How to Grow Beets

**Beets are an amazing vegetable: they are extremely nutritious and you can eat both the beets and the greens.

**Beets are best eaten young/small because that is when they are their sweetest and tastiest.

**One of the best things about beets is that you can sow them throughout the year for an almost continuous supply.

How to Grow Beets: Position of Plants:

**Beets do best if you plant them in a sunny position, in a light, sandy soil.

**They prefer a soil of pH 6.5-7.0. Click here  if you need to buy a soil testing kit.

Propagation for Beets:

**Try to sow beets through the year so that you have a regular, continuous supply. Start in early spring by sowing seeds indoors and use bolt-resistant varieties. In late spring, when the risk of frost has passed, begin sowing directly outdoors.

**Beet seeds can be difficult to germinate. Soak the seeds in warm water for 30 minutes before sowing them in order to soften them and wash out the germination inhibitor.

**Thin out the weakest plantlings so that the plants are approx. 2 inches apart in rows that are 6 inches apart.

Maintenance for Growing Beets:

**Once the beet plants are established and the roots are starting to swell, water moderately unless the conditions are very dry.

**Overwatering will only encourage leaf growth but underwatering will cause the outer leaves to turn yellow and the roots to become woody.

**Keep your rows well weeded and give them a boost of fish emulsion (like this one) once or twice to give them some extra nitrogen, manganese, and boron.

Harvesting Beets:

Do you grow Beets? What is your favorite Variety?

Currently, I’m loving golden beets but I love growing the vibrant red ones, too.

Some years, I have some issues growing beets. Whenever my beets don’t make healthy bulbs for eating, I reread my article on How to Deal with Problems Growing Root Vegetables. I put lots of great tips in there if you’re struggling with growing beets or any other root vegetable.