How to grow Beetroot

Beta vulgaris

Requires loose, well-drained soil. Although fall beets will be the sweetest, you can grow this from 2-4 weeks before the first frost, all the way through summer, and into fall, past the first frost.

Be careful not to let the soil dry out too much during root formation, as this will cause white rings in the beet and they will become tough, woody and inedible 4.

Make sure the top of the beet’s bulb is covered with soil; this keeps the entire bulb the same color and prevents ‘corkiness’ at the top of the bulb 4.

Growing Beetroot from seed

They can be hard to germinate, so score seeds with nail file and then soak in tepid water 24 hours before planting so that you can separate the seeds.

Thinning is nearly always required as seedlings emerge from a seedball or cluster of several seeds (6-9 seeds). If you don’t thin them, you will get a number of rather pathetic plants which don’t grow to an edible size4.

Because of their long taproot, it is not recommended to transplant beets. They are best sown in place.

Try to aim for a seed spacing of at least 5.85 inches (15.0 cm) and sow at a depth of around 0.78 inches (2.0 cm). Soil temperature should be kept higher than 7°C / 45°F to ensure good germination.

By our calculations*, you should look at sowing Beetroot about 14 days before your last frost date .

Transplanting Beetroot

Avoid acidic soils. It’s important to space the beets so that they are growing about 1 inch apart. The roots will not develop properly if the plants are crowded together. Thick clumps of seedlings can be transplanted into bare spots. Continue to thin and use the beets as they grow larger. Root size is controlled by the spacing.

Ensure that temperatures are mild (minimum night temperatures should be around 4°C / 39°F) and all chance of frost has passed before planting out, as Beetroot is a half hardy plant.

Harvesting Beetroot

You can harvest small, tender leaves once the plant is established, but never take more than 1/3 of the plants leaves at any one time.

For tasty and tender beetroot, start harvesting at golfball-size 4. At that time, you can use all the larger, older leaves the same way you would use Swiss Chard or mature spinach.

Seed Saving Beetroot

Seed viability is four years.

How long does Beetroot take to grow?

These estimates for how long Beetroot takes to sprout, grow and harvest are from real observations from real gardeners, right around the world.

Days to Germination How long does it take Beetroot to germinate?
10 days

Average 10 days | Min 1 days | Max 28 days (749)

Days to Transplant How long until I can plant out Beetroot?
+ 26 days

Average 26 days | Min 2 days | Max 61 days (30)

Days to Maturity How long until Beetroot is ready for harvest / bloom?
+ 96 days

Average 96 days | Min 6 days | Max 243 days (154)

Total Growing Days How long does it take to grow Beetroot?
= 132 days

When should I plant Beetroot?

Our when to plant Beetroot estimates are relative to your last frost date.

When to sow The number of days to sow Beetroot before or after your last frost date.
14 days before Last Frost Date

Beetroot Etymology

When Carl Linnaeus classified beets in his original binomial nomenclature system, he created three varieties: the wild beet, the leaf beet and the root beet. These have sometimes been considered varieties and sometimes subspecies, but they are now all classified as varieties. The type we call beetroot is simply that. It’s the kind of beet that we grow for its root.

The botanical epithet is from the Latin vulgaris meaning “common”.3

Beetroot Folklore & Trivia

Folk medicine used various preparations of beet to treat tumors.1 It was also used for headaches, ulcers, hemorrhoids, and as a hair tonic an emmenagogue.1

Sugar beets have caused renal calculi in sheep.1

Other names for Beetroot

Spinach

Beta vulgaris L.

Misspellings: Beatroot, Beets, Manglebeet, Beet Root, Beetroots, Beta vulgarisa

Footnotes

1 “Beta vulgaris L.-James A. Duke. 1983. Handbook of Energy Crops. unpublished. ":http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/duke_energy../Beta_vulgaris.html

2 Smiling Gardener’s chart

3 Latin Dictionary

4 Gardenate: Growing Beetroot


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