Growing Beetroot, also Beets

Beta vulgaris : Amaranthaceae / the amaranth family

Jan F M A M J J A S O N Dec
P P P P         P P P P

(Best months for growing Beetroot in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)

  • P = Sow seed
  • Easy to grow. Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed. Best planted at soil temperatures between 7°C and 25°C. (Show °F/in)
  • Space plants: 20 - 30 cm apart
  • Harvest in 7-10 weeks.
  • Compatible with (can grow beside): Onions, Silverbeet (Swiss Chard), Lettuce, Cabbage, Dwarf Beans, Dill, Peas. Strawberries
  • Avoid growing close to: Asparagus, Carrots, Sweetcorn, Spinach
  • Young beetroot
  • Seedlings before thinning

Soak seeds in water 24 hours before planting so that you can separate the seeds. Thinning is nearly always required as seedlings emerge from a seedball of several seeds. If you don't thin them, you will get a number of rather pathetic plants which don't grow to an edible size. Harvest in 55 - 70 days but will keep in ground for longer.

Keep well-watered as dry beetroot develop a woody and inedible core. Tip from the Italian Gardener "Make sure the top of the beet's bulb is covered with soil; this keeps the entire bulb the same color and prevents 'corkiness' at the top of the bulb." For tasty and tender beetroot, start harvesting at golfball-size.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Beetroot

Apart from boiling whole for salads, beetroot roast well, cut in wedges.
They also make a tasty salad grated raw with carrot and a little fresh orange juice.

Your comments and tips

30 Jan 09, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Ken, when beetroot are about the size of a small golf ball, they should be ready to start using. But you can leave them to grow, just make sure they have plenty of water.
15 Mar 10, Raj (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Liked your coloure coded time table for planting. Is it possible to replant the bulbs similar to using potatoes to grow fresh plants? Thanks
16 Apr 10, Anna (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
At my local farmer's market a person sells dried beetroot which is delish. I'd like to use it for cooking preferably biscuits. Anyone seen anything on this plse, or suggestions?
05 Jul 10, Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
The plants from a nursery are usually ready to plant out but you might need to harden them off a bit first. To do that, put the pots or punnets outside during the day and then put them under cover or close to the house, at night. Do that for about a week. That should help the seedlings adjust to temperature changes.
30 Oct 10, (New Zealand - temperate climate)
try roasting them along with other "usual" vegetables, brush clean - leaves roots and top on (take off most of the stalks)
11 May 14, Rana (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
How is it that some of us can't grow beets? I( and some of my gardening friends) follow all the advice and all I get is luscious leaves and thin dry beet. only about 0.01% grow to something less than a golf ball size and that takes much longest that the 7- 10 weeks mentioned.
12 May 14, Gary (Australia - temperate climate)
I have the same problem. I have persevered over the years and have only been able to grow a half decent crop a couple of times. I don't over feed them as I think that would make for more leafy growth. I do mix compost in my garden soil. My daughter has success with her beetroot and she uses virtually the same soil mixture and only lives around the corner so it's not different climates
21 Jul 15, Heidi (New Zealand - temperate climate)
I couldn't grow it for years, though I kept trying because sometimes it seemed like I was achieving some improvement. Then I went through a period of getting the foodscraps from a shop and feeding them to the chickens, though most ended up being dug under the soil. The soil was teeming with worms all the time. Within a year, I was growing good beetroot. I think the amount of organic matter made the difference. Now I'm not getting the foodscraps anymore, and my beetroot is average. I'd suggest digging your food scraps under the soil and letting it compost there rather than in a pile or bin, and see if that helps. I'd love to hear whether it does.
30 Sep 14, NANCY (New Zealand - temperate climate)
what is eating my beetroot bulb? Would this be slugs and snails Nearly all of my tennis ball size beetroot has disappeared !
19 Dec 16, Mike Chester (New Zealand - temperate climate)
What is eating my beets? The bulb is gnawed through from the side often leaving the plant top on the soil and the underground part of the beetroot flush with the soil. Rabbits? Can't be possums because they have been exterminated in Miramar, Wellington. Please advise.
Showing 1 - 10 of 24 comments

What is eating my beets? The bulb is gnawed through from the side often leaving the plant top on the soil and the underground part of the beetroot flush with the soil. Rabbits? Can't be possums because they have been exterminated in Miramar, Wellington. Please advise.

- Mike Chester

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This planting guide is a general reference intended for home gardeners. We recommend that you take into account your local conditions in making planting decisions. GardenGrow is not a farming or commercial advisory service. For specific advice, please contact your local plant suppliers, gardening groups, or agricultural department. The information on this site is presented in good faith, but we take no responsibility as to the accuracy of the information provided.
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