How to Sow Beet Seeds

Overview

Growing beets provides you with both the edible root and beet greens. Use the red, skinned roots in soups or as a side dish, and eat greens fresh in a salad or as a cooked green. Beets grow from seed in the garden, and take just under two months to mature. A frost-hardy vegetable, beets are one of the first greens and roots you can harvest in spring. Sow beet seeds outside in spring up to a month before the last expected frost in your area.

Step 1

Lay a 2-inch layer of compost over a garden bed that receives full sun. Till it in to an 8-inch depth to provide organic matter, nutrients and better drainage to the soil.

Step 2

Sow each beet seed ½ inch deep in a row. Space seeds 1 inch apart along the row, leaving 18 inches between each row of beets.

Step 3

Water the bed with a misting attachment on a hose. Water just until the bed is evenly moist but not soggy.

Step 4

Thin the seedlings so they are about 3 inches apart in the row once they germinate, usually within seven days of planting. Pluck out the unneeded seedlings and use as greens or sprouts in sandwiches or salads.

Step 5

Water enough to keep the soil moist but not soggy. Provide approximately 1 inch of water to the garden bed each week until the beets are mature.