Growing beets is easy in the full sun inside the greenhouse dome.
- Family: Amaranthaceae
- Botanical Name: Beta vulgaris
- Common Name: Beet
- Type: Annual, Vegetable
- Light: Full sun to partial sun
- Zone: 2-11 (USDA)
- Soil pH: Neutral or slightly acidic
- Size: 1-2’ or taller and 1-2’ or wider in a dome
Table of Contents
Growing Beets
Do you want to grow beets in your dome? What do you need to know? Follow along as we drop the beat on growing beets! And here’s a song for harvesting beets for da eats.
Best Location in a Dome Greenhouse for Growing Beets
Beets need 6 hours or more of full sun. Plant your beet seeds accordingly—plant seeds where other plants will not block the sunlight and inhibit beet growth. Beets are a cool weather spring or fall crop and can handle cooler temperatures. Check out the planting guide for more information.
Planting Beet Seeds
Growing beets is best by direct sowing as they don’t transplant well except as very small seedlings. First, soak the beet seeds for 24 hours. Soaking increases the germination rate.
Sow beet seeds one-half inch deep and space them by 1-2 inches. To plant rows, space them 12-18 inches apart. Cover seeds with a thin layer of soil. Note: beet seeds are inside a protective pod.
Thin seedlings by snipping to protect the roots of the “keeper” seedling. (Never disrupt the beet…um, beat.)
Growing Beets – Plant Care
Plant beets in a sunny location as they need a minimum of 6 hours of direct sunlight each day. They do fine in a bit of light shade.
Beets need well-draining soil. Beets prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil and one inch of water per week. Remove any rocks or clay from the soil as that will interfere with the root development.
It’s important to test your soil to see what nutrients are available. Beets need boron in the soil. Boron can be provided by adding compost or amending the soil with seaweed extract. If your soil test shows you need more organic matter, begin fertilizing the soil about two weeks after the beets appear.
Growing beets in your dome will protect them from frost. Beets prefer temperatures between 50-85 degrees. Beets need airflow to prevent fungal growth. Thin young plants to allow enough room for growth. Plant beets in rows 12 inches apart with 4 inches between plants.
Beet Companion Plants
Companion plants are included in most of our plant articles as they are a simple and effective way to help your garden thrive.
What are some of the plants that play well with beets? Here are the ABCs of beets’ garden friends: Broccoli, carrot, garlic, kale and marigolds. We suggest picking companions for beets that you will enjoy eating.
Broccoli and beets are in sync! Beets require less calcium from the soil, broccoli requires more calcium. You know the saying…sharing is caring! These two work well together sharing what the soil has to offer.
Carrots and beets are good companions as they require the same amount of light and water. Garlic is one that helps repel pests and does not compete with beets for nutrients. (They harmonize well…) Kale and beets nicely both do well in sunny, cooler temperatures. Plus they don’t compete for root space or nutrients.
We bet you weren’t expecting this…marigolds. If you aren’t planting marigolds in your garden as companion plants, you’re missing the beat! One of the benefits of marigolds is that they attract lacewings. What do lacewings eat? Aphids and other pests. Plant these superheroes in your garden and you will have beautiful plants that will help you fight off pests. Pro Tip: Some types of marigolds are edible!
Growing Beets – Managing Pests and Diseases
Why have my beet plants dropped the beat? What do yellowing leaves or discolored leaves mean? Growing beets, like any other plant, means paying attention to your garden. Watching for pests, infections and other issues will help you succeed with your crops.
Bacterial infections can be seen by spots on the leaves and can infect the roots. Remove infected plants. Rotate crops for the next season.
Leafhopper insects can cause viral infections. This issue causes the leaves to twist or distort. One option is to try planting varieties that are disease resistant.
Root rot causes foliage to wilt. It will appear that the plant needs water. Keep your garden beds free of weeds. Check the moisture level in the soil frequently.
