By Garry 
Beetroot (beet): sowing, planting, growing and harvesting
Learn when to sow, plant, care for and harvest beetroot (beet) in your garden.
🌱 Beetroot (beet) : key growing facts
📅 Growing calendar
Indicative Northern Hemisphere temperate-climate calendar only. Adjust to local frost dates, climate, variety and growing conditions. In the Southern Hemisphere, seasons are approximately six months later.
🔎 Growing specifications
🧺 Harvest readiness & expected yield
When to pick
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.
What to expect
Varies by variety, climate and care
Indicative only; variety, climate and care affect harvests.🌿 How to grow successfully
🤝 Companion planting
Leafy greens can use adjacent space while roots establish; prioritise correct spacing over companion-plant claims.
↔️ What to avoid
Avoid fresh manure, cloddy soil and transplanting long taproots.
🐛 Pests and diseases
Check regularly for aphids, slugs and fungal disease.
🧤 Ongoing care
Thin seedlings early and maintain even moisture.
🧺 Harvest and storage
Lift mature roots carefully; remove foliage and store cool according to the crop.
🧑🌾 From sowing to harvest
Prepare the soil
Rake soil to a fine tilth, remove stones and break up compacted layers to prevent forked roots.
Sow or transplant
Direct sow thinly into moist soil and thin early to the final spacing. Most taproots dislike transplanting.
What to monitor
Check soil crusting, overcrowding and root-fly damage; maintain even moisture to reduce splitting.
When and how to harvest
Harvest when the edible part reaches the desired size and quality. Handle carefully and store promptly using methods suited to this crop.