Rainline Garden

When to plant beets in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant beets from seed, directly in the garden, Mar 15 – May 10. For a fall harvest, plant again Aug 6–20. In Bend: May 12 – Jul 7. Find your city below.

Difficulty
Moderate
Sun
Full sun; tolerates light shade
Spacing
Thin to 3 inches apart
Planting depth
½ inch deep
Frost
Handles light frost
First harvest
About 60 days after planting

Each seed cluster sprouts several seedlings; thin to 3 inches apart.

Beets planting dates by city

CityPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Astoria, ORApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Baker City, ORApr 27 – Jun 22Jul 7–21
Bend and Redmond, ORMay 12 – Jul 7—
Burns, ORMay 14 – Jul 9—
Coos Bay and North Bend, ORApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Eugene, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Gresham, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Klamath Falls, ORMay 12 – Jul 7—
Medford, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Pendleton, ORApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Portland, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Roseburg, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Salem, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
The Dalles, ORApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Wilsonville and Canby, ORMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Bellingham, WAMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Ellensburg, WAApr 15 – Jun 10Jul 29 – Aug 12
Everett, WAMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Forks, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Moses Lake, WAApr 1 – May 27Jul 30 – Aug 13
Olympia, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 5–19
Omak and Okanogan, WAApr 15 – Jun 10Jul 29 – Aug 12
Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Spokane, WAApr 15 – Jun 10Aug 3–17
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 2–16
Vancouver, WAMar 15 – May 10Aug 6–20
Walla Walla, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Wenatchee, WAApr 1 – May 27Aug 6–20
Yakima, WAApr 10 – Jun 5Jul 26 – Aug 9

How to grow beets

  1. Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  2. Plant seeds on your city's dates, ½ inch deep, Thin to 3 inches apart.
  3. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
  4. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  5. Harvest: Pull at golf ball to tennis ball size. The greens are edible too.

Varieties that do well in the Northwest

Watch out for

Leaf miners leave pale trails in the leaves. Pick off affected leaves and use row cover.

More root vegetables

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