Beet pests to watch for in your dome include aphids, leaf miners, leaf hoppers, flea beetles and caterpillars. Check the undersides of the leaves as well looking for leaf damage. Spend time in your dome checking the plants, soil, and monitoring the airflow.
Pick pests off your plants, use beneficial insects for control or use organic soaps or sprays. Learn more about pest control in our Ultimate Guide to Organic Integrated Pest Management blog or download our free Pesky Pests guide.
Harvesting Beets
Beets are mature between 55 to 70 days after planting. Letting them grow too large may make them too tough.
How should you harvest them? Loosen the soil and pull the beet out gently.
Leaves may be harvested at 3-4 inches in height. Pick a few of the mature leaves from each plant. Don’t pull too many leaves as they tell the roots to form.
And what about storing beets? You have options! Depending upon where you live and whether or not you heat your dome, beets can stay in the ground over winter. Cover beets with straw or mulch to protect them from freezing. Dig beets up as you need them.
Beetroots can be stored in a root cellar for 3-4 months. Store beets in boxes of dry sand in a frost-free area. Preserve beets by canning, pickling or freezing. Fresh beets can be refrigerated for 5-7 days.
The History of Beets
Beets, beetroot, blood turnip or garden beet were first cultivated in ancient Greece and Rome. There are stories of beets growing in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It is unknown if the Hanging Gardens were real, the fact is that beets are mentioned in the stories and beets are real.
Ancient Romans used beets to help with circulation, fight constipation and as an aphrodisiac. In Greek mythology the goddess of love, Aphrodite, ate beets to attract men. Could beets really be an aphrodisiac? Well, according to science, beets contain three things that prove this. Beets contain tryptophan and betaine, which promote a feeling of well-being. Boron is a trace mineral found in high amounts in beets. And boron increases the level of sex hormones in humans.
Beets were mentioned in Elizabethan times, Medieval times and Thomas Jefferson, the 3rd President of the United States grew them in his garden in Monticello.
In the 1700s a German chemist by the name of Andreas Sigismund Marggraf discovered it with help from his student Franz Achard. The King of Prussia reluctantly decided to subsidize the sugar beet industry which actually was a solid investment. Currently, approximately 20% of the world’s sugar comes from sugar beets.
Beet Trivia
- Beets have been eaten in space! In 1975 US and Russian astronauts shared borscht among other foods on the Apollo–Soyuz space mission.
- Beets come in quite the variety, just like music! Beets come in deep red, striped red, yellow and white beets of all different sizes. And not all beets stain your fingers and clothes.
- There are those who love beets and those who detest them. Why is that? Beets contain geosmin (dirt smell), which makes beets taste “earthy”. Geosmin is what you smell in the air after a spring rainstorm.
- Beet juice (not beetle juice, beetle juice, beetle juice) can be used to help heal dandruff. Use the cooled water from boiled beets and massage the scalp nightly.
- Do you like port wine? Beetroot can be used to create a vegetable “dessert” wine.
- Beet by beet, it’s growing on you.
Health Benefits of Beets
Adding beets to your diet will help improve cardiovascular health, circulation and will maintain cell health.
Beets are packed with nitrates, which have been shown to improve cardiovascular health. Studies suggest eating beets may help lower blood pressure, increase blood flow and oxygen uptake. That helps keep us from experiencing fatigue, which means we can garden better!
Let’s talk about those antioxidants, too. Antioxidants are vital to our health as they help repair DNA, are an anti-inflammatory, maintain cell health and help manage cardiovascular disease. That’s only fitting as beets should help maintain a strong beat in your heart. (So punny!)
Beets are rich in vitamins A, C and K. Some B vitamins may be helpful in protecting against dementia and as memory loss. Add some beet leaves to your salad for some added vitamin E!
If you don’t care for the flavor of beets, slip shredded beets into your salad, include beets in fresh juice or look for other recipes to incorporate beets into your diet. Boil, bake or dehydrate beets and add them to your meals. Beets can be pickled!
We hope this helps get your beet growing and happy gardening.
