How to Grow Beetroot (Beets)
On this page
- Beets (Beta vulgaris)
- Quick Facts
- At a Glance
- Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Growth Stages
- Soil & Growing Conditions
- Harvest & Storage
- Storing Beetroot Through Winter
- Recommended Varieties
- What Not to Plant Near Beetroot
- Diseases
- Pests
- Beetroot Varieties and Pest Watch
- Recommended Tools & Supplies
- Plan your Beetroot (Beets) planting
- Growing Beets in another region
- Sources
- Nutrient Issues
- Frequently Asked Questions
Sow beetroot once soil temperature reaches about 7°C, and roots are ready to harvest 40–80 days later.
The short answer
- Ready in
- 40–80 days
- Site
- 4+ hours of sun, soil pH 6–6.8
- Biggest risk
- Downy mildew
Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.
Beets (Beta vulgaris)
13 sources cited · Verified
Quick Facts
At a Glance
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Most beetroot "seeds" are really a cluster of several seeds, so seedlings come up in clumps (RHS). Skipping the thin is the easy mistake: once seedlings are about 2.5cm (1in) tall, thin them to 10cm (4in) apart, removing the weaker ones, so each root has room to swell (RHS).
Watering is the other: uneven watering can make roots split, and in hot, dry weather, or if sown in very cool conditions, beetroot may bolt, producing flowers instead of swelling the root (RHS). Water regularly rather than waiting for the soil to dry out.
Growth Stages
| Stage | BBCH | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sowing & germination | 0 | Beetroot is sown direct where it is to grow - from March under cloches or fleece, and from April to July outdoors, once the soil has warmed to about 7°C. Sow seeds around 2.5cm (1in) deep in rows roughly 30cm apart, watering the drill in dry weather. Because each knobbly seed is really a cluster of several seeds, seedlings usually emerge in small clumps that will need thinning. Seed germinates in about two weeks. Sow a short row every 2-3 weeks for a continuous succession of tender roots. |
| Thinning & leaf growth | 3 | Once seedlings are large enough to handle, thin the clumps to leave one plant about every 10cm for full-sized roots (thin to around 4-5cm for smaller baby beets); RHS thins to 10cm and Univ. of Maryland to 3-4in. Keep the rows weed-free and water regularly while plants are young. Thinnings can be eaten as leafy salad greens. |
| Root swelling | 4 | The base of the stem swells into the familiar round or cylindrical root. Keep watering even and regular - a dry spell followed by heavy watering causes roots to crack, while prolonged drought makes them woody. Little extra feeding is needed on fertile soil; avoid high-nitrogen feeds, which push leaf growth at the expense of the root. Continue to keep the bed weed-free so the swelling roots are not competing for water and light. |
| Maturity & harvest | 8 | Beetroot is ready roughly 40-80 days after sowing. of Maryland harvests at 1-3in diameter. Ease roots out with a fork and twist off the leaves about 2.5cm above the crown (do not cut, to avoid bleeding). Use fresh, or store in a cool shed or the fridge; Utah State and Univ. of Maryland keep roots at about 0°C (32°F) and 95% humidity for two to four months. |
Soil & Growing Conditions
Harvest & Storage
Storing Beetroot Through Winter
Lift roots before hard frosts, typically October–November. Twist off the foliage rather than cutting it (cutting causes the root to "bleed") and let the roots dry for a day before storing. Pack into boxes of slightly damp sand and keep somewhere cool and frost-free -- a shed or garage works well, and roots stored this way keep for around 2–4 months.
Recommended Varieties
Beetroot 'seed' is actually a dried fruit cluster of 2-4 true seeds fused together, so even a single sowing station usually needs thinning -- unless you choose a monogerm variety bred to produce one seedling per seed.
- Boltardy — the most widely grown UK variety; strong bolt resistance makes it the safest choice for an early sowing, with deep red, sweet flesh.
- Pablo F1 — a monogerm variety producing one seedling per seed, so no thinning is needed; uniform, smooth roots with good bolt resistance.
- Cylindra — long, cylindrical roots that slice into even rounds; needs deeper soil than round varieties but gives a high yield per row.
- Burpees Golden — golden-orange flesh that doesn't bleed onto other ingredients when cut, with a milder, sweeter flavour than red varieties.
What Not to Plant Near Beetroot
Cornell Cooperative Extension's own companion-planting guidance lists beetroot as disliking pole beans specifically -- bush beans are fine, it's the pole (climbing) type that doesn't pair well. Cornell's guide is unusually upfront that this whole subject is thin on evidence: "There appears to be no research proven reproducible companion planting recommendations... almost no scientific proof to back up most of these claims." Worth testing in your own plot rather than treating as settled fact. The same source lists beetroot growing well near bush beans, onions, kohlrabi, lettuce and brassicas.
Diseases
Pests
Beetroot Varieties and Pest Watch
Recommended Tools & Supplies
Having the right tools makes growing beetroot easier. Our hand tools for gardening include hoes for keeping rows weed-free while roots establish, and the soil and plant care range covers mulches for retaining the even moisture beetroot needs to avoid splitting.
Planning the wider plot? See the UK vegetable planting calendar.
Plan your Beetroot (Beets) planting
Timing for Beetroot (Beets) follows soil temperature and frost, not the calendar date. The Global vegetable planting calendar explains the method. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.
Growing Beets in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
These 2 sources are specific to this region. The full list of 13 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension, FAO EcoCrop, Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and others) is in the references of our UK guide to beetroot; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Nutrient Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does beetroot take to grow?
Typically 40–80 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH does beetroot need?
A pH of about 6–6.8. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
What problems affect beetroot?
Our data links 4 diseases and 7 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
Get the Global Garden Planner →Instant PDF download · Works in either hemisphere
How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Related Problem Guides
Last verified 2026-07-31
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.