Can Beets Overwinter?

Overwintering

• Most root crops such as beets, carrots and turnips are less prone to damage by light early fall frosts. While their tops often wilt from a light frost, the partially exposed roots can generally tolerate a medium frost without ill effects. To protect beet roots from a hard frost, cover them evenly with at least 12 inches of mulch material such as straw, hay, leaves, wood shavings or a combination. If the mulch separates or becomes matted, replenish it to maintain a sufficient cover that not only keeps the beets from freezing but the surrounding soil as well.

Spring Duties

• Beets are biennials, which means they produce roots during their first year of growth and a flowering leaf stalk during the second year. While most beets are harvested during their first year for their small roots or leafy greens, those that winter over often produce seed stalks once the mulch is removed. Simply pull the mulch back, harvest the beets, and remove their stalks immediately before cooking or refrigerating them. You should pick all beets once the weather has warmed, because allowing their seed stalks to flower affects their flavor and often turns them woody and tough.

Culture

• Plant beets intended for overwintering in mid- to late fall in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 to 10. Mulch along the outsides of the rows to keep weeds down and the soil moist, and allow the beets to grow until the first frost. Leaving beets in the soil when the temperature hovers around 45 degrees Fahrenheit actually improves their flavor, because it encourages sugar development. Add to the mulch to completely cover the beets once temperatures drop below 40 degrees F and remain there. Very little winter protection is needed for beets growing in USDA zones 9 and above.

Planting Beets

• A beet seed is not a single seed, but a small prickly cluster of two to four seeds that, under the right conditions, produces the same number of seedlings. Thinning is crucial for proper development, and you can do it as soon after the seedlings appear as you think necessary. Snip rather than pull any unwanted seedlings; pulling one usually pulls out all those that sprouted from the same seed. Plant beets in loose, sandy well-drained soil about 1 inch apart and about 3/4 inch deep in rows spaced about 12 inches apart. Water well at planting until the soil is wet but not saturated, and again as needed. Beets do best if their growth is not interrupted by lack of moisture or interference from weeds, so water them regularly -- particularly during dry spells -- and keep weeds to a minimum. Harvest those not intended for overwintering when the roots are about 2 inches in diameter, and greens any time once they are 6 inches tall.