Root
How to grow beetroot
Beta vulgaris
Beetroot is one of the most reliable root crops for a UK garden. Sow direct in a sunny bed of light, fertile soil every three to four weeks from mid March to mid July, starting with a bolt-resistant variety, and thin the seedlings to 10 cm. Each seed is a cluster that gives several plants, so early thinning matters, and even watering keeps the roots tender. Pull them from golf-ball size, seven to eight weeks after sowing.
- Hardiness
- Hardy (seedlings may bolt after cold)
- Position
- Full sun
- Soil
- Light, fertile, free-draining
- Ideal pH
- 6.5 to 7.5
- Water
- Moderate, even water prevents woodiness
- Feeding
- Moderate feeder
Sowing and planting beetroot
WhenSow Mar to Jul in succession (bolt-resistant types first); harvest Jun to Oct
Starting off
Direct from mid March (bolt-resistant 'Boltardy' first) to July, germinating in 10 to 14 days at 10 to 20 °C; soaking the corky seed clusters for an hour speeds it up. Modules at 15 °C in March, 3 seeds per cell, planted out in April give the earliest crop. Fleece sowings before April.
Spacing and planting
Sow 2 cm deep in drills 30 cm apart and thin to 10 cm for maincrop roots, 5 cm for baby beets; multi-sown modules of 3 to 4 seedlings go out 20 cm apart. Round types are excellent in a 20 cm deep pot or trough with 8 to 10 plants.
Varieties worth growing
- Boltardy
- The standard round red beet. Its resistance to bolting makes it the only sensible choice for sowings before mid April.
- Pablo F1
- Very smooth, uniform, sweet roots that stay tender at any size, the best for baby beets and for showing.
- Chioggia
- Italian beet with pink and white rings inside and a mild, sweet flavour. Best raw or roasted, as boiling fades the rings.
- Burpee's Golden
- Orange skin and yellow flesh that does not stain, with leaves good enough to cook as greens. Germination is weaker, so sow a little thicker.
- Cylindra
- Long, cylindrical roots that cut into even slices for pickling, give more weight per metre of row and store well.
Beetroot month by month
Timings are for central England. Allow two weeks later in the north and on cold, heavy soil.
- January
Use stored roots. Order seed.
- February
Put cloches out late in the month to warm the soil for the first sowing.
- March
Sow Boltardy under cloches from mid month, or in modules indoors.
- April
Plant out module clumps 20 cm apart. Sow direct. Keep fleece over early rows.
- May
Sow every three to four weeks. Thin to 10 cm and eat the thinnings as salad leaves.
- June
Pull the first baby beets, taking alternate roots. Sow again. Water in dry spells.
- July
Last sowing by mid month for autumn roots to store. Potash top-dress on earlier rows as roots swell.
- August
Pull as needed before roots pass tennis-ball size. Water evenly.
- September
Pull as needed.
- October
Lift the rest before hard frost, twist off the tops and store sound roots in boxes of damp sand.
- November
Check stored roots and use any that are softening.
- December
Use stored roots.
Feeding beetroot
A moderate feeder that wants potassium more than nitrogen. A light base dressing before sowing and one potash top-dress as the roots start to swell; heavy nitrogen gives leaf at the expense of root.
Values potassium and boron; avoid heavy fresh nitrogen, which favours leaf over root.
Feeding plan
Autumn or winter before sowing
Garden compost
A 3 to 5 cm layer. No fresh manure in the beetroot year.
A week before sowing
Fruit & Vegetable Fertiliser 4-5-6
70 g/m², the lower end of the label, raked in: about 20 g per metre of row with rows 30 cm apart (70 x 0.3).
When the roots reach marble size
20 g/m², the bottom of the label range, once: about 6 g per metre of row (20 x 0.3), scattered between the rows and watered in.
Before sowing, only on light or recently limed soil where roots have had black, corky patches inside
1 to 2 g/m², a quarter to half a level teaspoon per square metre, once a season and never exceeded.
Signs to watch
Red-tinged, dull leaves and small roots
Nitrogen short on cold soil
Fleece and a balanced feed
Bolting
Cold checks or dry soil, not feeding
Bolt-resistant types, kept moist
Pests, diseases and problems
Seedlings pecked off or pulled out as they emerge
Sparrows and other small birds, drawn to the red seedlings
Cover the row with fleece or fine netting from sowing until the plants have four true leaves.
Gaps in the row and seedlings eaten to the ground
Slugs
Sow in modules and plant out at 5 cm tall where slugs are bad, and keep the bed edges clear of weeds and debris.
Pale brown, papery blotches in the leaves with a small maggot between the leaf surfaces
Beet leaf miner, in two or three generations from May
Pick off and bin affected leaves or squash the maggot inside the blotch. The roots are unaffected unless seedlings are attacked heavily; insect mesh prevents it.
Small round spots with pale centres and purple-brown edges on older leaves
Fungal leaf spot in warm, wet weather
Remove the worst leaves, keep to the full spacing and rotate. It seldom affects the roots.
Rough, corky, raised patches on the skin of the root
Common scab, favoured by dry, light, alkaline soil
Add garden compost to hold moisture, water in dry spells and do not lime the bed before beetroot. Peel and eat: the flesh is unaffected.
Harvest and rotation
Harvest and storage
Pull baby beets at golf-ball size 7 to 8 weeks from sowing, maincrops at tennis-ball size at 11 to 13 weeks; twist off the leaves rather than cutting so the roots do not bleed. A 3 m row yields 4 to 5 kg. Store in boxes of damp sand in a cool shed until March, or pickle and freeze.
Rotation and companions
Rotation: beet family (Amaranthaceae, formerly Chenopodiaceae) with chard and spinach, 3-year gap, often grouped with roots; follows legumes or brassicas. Keep away from runner beans and sweetcorn, which cast too much shade, and from mustard, which hinders its growth.
Good to knowEach 'seed' is a cluster, sow thinly and thin early; keep evenly watered to avoid woody, ringed roots.
Growing beetroot in pots
Round beetroot is a good pot crop. Use a container at least 20 cm deep, fill with peat-free multipurpose compost and sow seed clusters 5 cm apart, 2 cm deep, thinning to one seedling per station for eight to ten plants in a 30 cm pot. Fresh compost carries the crop without extra feed. Keep the compost evenly moist, since pots that dry out give woody, ringed roots, and pull at golf-ball size. Sow a new pot every month from April to July for a steady supply.
Beetroot: common questions
When can I sow beetroot outside in the UK?
From mid March under cloches or fleece, and without protection from mid April to mid July. Use a bolt-resistant variety such as Boltardy for anything sown before mid April, because seedlings chilled early in life tend to flower instead of forming a root.
Why is my beetroot all leaf and no root?
Crowding is the usual cause: each seed cluster produces two to four seedlings, and unless they are thinned none has room to swell. Too much nitrogen, shade and dry soil have the same effect. Thin to 10 cm apart, or 5 cm for baby beets, as soon as the seedlings can be handled.
Can you eat beetroot leaves?
Yes. Young leaves and thinnings are good raw in salads and older leaves can be cooked like chard, which is the same species. Take only a few outer leaves from each plant, because stripping the tops slows the root.
Sources
Growing information on this page was checked against these references in November 2026. Feeding rates are Dr Forest label rates.