When to sow Beetroot in the UK
Beetroot is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Beetroot is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant's timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| East Anglia | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Northern England | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Northern Ireland | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to late March | late March to mid July | mid April to mid May | late May to mid October |
Growing notes
Choose bolt-resistant varieties for sowings before April; keep watering even to prevent woody or split roots.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 10 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 60
- Days to maturity
- 56 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.15 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 25 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 4 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 4 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- bolting
- beet leaf miner
- downy mildew
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for beetroot.