- All seeds
- Makkelijke Moestuin sowing calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What are Salanovas?
- What does F1 mean?
- African Marigold: sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix: sowing and growing
- Endive: sowing and growing
- Baby broccoli
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil: sowing and growing
- Beetroot: sowing and growing
- Lente-ui
- Chinese bieslook
- Chioggia beetroot: sowing and growing
- Bindsla
- Boterboon
- Climbing courgette
- Dropplant
- Yellomato: sowing and growing
- Goudsbloem
- Komkommer
- Cilantro: sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce: sowing and growing
- NZ spinach: sowing and growing
- OI-kers
- Paksoi
- Palmkool
- Peultjes
- Red Crispy lettuce
- Baby pompoen
- Reuzen radijs
- Arugola: sowing and growing
- Snijbiet
- Snijboon
- Bacon bean: sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Stamboon
- Stengelsla
- Sugarsnap
- Veldsla
- Wintererwt
- Winterpostelein
- Wortel
- Paarse wortel
- Zonnebloem
- All seeds
- Makkelijke Moestuin sowing calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What are Salanovas?
- What does F1 mean?
- African Marigold: sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix: sowing and growing
- Endive: sowing and growing
- Baby broccoli
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil: sowing and growing
- Beetroot: sowing and growing
- Lente-ui
- Chinese bieslook
- Chioggia beetroot: sowing and growing
- Bindsla
- Boterboon
- Climbing courgette
- Dropplant
- Yellomato: sowing and growing
- Goudsbloem
- Komkommer
- Cilantro: sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce: sowing and growing
- NZ spinach: sowing and growing
- OI-kers
- Paksoi
- Palmkool
- Peultjes
- Red Crispy lettuce
- Baby pompoen
- Reuzen radijs
- Arugola: sowing and growing
- Snijbiet
- Snijboon
- Bacon bean: sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Stamboon
- Stengelsla
- Sugarsnap
- Veldsla
- Wintererwt
- Winterpostelein
- Wortel
- Paarse wortel
- Zonnebloem
How to sow and grow red beets
Our beets are beautifully round and deep red in color. This variety is great for growing in summer and fall. The young leaves are delicious in salads and the beets keep for a long time.
What are beets?
This tuberous root vegetable is best known as beet or beetroot. Ours is related to the sugar beet but contains fewer calories and less sugar. They still taste pretty sweet though 😉
Most beets grow round and red, but there are a lot of different types out there. Flat or egg-shaped, white or yellow, or even red and white striped.
The ancient Greeks and Romans used beets as a way to treat fevers. Here in the Netherlands, we figured out it was a tasty and nutritious vegetable around the 16th century. In the past, beets were only eaten by the poor, but now they're more widespread. They're considered a superfood these days.
Most beets grow round and red, but there are a lot of different types out there. Flat or egg-shaped, white or yellow, or even red and white striped.
The ancient Greeks and Romans used beets as a way to treat fevers. Here in the Netherlands, we figured out it was a tasty and nutritious vegetable around the 16th century. In the past, beets were only eaten by the poor, but now they're more widespread. They're considered a superfood these days.
Vitamins and minerals in beets
Beets are super healthy. They're packed with vitamins: especially vitamin C and folic acid. They also contain a lot of minerals like manganese, iron, copper, potassium, and magnesium.
The red coloring is great for healthy blood vessels and can help lower blood pressure.
Fun fact: you can also eat the beet leaves. They're full of carotene and minerals.
The red coloring is great for healthy blood vessels and can help lower blood pressure.
Fun fact: you can also eat the beet leaves. They're full of carotene and minerals.
More about our beet seeds
Homegrown beets are delicious. It can take a while for them to get up to a good size, but then, you're also rewarded for your patience. You can leave them in your garden boxes for a long time in the fall.
- Species name: Kogel 2
- Family: root
- Plants per square patch: 9
- Height: 25 to 35 cm
- Sowing time: mid-April through the end of August
- Sowing depth: 1 - 1.5 cm
- Germination: 12 and 18°C in 5 to 7 days
- Time to harvest: after 9 to 10 weeks
- Sunlight: the more sun there is, the sweeter the beets will be
You can order your red beet seeds separately, or you can also find them in our MM-Basis seed pack:
What do you need to sow and grow beets?
Just this:
- a 30x30 cm patch with airy, nutritious soil mix
- beet seeds
- a place with at least 6 - 8 hours of sunlight a day
In other words: an MM-Mini, or a square patch in one of our other garden boxes, filled with MM-Mix.
Growing your own beets is super easy with the MM-Mix. If you grow in low-quality (potting) soil, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed. So don't skimp on soil mix: go for the best.
Growing your own beets is super easy with the MM-Mix. If you grow in low-quality (potting) soil, disappointment is pretty much guaranteed. So don't skimp on soil mix: go for the best.
How do you sow and grow beets?
Our red beets are included in the free Planty Gardening app. Use it, and you'll get step-by-step guidance from seed to harvest.
Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next.
So you don't need to know how to grow beets before you start: the app takes you through every step.
But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the whole process looks like:
Each vegetable goes through a number of stages - we call them levels. The app tells you exactly what to do at each level and checks in when your plants are ready for the next.
