When to Harvest Beets for The Best Flavor

Why grow beets? Maybe you love eating them fresh in salads or cooking them in a pan with spinach. Either way, beets are one of the tastiest crops you can grow at home. They’re perfect for raised beds, large containers, or in-ground beds. 

Most growers plant beets in early spring and again in summer for a fall harvest. They’re cool weather lovers that need full sun, so autumn and spring are ideal for growing roots with peak flavor. Plant them during these cool seasons to keep them happy, and they’ll resist pests and diseases for easy cultivation.

So let’s get into it! We’ll learn when to harvest beets, the signs of ripeness, and four popular varieties for tasty, home-grown produce. 

Touchstone Gold Beet Seeds

Not only does the color of this beet make it stand apart, but so does the flavor. Golden beets are known for being extra sweet and less “earthy” than their red counterparts.

Buy at Epic Gardening

When to Harvest Beets

Harvest ready beetroots when they swell to full size between one and three inches wide. This is typically 50 to 60 days after planting. It may be more or less depending on how much sun the plants receive, whether they have regular moisture, and how fertile the soil is. Adding compost at planting ensures they have all the nutrients they need.

Growers with mild winters and hot summers should sow seeds in early spring, late summer, or fall to harvest the roots during cool weather. Other gardeners in cold climates should sow seeds in early spring or late summer to harvest ready beets in early summer or autumn. You want to time your beet growing so the plants have cool but not freezing temperatures with between six to eight hours of daily direct sunlight.

Cut Fresh Greens Year-Round

Beet greens grow readily in all seasons! They may stop sprouting where hard frosts occur, but they’ll grow until the first hard frost and after the last one in spring. You may chop the leaves off the roots and eat them like Swiss chard. Try not to cut more than a third of a single beet’s leaves, so it has some foliage to photosynthesize and create energy.

Use beet greens fresh in salads or cook the leaves like Swiss chard. Boil them for a few minutes, strain them, then sauté them in your favorite recipes with salt, pepper, and oil. The young greens taste best; older ones grow bitter and fibrous with age. If you have a bunch of old beet greens to use, consider making vegetable stock, blending them in a sauce, or mixing them with other sweeter greens. 

Signs of Ripeness

Tell when beets are ready by inspecting their root size. Most swell to a mature harvesting size, and then they grow larger. You may want to let them get gigantic! However, overgrowing negatively affects your crop’s texture and flavor. I once let a beet keep growing and instantly regretted it when I cooked it. It was tough, chewy, and bitter! 

Look for Swollen Roots

Look at your beet variety’s seed packet to determine how large it grows, then harvest your roots when they reach that size. Most types grow between one and three inches wide with ample greens. Brush aside some dirt where the soil meets the beets to see how large they are. 

Younger ones are sweeter and more tender, although larger ones have excellent flavor too. Most growers harvest beets in the sweet spot one and a half inches wide. This size remains perfectly tender while retaining the sweetness of younger crops. 

Chefs and commercial kitchens opt for uniformity, although you can try a variety of sizes to find your preference. You might like larger beets with more powerful flavor, or you’ll prefer smaller, sweeter ones. Decide which is best and aim to harvest them at your ideal size.

Pick Large Beets First

As you scour your garden for ready beets, look to harvest the largest ones first. They’ll grow bigger after three inches but will be chewy and difficult to eat. Beets aren’t annuals, rather, they’re biennials! They produce leaves and a large root in their first year, then flowers and seeds in their second. To do this, they must morph their bulbous root from sweet and tender to woody and tough. 

A tough, woody root system has a purpose, though! It allows the plants to survive harsh winters. It’s also a telltale sign of oncoming flowers, as the roots send all their energy upwards to produce blooms and seeds. If you forget about a beetroot and it’s past the point of harvesting, worry not! You can get free seeds and greens from the plant.

Leave two overgrown beetroots after harvesting if you’d like seeds and greens. Pick greens as you need while they’re young and tender before the plants flower. After blooming, they’ll cross-pollinate with each other during strong winds. They’ll then form ready seeds you can pick, dry, and store long-term for an endless supply of beet seedlings. 

Prepare for Hard Frosts

Hard frosts threaten your tender crops! Beets are incredibly cold tolerant to 20°F (-7°C) when mature, but they’ll struggle to survive hard freezes. Young seedlings tolerate less cold than adults and freeze in the extreme chill. Maturing beets will also change in response to winter weather, growing woody and tough.

Pick beets before hard frosts arrive in autumn and winter for a harvest with the best flavor. They’ll store better indoors than outdoors, as ice, snow, and diseases can threaten their survival. Use undergrown beets fresh in salads, and overgrown ones to make veggie stock. 

Storage

Beets keep a long time in your refrigerator for fresh eating throughout the seasons. They prefer high humidity with low temperatures. First, cut their greens off, leaving an inch of the stems attached to the roots. They’ll suck energy and moisture from the beetroots, making them shrivel and taste bad. Greens taste like Swiss chard, and they keep for two days in your fridge. Place their stems in a glass of water so they stay perky.

Store beetroots in the crisper drawer, a bag, or a container. Place a paper towel or cloth with the roots to sop up any excess moisture. This prevents beets from rotting while also maintaining high humidity levels. 

With these conditions, your homegrown beetroots will keep for one, two, or three weeks in the fridge. 

You may freeze these roots for long-term storage—they’ll last several months. Other options include root cellars, underground pits, and garage storage. For these methods, first place beets in a bucket or basket, then layer sand in between the roots. This keeps them dry, humid, and cool for optimal preservation.

Popular Varieties

These beet varieties include heirlooms and hybrids that taste sweet and perform well. They’re perfect for backyard gardens or containers. Choose one or two to try this season, and you’ll enjoy delicious roots come harvest time. 

‘Early Wonder’

This classic variety outshines most others in home gardens. ‘Early Wonder’ is an early ripening variety that reaches maturity in as little as 48 days! The greens are less bitter than other types, making this an ideal beet. Grow it for greens, roots, and seeds. It’s also an heirloom, so you can collect the seeds and they’ll grow seedlings like their parent plants. 

‘Touchstone Gold’

‘Touchstone Gold’ is like ‘Early Wonder,’ but gold! It grows bulbous roots with a butter-like hue. They’re extra sweet and milder than red beets. The greens are delicious too, especially when they’re young. The roots mature between one to three inches when ready for harvesting.

‘Detroit Dark Red’

‘Detroit Dark Red’ is another old heirloom variety like ‘Early Wonder.’ It grows larger beetroots that last long in the ground before growing woody. They need 60 days to mature, but they’re worth the wait! Try them homegrown and you’ll struggle buying beets at the grocery store! 

‘Bull’s Blood’

This unique cultivar sprouts roots and leaves with a blood-like color. They’re perfect for adding a red pop to salads, soups, and roasted vegetable platters. Harvest the roots when small; they’ll taste their best when between one and three inches wide. Leave a few in the ground to enjoy the tasty greens throughout the year.