| Temperature |
| Germination | 50-85 F |
| For growth | 60-65 F |
| Soil and Water |
| Fertilizer -Heavy feeder, needs high P, avoid high N. Good tops may mean roots are poorly developed and plant is getting too much N |
| Side dressing - Every 2 weeks provide a light and balanced feeding; when tops are 4-5" use low N. |
| pH | 5.8-7.0 |
| Water -average | |
| Measurements |
| Planting depth | 1/4" |
| Root depth | 24"-10' |
| Height | 12" |
| Width | 4-8" |
| Space between plants |
| In beds | 3-4" |
| In rows | 6" |
| Space between rows | 18-24" |
| Average plants per person | 10-20 |
| Harvest |
| In late June, or before hot season enters its prime, scrape some soil away from the beets to check their size. Pull the beets when they are 1-2" across. They can become tough and woody flavored when allowed to grow much larger depending on the variety |
| First Seed starting Date: 14-28 days before last frost date |
| Last Seed Starting Date: 74-104 Days before first frost date |
| Companions |
| Companions: All brassicas, bush beans, head lettuce |
| Incompatibles: Field mustard, all pole beans |
| Storage Requirements |
| Remove all top greens, leaving about 1" of stem with the beet. Do NOT wash. Pack beets in straw or moist sand. Beets can also be left in ground and dug up under the snow. |
| Fresh |
| Temperature | Humidity | Storage Life |
| 32F | 98-100% | 4-7 months topped; 14 days bunched |
| Preserved |
| Method | Taste | Shelf Life |
| Canned | good | 12+ months |
| Frozen | fair | 8 months |
| Dried | fair | 12+ months |
Beets are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. Most beet cultivars are open-pollinated and multigerm, where one seed yields a clump of 4-5 plants that need to be thinned. These "seed balls" germinate better if soaked an hour before planting.
Where to grow
They are an annual cool-season crop, half-hardy to frost and light freezes. Beets thrive in all parts of the country.
Varieties
In general search for varieties that are resistant to bolting and downy mildew. Also, Yellow and white beets tend to be sweeter than red varieties. Newer hybrids are usually sweeter than older varieties and offer more green leaves. Most beets contain 5-8% sugar, where newer hybrids such as Big Red run 12-14%. Beets tend to get tough, woody, and develop an off flavor in hot weather. If you have hot summers, choose a variety that matures in 45-60 days.
Recommended varieties
Detroit Dark Red; Early Wonder; Ruby Queen; Firechief; Burpee's Golden, an unusual beet with sweet golden flesh that does not bleed when cooked; Long Season, a slow-growing long beet, roughly shaped and harvested in early fall or for winter storage.
Soil
Beets grow well in average garden soil. The best crop is achieved with ph 6.5 in a rich, sandy loam prepared with well-rotted manure and compost to a depth of 8 inches. Beets do not thrive if the pH is below 6. The soil should be well pulverized to remove stones and clods so that roots form well and rapidly.
Planting:
Germination in 7 days. Plan on an average of 10-20 plants per person.
When: Beets are hardy and may be sown as soon as the ground can be worked. For succession crop, plantings can be made every 2 weeks to midsummer. Beets become tough and stringy if grown in hot weather during droughts; ample water supply is essential to succulent roots. A late summer crop can be sown for fall harvest.
How: Sow seed 1/2 inch deep in rows 12-18 inches apart. The beet seed is a compact ball of many tiny seeds. Many plants germinate where each seed is sown, so seed should be placed sparingly. When seedlings are 4-6 inches high, thin plants to stand 1 1/2 inches apart. (The thinnings can be used in salad or cooked as spinach.) Then, as these beets grown, about an inch in diameter, pull every other one to allow larger beets to grow.
How it Grows
The beet develops a red-colored, semi globe-shaped root with succulent tops that may be cooked as a spinach substitute. Because the seed is a compact seed, unless the plants are thinned properly, they will not develop into nicely rounded roots. "White Rings" that occur in the beets are the result of poor growing climate - drought or alternate heavy rains and drought.
Culture
The rows should be cultivated shallowly halfway through growth periods to keep weeds down, or the rows may be heavily mulched to keep them weed free.
Harvest
60 days. The roots are best when 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. They deteriorate if left in the ground much longer than 10 days after reaching full size.
Pests
None of major concern.
Diseases
None of major concern