🫛
Beet
Detroit Dark Red
Root VegetablesDirect Sow
☀️
Sun
full sun
💧
Water
Every 5 days
🌱
Germination
10 days
🕐
Days to harvest
58 days
📏
Planting depth
0.5 inches deep
↔️
Row spacing
10 inches
When to Plant
Direct sow in early spring
Growing Guide
Soil: deep, loose · pH 6.0–7.5
Beets prefer well-drained, loose, deeply worked soil. Add aged compost but avoid fresh manure (encourages leaf growth over roots). If soil is acidic, lime to at least 6.0 — beets are particularly sensitive to low pH. Remove stones that would cause forking.
- Each 'seed' is actually a cluster of 2–4 seeds — thin early and aggressively
- Sow ½ inch deep, 1 inch apart, then thin to 4 inches when seedlings are 2 inches tall
- The thinnings are edible as baby beet greens — a bonus harvest
- Direct sow from 4 weeks before last frost through midsummer; beets tolerate cold well
- Water consistently during root development — irregular moisture causes cracking
Care
💧 Water every 5 days
🌿 Fertilize every 21 days
📐 Spacing: 4 inches apart · 10 inches between rows
Recommended sub-rows: 3
Harvest & Storage
Ready in 58 days with a harvest window of 21 days.
- Harvest when 2–3 inches in diameter (golf ball to tennis ball) — Detroit is bred for uniformity at this size
- Loosen soil with a fork; pull by the tops gently
- Twist tops off (don't cut — cutting causes bleeding in storage)
- Baby beets at 1–1.5 inches are especially tender and sweet
Storage
Remove tops, leaving 1 inch of stem. Store unwashed in damp sand in a cool cellar or refrigerator crisper. Beets keep 2–4 months when stored properly. The tops cook like chard — use them within a few days.
Companion Planting
Grows well with:
onionlettucecabbage
Keep away from:
bean
Essential Tools
- Garden fork (harvest)
- Dibber (precise spacing)
Pests & Diseases
- Leaf miners (Pegomya betae): winding pale tunnels in leaves — remove affected leaves; row covers prevent egg-laying
- Cercospora leaf spot: round tan spots with red-purple borders — maintain good air circulation; remove badly affected leaves
- Root rot: caused by waterlogged conditions — ensure drainage