Vegetable · Amaranthaceae
Beet
Beta vulgaris subsp. vulgaris
Sow it straight in the ground, thin it early, and pick it young, and the beet rewards you with sweet roots and edible greens.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
50–77°F · 10–25°C
50–70 days
Overview
The beet is a cool-season root crop grown for two harvests in one plant, the swollen root below and the leafy tops above. It belongs to the same family as chard and spinach, and like them it carries the deep pigment that stains a cutting board red. Gardeners value it because it is easy, fast, and forgiving, ready to pull in well under three months.
Beets earn their place as a two-in-one crop. You can twist off a few outer leaves for the kitchen while the root keeps growing, then lift the root once it reaches eating size. Cool weather suits them best, which makes them a natural fit for both a spring planting and a second sowing for fall.
Most of the success with beets comes down to two habits. Thin the crowded seedlings so each root has elbow room, and pull the roots while they are still young and tender. Skip either step and you get small, misshapen roots or tough, woody ones that are no fun to eat.
Care
The short version: full sun and loose, well-drained soil with a pH near 6.0 to 6.5. Keep the bed evenly moist, thin the seedlings to 2 to 3 inches apart, and harvest the roots young at 1.5 to 2 inches across.
Light
Beets do best in full sun but will still crop in partial shade, where the roots simply come on slower. Aim for at least six hours of direct light a day for the fullest roots.
Water
Keep the bed evenly moist from sowing right through to harvest. Steady moisture is what keeps the roots sweet and tender, while a dry spell followed by a soak leaves them tough and prone to splitting.
Soil
Give beets loose, well-drained loam or sandy soil rich in organic matter, since a hard clay bed pinches the root and keeps it small. A pH between 6.0 and 6.5 suits them, slightly on the acidic side of neutral.
Temperature
As a cool-season crop, the beet grows best between 50°F and 77°F (10°C to 25°C). It shrugs off light frost, and sustained summer heat is more likely to turn the roots woody than cold ever is.
Humidity
Ordinary outdoor humidity is fine, so there's no level to manage. Airflow matters more than moisture in the air, because crowded, damp leaves are what invite leaf spot.
Feeding
Feed at planting with a balanced, moderate-nitrogen fertilizer, ideally guided by a soil test. Go easy on the nitrogen, or you'll grow lush tops at the expense of the root, and add boron only if a test shows the soil is short of it.
Pruning
Beets need no pruning at all. You can pick a few outer leaves as greens while the root keeps developing, but leave the central crown alone so the plant keeps feeding the root.
Repotting
Not applicable; a direct-sown root crop that is not transplanted.
Size & spacing
Plants reach about 8 to 18 inches (20 to 45 cm) tall with a modest spread. Thin the seedlings to 2 to 3 inches apart so each root has the room it needs to swell to full size.
When to plant
Beets are a cool-season crop with no patience for transplanting, so the seed goes straight into the garden. Sow the first round 2 to 4 weeks before the last spring frost, then sow again in mid to late summer for a fall crop, and harvest each batch about 50 to 70 days later.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Not recommended; beets do not tolerate transplanting and should be direct seeded.
- Plant: Direct sow about 2 to 4 weeks before the average last spring frost; sow again in mid- to late summer for a fall crop.
- Harvest: Harvest roots at 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter, roughly 50 to 70 days after sowing; larger roots may become woody.
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–11
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Beet problems split between the leaves above ground and the root hidden below. The leaf troubles you can see at a glance, but a few root issues only show once you cut one open. Match what you find below, then act before the next sowing.
Brown leaf spots with reddish-purple rims
This is cercospora leaf spot, the most common beet disease, and it spreads fastest in warm, humid weather. Look for small circular spots about an eighth of an inch wide with light gray centers, showing up on the oldest leaves first. Strip off the worst leaves, space plants for airflow, and water at the soil line so the foliage stays dry.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy heavily infected leaves
- Improve air circulation with proper spacing
- Avoid overhead watering and wetting foliage
Dark corky spots hidden inside the root
Cut a beet open and find dark sunken patches and you are looking at boron deficiency, also called internal black spot or black heart. The fix is narrow, so confirm low boron with a soil test before doing anything. Add boron only at the rate the test calls for, since too much is itself toxic to the plant.
