How to Grow Beets

A cool-season crop grown for roots and greens

Beets are grown in the cool ends of the year. Utah State Extension advises planting about 2 to 3 weeks before the last frost, and notes beets taste best when plants have been exposed to several weeks of cool, frosty weather; growth is best when temperatures stay below about 85°F. That makes spring and fall the productive windows and midsummer the season to skip.

Sow seed half an inch to an inch deep in fertile, deep, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Seeds germinate best at 55 to 75°F and take 7 to 14 days to emerge, and germination drops off above 80°F, another reason hot-weather sowings disappoint.

Beets pull double duty: the swollen root and the leafy tops are both edible. You can harvest a few outer leaves at 4 to 6 inches tall for cooking greens while the roots keep sizing up, effectively getting two crops from one planting. For exact planting dates and row spacing, see the beet planting and spacing calculators.

The thinning that beginners skip

Here is the fact that explains most disappointing beet rows: what looks like one beet seed is actually a dried fruit cluster holding several seeds, so a single sowing point sends up two, three, or four seedlings jammed together. Left alone they choke each other and you get lush tops over stringy little roots.

So thinning is not optional with beets. Once seedlings are up, thin to 3 to 4 inches between plants in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Snip the extras off at soil level rather than yanking them, which disturbs the roots you are keeping, and eat the thinnings as greens.

If your beets are all leaf and no bulb, crowding is the usual culprit, and the fix is earlier, harder thinning next time. The 'all tops, no bulb' diagnostic page covers that specific failure in more detail.

Boron, harvest size, and timing

Beets are unusually sensitive to boron, a micronutrient. Utah State notes that black, sunken spots on or in the root generally indicate low boron levels in the soil, and boron-short plants are also more prone to root diseases. Do not simply dump boron on the bed, though, since the margin between enough and toxic is narrow. Get a soil test first and only correct if it confirms a deficiency.

Roots are generally mature 60 to 80 days from seeding depending on variety. Pull them young and tender, from about golf-ball to tennis-ball size, since oversized beets can turn woody and pithy. Twist off the tops (leaving an inch of stem) to keep the roots from bleeding, and use the greens promptly.

For a fall crop, count back from your first frost, and remember beets can take light frosts. For point-by-point fertilizer, spacing, and harvest-timing numbers, see the beet calculators.

Sources

Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.

• Utah State University Extension — How to Grow Beets in Your Garden — Plant beets 2-3 weeks before the last frost; seeds go 1/2-1 inch deep and germinate best at 55-75°F, emerging in 7-14 days, with germination reduced above 80°F; space 3-4 inches between plants in rows 12-18 inches apart; roots are mature 60-80 days from seeding; beets taste best after several weeks of cool, frosty weather and grow best when temperatures do not exceed about 85°F; black, sunken spots on or in the root indicate low boron; harvest beet leaves at 4-6 inches tall; both roots and greens are edible.
• Illinois Extension — Beet (Home Vegetable Gardening) — Each beet seedball (fruit) contains several seeds and produces a cluster of seedlings that must be thinned to encourage good root size; thin closely spaced plants to prevent small, crowded roots; beets are a cool-season vegetable preferring fertile, deep, well-drained soils; thinnings can be used as cooked greens.

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