How to Grow Beetroot in the UK
Quick facts
Sow: outdoors from late March or April to July, once the soil reaches about 7°C
Depth and spacing: 2.5 cm deep, seeds 10 cm apart, rows 30 cm apart
Time to harvest: usually 50–60 days, sometimes as little as 40
Harvest: early summer to mid-autumn, with late roots stored for winter
Best size: roughly 4–7 cm across
Key moment: thinning seedlings, as each seed produces a small clump of plants
Beetroot is one of the quickest, most forgiving root crops you can grow. It takes up little space, suits beds, raised beds and pots, and can go from seed to plate in under two months. Sow a short row every few weeks and you'll have fresh roots from summer right through to autumn, plus leaves to cook along the way.
How a beetroot crop runs through the year
Late February to March: early sowings under fleece or cloches, using bolt-resistant varieties
Late March or April to July: main sowings outdoors, a short row every three or four weeks
June to October: lift roots as they reach a usable size
Autumn: lift late roots and store them for winter
For sowing times, see when to plant beetroot in the UK
Choosing a beetroot variety
These varieties hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit:
'Boltardy': the classic choice for early sowings, as it's slow to run to flower
'Pablo': round, dark red roots that can be sown right through the season
'Wodan': quick to mature, with bright red roots that pickle well
'Forono': long, cylinder-shaped roots that slice neatly and are easy to peel
'Cheltenham Green Top': an old long-rooted variety that keeps well in store
Beetroot also comes in golden, white and candy-striped varieties. The pale ones don't stain your hands or chopping board, and they tend to taste milder.
Preparing the ground
Beetroot likes a sunny spot with rich soil that drains freely. Weed the bed and dig in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure before sowing. If you garden no-dig, spread the compost on top and sow into it.
Heavy clay warms up slowly in spring. Covering the bed with cloches for a couple of weeks before an early sowing helps the seed come up.
For more detail, see best soil for vegetable gardening in the UK
Sowing beetroot seeds
Wait until the soil has reached about 7°C, usually from late March or April. Sowing into cold ground gives patchy germination, and it makes young plants more likely to bolt later.
Beetroot seed is slow to take up water, so steeping it in warm water for an hour before sowing helps it get going.
Outdoors:
Make a drill about 2.5 cm deep and water along the bottom.
Set the seeds 10 cm apart. They're large and knobbly, so easy to place one by one.
Cover with soil. Leave 30 cm between rows.
For a crop of small beets, sow two or three seeds together at spots 15 cm apart and leave them to grow as a clump.
Indoors: in cold areas, sow into modules of seed compost, about 2.5 cm deep. Plant out when the seedlings are at least 5 cm tall, after hardening them off.
Thinning beetroot seedlings
What looks like one beetroot seed is really a small cluster, so two or three seedlings often come up together.
For bigger roots: once the seedlings are about 2.5 cm tall, thin them to one every 10 cm, keeping the strongest. The thinnings are good in salads.
For small beets: you can leave them unthinned and pick them young.
Crowded roots stay small and misshapen, so thinning makes a big difference if you want full-size beetroot.
Watering, feeding and weeding
Water seedlings in dry weather until they're growing strongly. After that, a good soak every 10–14 days in dry spells is enough. Too little water makes roots woody, uneven watering can make them split, and too much encourages leaves at the expense of roots.
For more detail, see how often to water beetroot
Beetroot rarely needs feeding in good soil. If plants look slow, a high-nitrogen liquid feed gives them a lift. Weed by hand near the plants, as a hoe can nick the tops of the roots.
Growing beetroot in containers
Beetroot grows well in a container at least 40 cm across, filled with multi-purpose compost. Choose round varieties rather than long ones.
For more detail, see growing beetroot in containers
Harvesting beetroot
Lift beetroot when the roots are about 4–7 cm across. Smaller ones are sweetest, and much bigger ones tend to go woody. Take the largest first so the others have room to fill out.
For more detail, see when to harvest beetroot
Common beetroot problems
Bolting: plants flower instead of making a root, usually after a cold spell early on or in hot, dry weather. Choose bolt-resistant varieties for early sowings. For more detail, see why plants bolt
Leaf miner: pale, blotchy tunnels in the leaves. Pick off affected leaves. The same pest attacks Swiss chard.
Downy mildew: yellow patches on top of the leaves and a grey fuzz underneath, mostly in damp weather.
Woody or split roots: dry spells, uneven watering, or roots left too long.
If your beetroot isn't forming roots, see why beetroot doesn't grow
Common questions
Is beetroot easy to grow in the UK?
Yes. It's quick, needs little space and grows in most reasonable soils. The main jobs are sowing once the soil has warmed and thinning the seedlings.
When should you sow beetroot?
Outdoors from late March or April to July, once the soil is around 7°C. Earlier sowings from late February need fleece or cloches and a bolt-resistant variety.
How long does beetroot take to grow?
Usually 50–60 days from sowing, and sometimes as little as 40.
Do you need to thin beetroot?
For full-size roots, yes. Each seed produces several seedlings, so thin them to one every 10 cm. If you want small beets, you can leave them in clumps.
Timings, spacing, varieties, pests and care based on RHS guidance.