Fix:
- Apply boron only as directed by a soil test result
Pale winding tunnels inside the leaves
Those squiggly tunnels and blisters are the work of beet leafminer larvae feeding between the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Hold a leaf up to the light and you can often spot the grubs inside the mines. Pick off and destroy marked leaves, clear weed hosts like lambsquarters, and cover young plants with row fabric so the flies can't lay eggs.
Fix:
- Pick off and destroy mined leaves
- Remove nearby weed hosts such as lambsquarters
Tough, woody roots that are hard to eat
A beet left too long in the ground turns woody and stringy, especially in summer heat, once it pushes past about 2 inches across. There's no rescue for a root that has already gone hard. Pull them young at 1.5 to 2 inches, and sow a fresh batch every few weeks rather than holding a crop in the soil.
Fix:
- Harvest younger, smaller roots at 1.5 to 2 inches in diameter
Toxicity
Good news for households with pets and small children: the beet is a non-toxic food crop from root to leaf. The whole plant is safe to handle and to eat, and the worst it does is harmlessly tint urine or droppings red for a day. There's nothing here you need to fence off.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Beets aren't toxic to cats, so a nibble of leaf or root won't poison one. A cat that eats a lot of the rich root might get a loose stomach, which settles on its own.
Dogs None
Safe for dogs in normal amounts, and cooked beet often turns up in pet food. A big helping can cause a brief upset stomach because the root is so fibrous.
Horses Safe
Horses can eat beet tops and roots without harm, and beet pulp is a common feed. Chop the root so a whole one can't lodge in the throat.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits do fine with beet greens and small bits of root as part of a varied diet. The leaves carry oxalates, so keep them to a treat rather than a daily staple.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, sheep, and goats graze beet tops and roots safely, and fodder beet is grown as feed. Introduce the lush greens slowly so the rumen adjusts.
Birds Safe
Backyard hens and pet birds peck at beet and its greens with no trouble. The pigment can briefly tint droppings red, which is harmless.
People Safe
Both the root and the leafy tops are eaten and nutritious. The natural pigment can turn urine or stool pink for a day, which is harmless and known as beeturia.
Beets are high in oxalates and their betalain pigments can harmlessly turn urine or stool pink or red in people (beeturia); this is a dietary note, not a sign of pet poisoning.
Varieties
Plenty of beet varieties exist, from deep-red rounds to candy-striped novelties. These are the ones that turn up most often in home gardens.
Detroit Dark Red
A widely grown heirloom that turns out deep red, round, even roots with reliably good flavor.
Red Ace
A vigorous hybrid prized for sweet, tender roots and a heavy crop of usable tops.
Chioggia
An Italian heirloom that hides candy-stripe rings of red and white inside and matures in about 50 to 60 days.
Red Cloud
A smooth, round, deep-red hybrid that growers often recommend for the home garden.
How to propagate
Beets are grown from seed and nothing else, and they make it simple, with one quirk worth knowing before you sow.
SeedEasy
Direct sow in spring 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost, or in mid- to late summer for a fall crop. · Germinates in about 5 to 14 days; thin multigerm clusters once seedlings reach 3 to 4 inches tall.
Beets go straight in the ground, since they resent transplanting. Sow the seed about half an inch deep, 2 to 4 weeks before your last spring frost, and again in mid to late summer for a fall crop. Seedlings break the surface in roughly 5 to 14 days, and because each seed ball sends up several plants, thin them to 2 to 3 inches apart once they reach 3 to 4 inches tall so the roots have room to swell.
Myths
Each beet seed grows into a single plant.
Most beet seeds are not seeds at all but multigerm seed balls, each holding several embryos that sprout in a cluster. That's why a tidy-looking row comes up crowded. Thin the seedlings to 2 to 3 inches apart so each root has room to size up.