Beets are a garden vegetable that is easy to grow and can be picked about 7 to 8 weeks after your plant the seeds. Once they are about the size of a golf ball (about an inch across), you can eat the root vegetable.
Youll get the best-tasting beets if you plant them during the cool weather of early spring or fall. Excessive heat and allowing the roots to become too large can produce tough, fibrous beets.
How To Know When Your Beets Are Ready For Harvest
Beets are a beloved root vegetable that can be a delicious addition to salads, soups, and side dishes. But knowing the right time to harvest your beets ensures you end up with tender, flavorful roots. Check for these signs to determine when your beets are at peak ripeness and ready for picking.
Size Matters
One of the easiest ways to tell if your beets are ready for harvesting is by their size. Beets are ready to pick when the roots reach 1-3 inches in diameter, or about the size of a golf ball. You can check root size by carefully digging around a beet with your hands and gently lifting it to take a peek underneath. The beet should slip out of the ground easily when ready. Much larger roots tend to be woody in texture.
Days To Maturity
Most beet varieties mature and are ready for harvest within 50-70 days from when they were planted as seeds. Check the seed packet or plant tag to find out the days to maturity for the variety you planted. Mark your calendar and watch for the maturity date to approach. Combining this timing estimate with checking root size is a great way to pinpoint beet harvest time.
Shoulders Are Visible
Mature beets push up out of the soil, exposing their shoulders or tops. If you see beet shoulders protruding from the soil, it’s a sign the roots are fully formed and ready to harvest. However, exposed shoulders also make beets more prone to becoming woody, so try to harvest soon after the shoulders appear.
Greens Loosen
When beets are close to maturity, the foliage starts to loosen and lift slightly from the soil. Gently wiggle some leaves to test if they lift up easily. If so, it likely means the beet is ready to be unearthed. However, don’t pull on the greens to remove beets, as this can harm the plant.
Leaf Color Changes
Young beet leaves have a vibrant green color. As the roots mature, the leaves start to dull and take on a brownish or reddish hue at the edges. When a majority of leaves on a plant show this natural color change, the beet is telling you it’s ready for harvest.
Taproots Cut Easily
Use a shovel or garden fork to lightly dig around an outer beet in a row to expose the top 2 inches or so of the taproot. Try slicing through the taproot with a garden knife. If the root cuts through easily, it’s a good sign that the beet is mature. Resist the urge to tug beets out of the ground by their greens, as this can harm the plants.
Time Of Year
Beets grow best in cool weather and can be planted in spring or fall. Target harvesting beets in mid to late spring or mid-autumn depending on when you planted them. Hot summer weather can cause beets to “bolt” and turn woody before fully maturing.
Tips For Harvesting Beets:
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Use a digging fork or shovel to loosen soil from around beet taproots before pulling them.
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Avoid damaging skins and taproots during harvest to maximize storage life.
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Twist off leaves, leaving about an inch of stem attached to root.
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Wash and store beet roots and greens separately in the fridge.
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Enjoy beet greens sautéed, in salads, or in smoothies. They’re highly nutritious!
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Cut off only a few leaves from each plant if harvesting both roots and greens.
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Pick beets when roots are 1-3 inches wide for ideal texture. Larger roots tend to be woody.
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Harvest spring-planted beets before summer heat sets in for best flavor.
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Pick fall beets before the ground freezes solid to prevent rotting.
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Leave an inch or two of stem attached during trimming to reduce “bleeding”.
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Store beet roots in the fridge in a bag for 2-4 months. Don’t wash until ready to use.
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Regrow beet greens from taproot ends! Re-plant them root-down in soil.
Don’t let your homegrown beets languish and get woody in the garden. Pay attention to these signs of beet ripeness and enjoy harvest at their peak tastiness. With the right timing, you’ll be rewarded with delicious and tender beets and nutritious greens.
3 Clear Signs That Beets Are Ready to Pick
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The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
- The “shoulders” are peeking out above the ground. Shoulders (or the top) of the beet should be visible above the ground when it’s ready to be picked.
- The size of the beet is at least an inch. Break up the soil around the beetroot and check to see how big the root is. The beet is ready to be taken out of the ground if it is at least an inch across. If it’s too small, rake the dirt back around it and wait a few days before you pick it.
- Its been 2-3 months since you planted. It takes most types of beets fifty to sixty days to fully mature. Plant beets in the spring and harvest them before the ground gets too warm. Plant beets in the fall and harvest them before the ground freezes.
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How to Harvest Beets the Right Way
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The Spruce / Adrienne Legault
When you’re ready to pick a row of beets from the garden, use a garden fork or spade to loosen the soil in the row. Make sure you stay at least six inches away from the beets’ crowns so you don’t poke holes in their roots.
To take the beet plant out of the ground, grab it at the base of the leaves, gently twist it, and pull it. Once harvested, the greens should be cut about one inch from the root. Beet greens can be washed and prepared like any other greens.
Beetroots should be washed and stored for 2-4 months in the produce drawer of the refrigerator. Beet greens should be used quickly, but can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.
Harvesting Beets: When, How, and Tips for Storing Beets
FAQ
Can you leave beets in the ground too long?
What do beets look like when they’re ready to be pulled?
How big should I let my beets get?
How do you know if a beet is ready to harvest?
If the shoulders (or top) of the beet are showing above ground level, the beet is usually ready to harvest. The size of the beet is at least an inch. Loosen the soil a bit around the beetroot and feel the size of the root. If it is at least one inch in diameter, the beet is ready to be removed from the soil.
What does Beet Root taste like?
The beet has a sweet, earthy flavor, being quite remarkable as compared to other vegetables. Beet Root is a tuberous root rich in sugar, protein, vitamin A, B1, B2, B5, C, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, calcium, zinc, iron and manganese.
When are beets ripe for picking?
Discovering when beets are ripe for the picking is a delicate art. Look out for flourishing green leaves and gently assess the firmness of the beetroot for the perfect moment to harvest. This article accentuates these key pointers for optimal beet harvesting.
How do you pick beets?
Picking beets is easy once you know what to look for. Shoulders of the beets will protrude from the soil. When to harvest beets depends on the size of beet you desire. The best beets are dark in color, with a smooth surface. Smaller beets are most flavorful. Larger beets may become fibrous, soft, or wrinkled.
How do I know if my beets are mature?
If you’re still not sure if your beets are mature, push away the soil around the base of some of the beet greens and expose the top third of the beet roots. If the tops of the beet roots are about the size of a golf ball or larger, they should be ready to harvest.
When should you pick beetroot?
Some gardeners pick them early because smaller beetroots have a more robust flavor. Some beets are sweeter than others which can an earthy flavor. Others prefer to wait to pick them after 2 months when the beets are larger. Depending on the types of beets you grow, you can leave some in the ground for up to 4 months (12 weeks).