Beets are one of the rare vegetables where a single seed packet actually delivers two crops — root and greens both worth eating. KVITER offers heirloom Beta vulgaris varieties. Beet seeds for sale are open-pollinated and non-GMO. The rest of KVITER's vegetable seeds catalog picks up wherever the beet bed leaves off.
Dark Red Detroit Beet (600 seeds)
This one traces back to 19th-century Michigan, and it's stuck around as the American standard ever since. Smooth, round roots with almost no zoning inside, so the color stays even rather than ringed once you slice into it. Matures in 55-60 days, stores well through winter in a root cellar.
Golden Detroit Beet (600 seeds)
Golden Detroit skips a lot of the earthy edge red beets are known for, landing milder and noticeably sweeter instead. It won't bleed color onto everything else on the plate during roasting or pickling. Maturity's about the same as Dark Red Detroit, 55-60 days.
Root + Greens — Two Harvests From One Planting
Most root vegetables just waste the leafy top. Beets don't. The greens taste close to spinach once cooked, and honestly they're more nutrient-dense than the root. Thinning a crowded row gives an early harvest of baby greens without touching the roots left to mature, and once the plant's fully grown, older outer leaves can still get pulled for cooking.
How to Plant Beet Seeds
- Soak beet seed for planting in room-temperature water for a couple hours before sowing — it softens the tough outer capsule and speeds up germination.
- Direct sow ¾ inch deep, about 1 inch apart, in rows spaced 12-18 inches apart.
- Keep soil between 50-85°F for germination; expect sprouts in 5-14 days depending on soil temp.
- Thin seedlings to 3-4 inches apart once they've got a few true leaves — remember, each cluster can send up more than one sprout.
- Water consistently. Beets that dry out and then get soaked all at once tend to crack or turn woody.
- Harvest roots at 1.5-3 inches for the best texture, or leave them longer if storage-sized roots are the goal.
Beet Planting Windows by USDA Hardiness Zone
In Zone 3–4, spring sowing happens in mid-May, with fall sowing in late July. Expect harvest in mid-July and again in September.
In Zone 5, spring sowing takes place in late April, with fall sowing in early August. Expect harvest in late June and again in early October.
In Zone 6, spring sowing falls in mid-April, with fall sowing in mid-August. Expect harvest in mid-June and again in mid-October.
In Zone 7, spring sowing occurs in late March, with fall sowing in late August. Expect harvest in late May and again in early November.
In Zone 8, spring sowing happens in late February, with fall sowing in mid-September. Expect harvest in late April and again in early December.
In Zone 9, spring sowing takes place in late January, with fall sowing in October. Expect harvest in late March and again in January.
In Zone 10, planting can happen year-round as long as you avoid peak summer heat, with a fall sowing window from October through November. Harvest timing varies accordingly.
Beets shrug off a light frost better than most root crops do, so gardeners in colder zones can usually push the spring sowing date a week or two earlier than the chart above without much risk of losing the crop.
Why Gardeners Choose KVITER Seed
Every packet of KVITER beet seeds for planting gets germination-tested before it's listed for sale, and both varieties here are genuine heirloom, open-pollinated lines grown without a single GMO input anywhere in the process. Beets are also considered to be container vegetables, as long as the pot's deep enough that the root doesn't hit bottom halfway through the season.
- High germination rate on every packet, verified before listing
- 100% heirloom, open-pollinated varieties — save your own seed year after year
- Non-GMO seeds, never treated with synthetic coatings
- Detailed growing notes on every product page
- Free shipping on all orders over $49
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does it take to grow beets from seed?
Both Dark Red Detroit and Golden Detroit mature in roughly 55-60 days, though baby greens can come off thinnings well before that.
Can beet greens be eaten?
Yes, and a lot of gardeners skip this part entirely, which is a shame. They taste close to spinach cooked down, and they're packed with nutrients. Thinnings make good baby greens; older outer leaves from mature plants work too, as long as the root's left alone.
Is it better to plant beets in spring or fall?
Both work, since beets handle cold well. Spring sowing gets an early-summer harvest going. Fall sowing, started in late summer, often turns out sweeter roots — cold weather actually improves beet flavor rather than hurting it.
Do beet seeds need to be soaked before planting?
It helps quite a bit. A couple hours of soaking softens that tough seed capsule and speeds up germination, especially if the soil's still on the cool side.
How many beet seeds go in one hole?
One seed cluster per inch when direct sowing is plenty. Since each capsule usually holds more than one actual seed, thinning after the fact matters a lot more than trying to control seeding density upfront.
Can heirloom beet seeds be saved and replanted?
Yes. Beets are biennial, so a root left in the ground — or replanted — through a second season will flower and set seed that grows true, since both KVITER varieties are heirloom.
