When to Plant Beets
Beets are a half-hardy cool-season vegetable. They take light frosts but not a hard freeze.
Sow them outdoors in the 4 weeks before the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 8 to 11 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 50 to 65 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 15 – Mar 15 | Mar 18 – Apr 15 | Apr 17 – May 15 |
| Harvest | Apr 6 – May 4 | May 7 – Jun 4 | Jun 6 – Jul 4 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Aug 30 – Sep 20 | Aug 9 – 30 | Jul 15 – Aug 5 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 19 – Nov 16 | Sep 28 – Oct 26 | Sep 3 – Oct 1 |
Growing beets
Each beet seed is a cluster, so thin seedlings early and eat the thinnings as greens.
- Spacing: 3 in apart, in rows 15 in apart. In a raised bed, 9 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 50 to 65 from sowing, then about 4 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 21 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: beets are in the beet family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: broccoli, brussels sprouts, bush bean, cabbage, cauliflower, chives, collards, garlic, green onion, head lettuce, kale, kohlrabi, leaf lettuce, leek, onion (bulb), romaine lettuce, shallot. See companion plants for beets.
- Usually kept apart from: pole bean.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant beets and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can beets go in before the last frost?
Yes. Beets are half-hardy: sow them in the 4 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do beets take to grow?
About 50 to 65 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 4 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow beets in fall?
Yes. Sow 8 to 11 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow beets?
Every 21 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Beets in the Home Garden
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension, Kenosha County: Companion Plants for the Vegetable Garden (column, 2012)