So you don't need to know how to grow beets before you start: the app takes you through every step.
But if you'd like to read more about those steps, here's what the whole process looks like:
Level 1: Sowing beets
First, pick a square patch in the middle of your garden box and loosen up the damp soil mix. Then, sow like this:
- poke 9 holes in the square patch (no deeper than 1 cm)
- put 1 to 2 seeds in each hole
- carefully cover the holes with soil mix
After about 10 days, you'll see your first plants come up. It depends a bit on the weather.
Level 2: Beet seedlings
As soon as you see the first seedlings, you know things are going well. They probably won't all come up at once, but give it another week.
Then it's time for the next level.
Then it's time for the next level.
Level 3: Thinning your beets
When several seedlings come up in each spot that you sowed, choose the best ones and remove the rest: that's called thinning out. It might sound harsh, but it's necessary. The remaining plants need enough room to grow. You'll be glad you did it.
Here's how: take a pair of scissors, leave the biggest and prettiest seedling per hole, and cut off the others along the soil mix. Never pull them up like a weed. That can damage the roots of your remaining plants.
If you see spots where nothing came up, sow a few more seeds. Beets - like carrots and radishes - can't be transplanted.
Here's how: take a pair of scissors, leave the biggest and prettiest seedling per hole, and cut off the others along the soil mix. Never pull them up like a weed. That can damage the roots of your remaining plants.
If you see spots where nothing came up, sow a few more seeds. Beets - like carrots and radishes - can't be transplanted.
Level 4: Caring for your beet plants
After a week or 2, your seedlings will become small plants. You hardly need to do anything: if the weather's dry, give them some water and remove the odd dead or yellow leaf. Easy 🙂
Level 5: Harvesting beet leaves
About 4 weeks after sowing, you can harvest the leaves for salads.
Harvest a third of the leaves at most: the plant needs the rest to make the beet grow. Also, always leave the growth core: that's the center of the plant where new leaves come in.
Harvest a third of the leaves at most: the plant needs the rest to make the beet grow. Also, always leave the growth core: that's the center of the plant where new leaves come in.
Level 6: Harvesting beets
About 8 to 9 weeks after sowing at the earliest, you'll see your first beets. They usually stick out a little above the soil mix.
When they're about the size of a ping-pong ball, they're ready to harvest. They won't all grow the same: some grow faster than others. Harvest the largest beets first, so that the rest can continue to grow.
Keep watering them regularly. This helps prevent the beets from getting woody.
When they're about the size of a ping-pong ball, they're ready to harvest. They won't all grow the same: some grow faster than others. Harvest the largest beets first, so that the rest can continue to grow.
Keep watering them regularly. This helps prevent the beets from getting woody.
What do you use beets for?
Most people only eat the beetroots. You can boil them, stew them or roast them in the oven. Raw beets are even healthier. You can grate them through a salad or enjoy them in a smoothie.
Young leaves are delicious raw in salads. Older beet leaves are good in stews, stir-fry dishes, or pasta.
The possibilities are almost endless. How about some latkas?
Young leaves are delicious raw in salads. Older beet leaves are good in stews, stir-fry dishes, or pasta.
The possibilities are almost endless. How about some latkas?
The last levels
Keep harvesting until your beet patch is empty.
Beets are cold-resistant, so you can leave them for a long time in the fall. A little frost makes the beets even sweeter 🙂
The last level: tidy up the empty beet patch in your garden box or your MM-Mini and prepare it for the next round of sowing.
Beets are cold-resistant, so you can leave them for a long time in the fall. A little frost makes the beets even sweeter 🙂
The last level: tidy up the empty beet patch in your garden box or your MM-Mini and prepare it for the next round of sowing.
So: ready to grow beets yourself?
I'll bet you are 😉 Our red beets are super tasty and easy to grow. All you need is some patience.
Plus: with our app and materials, it's almost impossible to fail.
Order your beet seeds here or get started with a complete starter kit:
Plus: with our app and materials, it's almost impossible to fail.
Order your beet seeds here or get started with a complete starter kit:
Enjoy!
About our seeds
- All seeds
- Makkelijke Moestuin sowing calendar
- Are our seeds organic?
- What are Salanovas?
- What does F1 mean?
- African Marigold: sowing and growing
- Asian salad mix: sowing and growing
- Endive: sowing and growing
- Baby broccoli
- Bush tomato
- Bush basil: sowing and growing
- Beetroot: sowing and growing
- Lente-ui
- Chinese bieslook
- Chioggia beetroot: sowing and growing
- Bindsla
- Boterboon
- Climbing courgette
- Dropplant
- Yellomato: sowing and growing
- Goudsbloem
- Komkommer
- Cilantro: sowing and growing
- Bibb lettuce: sowing and growing
- NZ spinach: sowing and growing
- OI-kers
- Paksoi
- Palmkool
- Peultjes
- Red Crispy lettuce
- Baby pompoen
- Reuzen radijs
- Arugola: sowing and growing
- Snijbiet
- Snijboon
- Bacon bean: sowing and growing
- Spinach
- Stamboon
- Stengelsla
- Sugarsnap
- Veldsla
- Wintererwt
- Winterpostelein
- Wortel
- Paarse wortel
- Zonnebloem