When to Plant Beets
veg · hardy · ~55 days to harvest
Planting time for beets is set by your frost dates, not by the calendar month. Sow directly in the garden about 3 weeks before your last frost, as soon as the ground is workable. From there it takes roughly 55 days to the first harvest. Beets is a hardy crop, and it keeps going about 21 days past a light frost, which is what makes a fall crop worth planting. Pick your zone below for exact dates, or find your zone by ZIP if you are not sure which one you are in.
When to plant beets by zone
| Zone | Last frost | Sow | In the ground | Spring harvest | Fall sow-by |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3a | May 15 | Apr 24 | Apr 24 | Jun 18 | by Jul 29 |
| Zone 3b | May 13 | Apr 22 | Apr 22 | Jun 16 | by Aug 1 |
| Zone 4a | May 10 | Apr 19 | Apr 19 | Jun 13 | by Aug 5 |
| Zone 4b | May 5 | Apr 14 | Apr 14 | Jun 8 | by Aug 11 |
| Zone 5a | Apr 30 | Apr 9 | Apr 9 | Jun 3 | by Aug 16 |
| Zone 5b | Apr 25 | Apr 4 | Apr 4 | May 29 | by Aug 21 |
| Zone 6a | Apr 20 | Mar 30 | Mar 30 | May 24 | by Aug 26 |
| Zone 6b | Apr 15 | Mar 25 | Mar 25 | May 19 | by Aug 31 |
| Zone 7a | Apr 10 | Mar 20 | Mar 20 | May 14 | by Sep 7 |
| Zone 7b | Apr 3 | Mar 13 | Mar 13 | May 7 | by Sep 14 |
| Zone 8a | Mar 25 | Mar 4 | Mar 4 | Apr 28 | by Sep 21 |
| Zone 8b | Mar 15 | Feb 22 | Feb 22 | Apr 18 | by Sep 28 |
| Zone 9a | Mar 1 | Feb 8 | Feb 8 | Apr 4 | by Oct 13 |
| Zone 9b | Feb 15 | Jan 25 | Jan 25 | Mar 21 | by Oct 23 |
| Zone 10a | Jan 31 | Jan 10 | Jan 10 | Mar 6 | by Nov 2 |
| Zone 10b | Jan 15 | Dec 25 | Dec 25 | Feb 18 | by Nov 13 |
| Zone 11a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
| Zone 11b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
| Zone 12a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
| Zone 12b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
| Zone 13a | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
| Zone 13b | none | Feb 1 | Feb 1 | Mar 28 | Oct onward |
Dates use the representative frost window for each zone. Your own ZIP will differ by a week or two: look it up here.
Planting beets in fall
Beets sown for fall give you two crops at once: greens within a month and roots that sweeten in cold soil.
Fall dates are counted backward from your first frost, not forward from a sowing date. Take the 55 days beets needs, add about two weeks because growth slows once days shorten after the equinox, then subtract the roughly 21 days beets keeps going once light frost arrives. That is 48 days before your first frost. The coldest zone where this still works on the averages is Zone 3a.
For the whole-garden version of this arithmetic, see the fall planting calendar by zone, and how to read and stretch your first frost date.
When to plant beets in 12 US cities
These use each city's own NOAA frost dates rather than its zone average, which is why two cities in the same zone can differ by a week or more. Texas alone spans a wide range: in Houston (Zone 9a) beets go in around Jan 23 in spring and can be sown by Oct 22 for fall; in Dallas (Zone 8a) beets go in around Feb 15 in spring and can be sown by Oct 7 for fall.
| City | Zone | Last frost | In the ground (spring) | Fall sow-by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | 7b | Mar 30 | Mar 9 | by Oct 3 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 10b | none | Oct to Feb (cool season) | Oct onward |
| Chicago, IL | 6a | Apr 16 | Mar 26 | by Sep 10 |
| Houston, TX | 9a | Feb 13 | Jan 23 | by Oct 22 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 9b | none | Oct to Feb (cool season) | Oct onward |
| Philadelphia, PA | 7b | Apr 2 | Mar 12 | by Sep 23 |
| Atlanta, GA | 8a | Mar 15 | Feb 22 | by Oct 3 |
| Dallas, TX | 8a | Mar 8 | Feb 15 | by Oct 7 |
| Denver, CO | 6a | May 5 | Apr 14 | by Aug 22 |
| Seattle, WA | 8b | Mar 2 | Feb 9 | by Oct 6 |
| Minneapolis, MN | 4b | Apr 23 | Apr 2 | by Aug 31 |
| Miami, FL | 11a | none | Oct to Feb (cool season) | Oct onward |
What to plant with beets
Beets grow well next to onions, kale and broccoli. Keep them away from beans (bush). Old garden lore holds pole beans stunt beet growth; evidence is thin, but it is repeated widely enough to flag. The full grid for all 24 crops is in the companion planting chart.
Beets zone pages
More on growing beets
- Cold frame gardening by zone
How a cold frame keeps beets producing into winter, and when to sow it.
- Winter sowing guide
Sowing beets outdoors in jugs in late winter, with no lights.
- Last frost date and what to plant before it
Why beets can go out before your last frost, and how far before.
- Best raised garden beds for beginners
Loose, deep soil is most of what root crops need.
- Row covers vs frost blankets
Which cover buys beets the extra degrees on a frosty night.
- Companion planting chart
What to plant with beets and what to keep away from it.
Frequently asked questions
When can I plant beets?
As soon as your zone's soil can be worked, a few weeks before the last frost. Zone 5b: Apr 4; Zone 6b: Mar 25; Zone 7b: Mar 13; Zone 8b: Feb 22. Direct sow; it does not transplant well.
How long does beets take to grow?
About 55 days from transplant or sowing to harvest.
Is beets frost-hardy?
Beets is a hardy crop. It tolerates light frost and can go out early. In fall it keeps going about 21 days past the first light frost.
Can you plant beets in the fall?
Yes. Count back 55 days to maturity plus about two weeks for the slower growth of shortening days, then add back the roughly 21 days beets keeps producing past a light frost, and sow by that date. The table on this page gives the sow-by date for every zone.
Can I plant beets in September?
Yes in Zone 7a and warmer, where the fall sow-by date falls in September or later: Zone 7a by Sep 7; Zone 7b by Sep 14; Zone 8a by Sep 21; Zone 8b by Sep 28; Zone 9a by Oct 13. In colder zones the deadline passed in August, so a September sowing needs a cold frame or row cover to finish.
What is the latest I can plant beets?
It depends on your first frost date. In Zone 6a, sow by Aug 26; In Zone 7a, sow by Sep 7; In Zone 8a, sow by Sep 21. Colder zones are earlier, warmer zones later.