Planting Guide and Seed Saving Notes for Beets

Beets (Beta vulgaris)

Oh the humble beet! As sweet as candy, literally since a lot of U.S. sugar comes from beets, this vegetable will find its way to the table in so many ways – roasted, boiled, raw, pickled, sautéed, pureed in soups, juiced, and dehydrated. Roots will store for 1-4 months without the tops, bringing the dinner table bright nutritious food in the middle of winter. Of course, the greens are delicious too and can be cooked just like spinach or chard.

Nutrients: dietary fiber, vitamins A, C, B6, thiamine, riboflavin, folate, niacin, iron, potassium, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. 

How to Grow Beets from Seed

Bed Preparation

Beets grow best in soil that is well-drained and contains little to no rocks. A spot that receives full sun is optimal. Make sure that the spot you pick will allow for roots to penetrate the ground up to 10”. Beets require greater depth in order to grow a long, healthy taproot. Add compost and plenty of organic material to soil to ensure that beets will have plenty of nutrients to uptake once the seeds sprout. Phosphorus fertilizer may also be added along rows to enhance root growth.

Planting

Direct sow beet seeds outdoors at a depth of ½”. Space seeds 1-2” apart. Seeds will sprout in 5-17 days. Thin sprouts as they come up to space mature plants 3-5” a part. Give beets deep waterings 2 times a week. This will coax the beet roots to grow longer and larger when reaching for moisture deeper in the soil.

Harvesting

Beet greens mature in about 35 days, where as their roots mature in 50-80 days. Greens can be harvested by pruning leaves with shears. This will allow for a cut-and-come-again harvest.

How to Save Beet Seeds

Beets are a wind Pollinated Biennial, Making them a challenge to grow to seed for beginners. Being wild pollinated, they need a very long isolation distance, at least 1 mile away from other Beta vulgaris to prevent crossing, this includes swiss chard. Beets are similar to carrots and other root vegetables in that they do not flower and set seed until their second year of growth. Fall planting works best, and then mulch heavily to protect the roots through winter. The following spring the plant will set up its flower stalk and set seed. The seed saver should allow the seeds to dry on the plant as much as possible, and then gather for dry harvesting. In the beet’s second season, wait to the greens of the beets have completely gone brown. Cut off the top 4” of the plant and store in a cool, dry place for 4 weeks to allow the seeds to ripen. The seed can then be stripped off the dry foliage or pounded in a bag to release the seed. Store the seed in a paper envelope, bag or jar in a cool, dry place. Seeds may be viable for up to two years.

 

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Our website automatically calculates shipping costs based on weight, and zip code. If your order is under 1 lb you have the option of USPS First Class, USPS Priority, or UPS Ground. If your order is 1 lb or over it will be shipped USPS Priority or UPS Ground, it can NOT be shipped USPS First Class.    Return to Top

 

Shipping Policy / Delivery Policy 

Orders with all items in stock will ship in 3-4 business days, plus transit time. During peak season (January - April) please allow extra time for your order to be fulfilled. We do NOT process orders on the weekend, if you place an order on Friday it will be processed on Monday. 

All orders are shipped by the United States Postal Service or UPS, either USPS First Class, USPS Priority, or UPS Ground. USPS First Class (under 1 pound) transit time 5-6 business days. USPS Priority and UPS Ground (1lb and over)  transit time 2-3 business days. If your order is over 1 lb it will be shipped USPS Priority or UPS Ground (depending on what you chose in check out), it can NOT be shipped USPS First Class. All transit times varies by season. If you want to receive tracking information please provide an email when placing your order, tracking information is sent via email. If you require expedited shipping please call us at 828-254-0708.

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If your order contains a Pre-Order/ Seasonal item(s), example: Garlic, Shallots, Seed Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, etc., they will be shipped during the season those items are available. Seasonal Items will be shipped and available based on South East planting times. If your order has both Pre-Order / Seasonal items and seed packets, cover crops, etc., Pre-Order items will NOT delay the other items in your order from being shipped. Those NON Pre-Order/ Seasonal items (seed packets, cover crops, etc.) will be shipped within 3-4 business days, and the Pre-Order/ Seasonal items will ship out separately as they become available based on South East planting times. 

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Refund Policy

We rigorously test our seed two times a year through the NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to ensure that your seed will germinate and remain viable as long as it is stored correctly. We never sell seed that does not meet the Federal standards of germination. For quality control reasons, we regret that we cannot accept returns of seed, but if for any reason your seed does not germinate within the sell-by date, we will gladly replace the seed. We ask that you keep the LOT# from the seed packet so we can keep track of any complaints.

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