettuce, and mint. These companion plants help each other grow.
Don’t grow beets next to pole beans.
Planting Beets
When To Plant Beets
For a spring and summer harvest, plant beets seeds 4 weeks after your last frost or when outdoor, night-time temperatures have reached 10 degrees Celsius. I begin planting beet seeds in early or mid-May.
Continue to sow beets seeds about every 2 or 3 weeks until the middle of summer. Beet seeds may not germinate during the hottest days of summer.
I sow beets seeds from early to mid-May to the end of July and again in the middle of August. Sowing seeds in late summer means I can have beets in the fall.
How To Plant Beets
Depth to plant seeds: ¼ inch
Seed spacing: 2 to 3 inches between seeds
Row spacing: 8 inches between rows
Keep the soil moist but not waterlogged especially during the first few weeks. When my beet seeds are trying to germinate, I water the soil twice a day (unless it rains, of course).
Label the rows with the name of the beet variety (I grow only Detroit red), and the date you planted them. Consider writing this in a garden journal, too, so you have that knowledge for next year.
Growing Beets
Beets take about 65 days to reach maturity. But try harvesting beets before then, when they’re smaller.
How To Fertilize Your Beets
If you have compost, add a thin layer to the soil when you see the beets beginning to form. Or add an all-purpose, organic fertilizer.
When To Water Your Beets
As the seeds are germinating, and during the first 30 days, keep the soil moist. After that, you can ease up on the watering. If you have lots of organic matter in your soil, or a mulch, you won’t have to water as often.
Remember To Weed Your Beets
Weed your beet beds regularly. Like most plants, beets don’t like to compete for the nutrients in the soil.
Harvesting Beets
When To Harvest Beets
When beets are 1 to 3 inches in diameter, harvest away!
Bonus! Harvest the beet greens, too. Try picking a couple of the smaller beet leaves from each plant, and adding them to salads and stir fries. Just make sure you leave some leaves on the plant so it can continue to grow.
How To Harvest Beets
Grasp the lower part of the beet greens where they attach to the beet root, and slightly twist while gently pulling the root out of the ground.
Experimenting With Growing Beets
Try growing beets between your broccoli plants, or between rows of broccoli plants. If you have little garden space, this can be a good way to use every square inch of soil.
Try making borscht with your homegrown beets, and see if you, too, think it’s well worth it for you to plant, grow, and harvest beets at home.
Planting and growing processes can be a bit different if you’re growing a different variety of the same vegetable. So, if the information here differs from the instructions on your seed packets or packages, always follow what your seed packets or packages tell you.
