Beets
Beta vulgaris
About it
- Kind
- Vegetables · Annual
- Family
- Chenopodiaceae
- Hardiness zones
- Zones 2–11
- Frost
- Semi-hardy — takes a light frost
- Sun
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 4 in apart, rows 12 in
- Soil depth in a pot
- At least 8 in
- Soil pH
- 6–7.5
- Water
- About every 7 days
When to plant
- Sow outdoors
- Sow 2 weeks before the last frost
- Window
- Open for about 3 weeks
- Soil temperature
- Germinates from 40°F
- Ready
- About 60 days from sowing
Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.
Varieties people grow
- Bull's Blood— grown as much for its dark red leaves as its roots
- Chioggia— Italian heirloom; candy-striped rings inside
- Cylindra— long cylindrical root; easy even slices
- Detroit Dark Red— the standard round red beet
- Touchstone Gold— golden beet; mild, and it does not bleed
Planting partners
No cited companion planting notes for Beets yet.
Safety for pets and children
- Cats No information in our sources
- Dogs No information in our sources
- Horses No information in our sources
- Children No information in our sources
"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.
Pests and diseases
No pest or disease notes for Beets yet.
Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.
Where this comes from
- direct sow weeks rel last frost cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) semi-hardy class, a class-wide figure: as early as 0-2 weeks before the last frost. UNH (New Hampshire) gives only a soil temperature (45°F)
- family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Beta vulgaris L.. GRIN keeps Chenopodiaceae separate; APG IV merges it into Amaranthaceae
- frost hardiness cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) semi-hardy class lists beets
- maturity counted from cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 60 days equals CSU #720 (Colorado) 60 (unmarked) and NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 55-60 (from seed)
- maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ Direct-seeded crop. Row's 60 days equals CSU #720 (Colorado) 60 (unmarked) and NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 55-60 (from seed)
- min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 1: beets germination minimum 40°F. UNH (New Hampshire) says sow when soil warms to 45°F
- Most facts The Old Farmer's Almanac ↗ Backfilled by 0041. Pre-0041 rows recorded one source for the whole row; per-field attribution was never captured and is not invented here.
- sow window weeks cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) 0-2 weeks before last frost: weeks -2 to 0
- water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." This is the handbook's general guidance for a vegetable garden, not a figure published for this crop.