How To Grow Beets From Seed (And Why You Should)

Last Spring I Experimented & Sowed Baby Beet Seeds Between Rows Of Onions

I have no idea why I first started growing beets, since I had never eaten one in my life. The only time I had come face to face with any was a few times during childhood, when scary looking, reddish-purple discs would sometimes appear on restaurant salads. Fortunately my mother was quick to reach over and stab the offending things with her fork, always murmuring "I love beets!" as she popped them into her mouth.



Even if you do not like beets (those scary canned specimens don't count), you should still sow a few rows of beet seeds in your garden this year. Why? Well, just look at this photo of Bull's Blood beet 'greens' overwintered last year in my barely heated Zone 5 greenhouse. Has there been anything so gorgeous gracing your salad plate lately? I didn't think so.

Beets are not only very easy to grow but are also extremely good for you. Beets from the garden are like nothing you will find in the supermarket produce aisle. And while I have been known to devour an embarrassingly large plate of Caramelized Beets & Garlic (click here for my easy recipe), I mainly grow beets for their greens.

Bull's Blood is one of my favorite varieties to grow. Its roots are sweet and tasty (especially when small), and they have lovely pink rings inside. But I recently learned that this popular heirloom is actually grown primarily for its baby leaves, which are ready in as little as 35 days and are, according to my Baker's Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog, "all the rage in salads." The folks at High Mowing Organic Seeds claim that they are organic gardening pioneer "Eliot Coleman's choice for a red leaf in winter harvest salad mixes." I had no idea I was so chic.

Beets come in all kinds of shapes, sizes, and even colors. Along with my beloved Bull's Blood, this year I'm growing several different other types, including three new-to-me heirlooms: Golden, Chioggia, and Flat Of Egypt. Not quite ready to grow your own beets? (But why on earth not?) You can often find interesting varieties of beets at farmers' markets.

Direct seeding in the garden is the easiest way to grow beets. Soak seeds in water for 24 hours before planting to aid germination. Sow seeds 1/2-inch deep and 1-inch apart in a sunny spot, 3 to 4 weeks before your last frost for an early summer crop. Sow seeds again in late summer for a fall crop. In frost free areas, you can do a third planting in September for a February harvest.

Beets will grow in most types of soil but prefer that it be deep, well-drained, and includes plenty of organic material, such as compost or aged manure. Too much nitrogen will cause beets to produce lots of greens but little roots.



Each beet "seed" is actually a dried fruit made up of 1 to 6 individual seeds, so seedlings will sprout very close together. Everything in this photo came from one seed cluster.

If you plan to harvest the roots as well as the greens, thin the seedlings when they are about 2" high. Use scissors (so as not to disturb the remaining plants) and leave the remaining ones 3" to 4" apart. Be sure to toss the thinnings into salads.


The Raised Beet Bed Supplies Goodies For The Chickens, Me, & The Compost Bin

Beets require even moisture, so don't let the soil dry out. Mulch will help keep the soil moist and the beets cool, as well as discourage weeds (grass clippings work well). Harvest beet roots when they are about 2-1/2" to 3" in diameter for optimum flavor and tenderness.


A Tiny But Tasty Harvest

One of the best things about homegrown beets is that even if you abuse them, they will still taste delicious. The hardy plants will put up with frosty mornings as well as hot and humid summer days. The beets you see here were planted late and thinned too late. They were also left in the ground until July 31st, so some of them ended up much too big--and looking a little strange.

I then stuffed my poor harvest in a plastic bag and stashed it in the refrigerator for two months because I wanted to save it for my mother's upcoming visit. I was sure the beets would be tough and woody (not to mention half rotten), but I should have known better—beets from the garden do not hold a grudge. They were wonderful.

Recommended Reading: The Vegetable Gardener's Bible by Ed Smith. This has been my favorite gardening book for the past 7 years, and I highly recommend it for kitchen gardeners of all levels. Click here to read my review of it.

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