Things You'll Need:
- Garden area with full sun (six or more hours every day)
- Beet seeds
- Trowel
- Compost
- Plant markers
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Step 1
To successfully grow beets, you'll need an area for the vegetable garden that receives full sun. Full sun is defined as six or more hours a day of sunshine that directly touches the plants. You will also need good soil that's at least eight inches deep. If your soil is rocky or poor, adding compost and digging it into the soil improves drainage and nourishment for the plants.
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Step 2
There are many varieties of heirloom beets. Favorites include Bull's Blood, which provide rich red-bronze foliage and tasty beets. The foliage may be eaten too in salads or cooked and enjoyed like spinach. If eating the beet greens as a salad, pick the leaves when they are young. They are more tender and tasty when young and can get a little tough when mature.
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Step 3
Chioggia beets are another heirloom seed variety that many home gardeners enjoy. The beets have stripes inside that give them a unique appearance. The taste is great and they are very hardy.
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Step 4
Golden beets have a beautiful orange-gold color and taste great. The foliage is a bright green. Planting golden beets and other varieties not only gives you a wonderful selection of beets but looks beautiful in the garden while growing.
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Step 5
Plant beet seeds directly into the ground. Look at the back of the seed packet to find out when you can plant them in your part of the country; it varies according to gardening zone, but generally you should plant them in the spring. Leave about a foot between rows. When the seedlings emerge, thin the beets so that they are at least six inches apart or a distance recommended by the seed packet. It takes about two months from the time you sow seeds to the time you can harvest beets. To check to see if your heirloom beets are ready to harvest, gently brush away soil at the base of the foliage. If the beets are the size of golf balls or bigger, you can harvest them.
