Find out when to harvest beets so you can harvest your crop with confidence. Easy to grow, whether you’re a first-time or experienced vegetable grower, this delicious root is packed with health-boosting minerals and vitamins and is low in calories. What’s more, it grows quickly from seed and requires little more than fertile soil and regular watering, especially during dry spells.
As well as being delicious, there are a plethora of different beet varieties to try in different colors, from the deepest purple to orange, yellow, white, and red with white rings. We grow beets because they are spectacular in recipes, but they also look stunning in the garden or planted in containers and the leaves are quite eye-catching and tasty too.
To get the most out of these roots, it’s important to know the best time to harvest them. Too soon and you’ll be able to enjoy tiny, and still delicious, results, but leave them in the ground too long and they’ll become tough, woody, and flavorless. Follow our handy guide so you can get it right.
‘From earthy to sweet, beet flavors are sure to please. This cool weather root crop is easy to grow and versatile, proving delicious and nutritious from its rich greens to its round or oblong root,” says Kelly Funk, President of Park Seed. (opens in a new tab). Usually reddish purple, but also available in white, golden yellow, or even the colors of the rainbow, like the customer favorite Rainbow Mix. Beets are great for canning and pickling (smaller beets are better for this), eaten raw, and much more.
When to harvest beets
Depending on when you plant beets, or more accurately, plant your beets, they can be harvested in early summer through mid-fall. Stagger planting and vary the type of crop so you can continually enjoy fresh produce
‘Beets are fairly easy to harvest, you can bring them out in a variety of different sizes depending on your culinary preference!’ says Shannie McCabe at Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co. (opens in a new tab).
‘I usually plant my beets densely which allows them to be a bit crowded. I harvest small/medium beets early, when they are about 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) in diameter, and allow the remaining beets to fill the gap and grow into larger beets, harvested when they are much larger, until 6 inches (15 cm). ) wide or more in some cases.’
When to Pick Beet Greens
Tender, flavorful, and colorful too, the little beet greens make a great addition to salads and stir-fries. The larger leaves can be used in the same way as spinach and are packed with antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. Work your way around the plant, harvesting the largest outer leaves first.
“Harvest the leaves when they are 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) tall,” says Kelly Funk, president of Park Seed. ‘Take no more than 2 leaves from each plant to keep it healthy and leave at least 1 inch (2.5 cm) at the root. They are delicious in salads.
When to Harvest Globe Beet Varieties
The ever-popular beets (varieties include Di Chioggia, Avenger, and Sangria) typically take 8-10 weeks to mature.
‘Beets are generally ready for harvest when their upper ‘shoulders’ appear full size, the roots should be fully rounded. You can always check by pulling out a couple of roots and checking. Beets usually come out of the ground when you gently pull them from the base of the top. If they don’t come off easily this way, you can use a pitchfork. Be sure to insert the pitchfork far enough from the roots to avoid puncturing them,” advises Emily Pence, seed field coordinator for Fedco Seeds, Inc. (opens in a new tab).
When to Harvest Round Beets
Also known as Formanova beets, these crops are long and cylindrical in shape. With the same earthy flavor and range of colors as their globe cousins, cylindra beets are very productive and great for making the most of small spaces. They’re also easy to slice evenly, making them ideal for pickling and preserving. Slightly slower growing than the round type, they take around 20 weeks to fully develop.
When to Harvest Beets for Storage
“Beet roots and leaves will keep in your garden for two to three weeks after they have matured, and once harvested, the roots will keep for up to a month (store near freezing, with high humidity to avoid wither),” advises Kelly Funk. , President of Parque de Semillas.
How do I know when beets are ready to harvest?
You know when beets are ready to harvest by how far above the ground their shoulders stick out. To check, simply brush away the mulch or dirt from the tops of the beets; if their tops are an inch or more above the ground, they are ready to harvest. That said, you can harvest beets earlier when they’re less ripe for a sweet flavor, though you won’t get the volume you might need or want.
