When to Plant Beets

Sow beets outside from 3 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost, and again 9 to 12 weeks before your first fall frost for a fall crop.

Beets at a glance

Sow outside: from 3 weeks before to 2 weeks after your last frost
Fall sowing: 9 to 12 weeks before your first fall frost
Time to harvest: 50 to 60 days from sowing
Harvest lasts: about 5 weeks
Spacing: 9 per square foot
Frost: Takes a light frost

Growing beets

Beets like cool weather and loose, well-drained soil. Sow them half an inch deep and thin to three or four inches apart. Pull them between golf ball and tennis ball size, when they are sweet and tender.

Dates by hardiness zone

Typical dates for each zone; your ZIP code gives your own.

When to plant beets in each USDA hardiness zone
Zone	Sow	Sow for fall	Harvest
Zone 3a	May 7 – Jul 13	–	Jun 26 – Sep 11
Zone 3b	Apr 26 – May 31	Jul 3–24	Jun 15 – Jul 30 · Aug 22 – Sep 26
Zone 4a	Apr 21 – May 26	Jul 6–27	Jun 10 – Jul 25 · Aug 25 – Sep 29
Zone 4b	Apr 17 – May 22	Jul 9–30	Jun 6 – Jul 21 · Aug 28 – Oct 2
Zone 5a	Apr 12 – May 17	Jul 13 – Aug 3	Jun 1 – Jul 16 · Sep 1 – Oct 6
Zone 5b	Apr 10 – May 15	Jul 18 – Aug 8	May 30 – Jul 14 · Sep 6 – Oct 11
Zone 6a	Apr 8 – May 13	Jul 24 – Aug 14	May 28 – Jul 12 · Sep 12 – Oct 17
Zone 6b	Apr 2 – May 7	Jul 30 – Aug 20	May 22 – Jul 6 · Sep 18 – Oct 23
Zone 7a	Mar 26 – Apr 30	Aug 2–23	May 15 – Jun 29 · Sep 21 – Oct 26
Zone 7b	Mar 15 – Apr 19	Aug 9–30	May 4 – Jun 18 · Sep 28 – Nov 2
Zone 8a	Mar 8 – Apr 12	Aug 15 – Sep 5	Apr 27 – Jun 11 · Oct 4 – Nov 8
Zone 8b	Feb 24 – Mar 31	Aug 21 – Sep 11	Apr 15 – May 30 · Oct 10 – Nov 14
Zone 9a	Feb 9 – Mar 16	Sep 3–24	Mar 31 – May 15 · Oct 23 – Nov 27
Zone 9b	Jan 11 – Feb 15	Sep 22 – Oct 13	Mar 2 – Apr 16 · Nov 11 – Dec 16
Zone 10a	Jan 3 – Feb 7	Oct 4–25	Feb 22 – Apr 8 · Nov 23 – Dec 28
Zones 10b–11b	Frost is rare here, so grow beets in the cooler months, from fall to early spring.