What to Plant With Beets: Beet Companion Plants (and What to Avoid)

Beets give you two harvests from one sowing: the roots and the leafy tops, which can be cooked like chard (chard is the same species, bred for leaves; see what to plant with Swiss chard). They tolerate light frost, grow in a modest space, and can be sown again and again from spring into summer. Their companion list is short, but the pairings that extension sources give are practical ones. Here is what to plant with beets, what to keep away, and how to avoid the most common beet problem: crowded seedlings.

Good companion plants for beets

Onions

Virginia Extension lists onions as a beet companion. Both go in early in spring, both are compact, and onions' upright leaves cast little shade, so alternating rows of beets and onions makes good use of a narrow bed. See what to plant with onions.

Cabbage-family crops

Virginia Extension also lists beets as a companion for cabbage-family crops such as cabbage, broccoli and kale. Beets fit between transplants while the brassicas are small, and both are cool-season crops planted out a few weeks before the last frost. Give the cabbage family enough room, since mature plants spread wide. More in what to plant with broccoli. Planting cabbage? Our cabbage companion guide covers spacing and keeping heads from splitting.

What not to plant with beets

Virginia Extension specifically lists pole beans as incompatible with beets; bush beans are not singled out. Tall pole beans on a trellis would also shade a low beet row, so keep them on separate sides of the garden. See what to plant with beans and every pair to separate in the keep-apart chart.

When to plant beets

Beets are cool-season crops that tolerate frost and mild freezes. Direct sow them in early spring, about four weeks before your last frost, once the soil can be worked. UC IPM gives about 41°F as the minimum soil temperature for germination, with 50–86°F as the best range. Iowa State Extension suggests sowing again every two to three weeks for a continuous harvest, up to about mid-July in Iowa for a fall crop. In hot weather, beets can grow fast and develop pale rings inside the root. Our planting calendar shows the beet window for your frost date. For dates by frost, repeat sowings and fall beets, see when to plant beets.

Why beet seedlings come up in clumps

Each beet "seed" is really a small dried fruit holding several seeds, so one seed often produces two to five seedlings. That is why beets almost always need thinning, even when you sow them carefully. Some varieties sold as "monogerm" produce only one seedling per seed and need less thinning.

Planting, spacing and thinning

• Soil: loose, well drained and free of stones, in full sun. Iowa State Extension recommends working plenty of compost into heavy clay.
• Depth: about ½ inch deep, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. In a raised bed, rows can sit closer.
• Crusting: poor germination often comes from a dry crust on the soil surface. A light mulch after sowing and regular watering help seedlings emerge.
• Thinning: when seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall, start removing the weaker ones, cutting them at soil level with scissors rather than pulling, so you do not disturb the roots of the plants you keep. Thin again to a final spacing of about 3 to 4 inches.
• Eat the thinnings: the young greens are good in salads or cooked.

A simple spring root bed with beets

1. Broccoli or cabbage transplants along the north side.

   Listed beet companions, set out a few weeks before the last frost.

2. Alternating rows of beets and onions in the middle.

   Both listed companions, both compact.

3. A second beet sowing two to three weeks later.

   In the next row, for a staggered harvest.

4. Pole beans in a different bed.

   Listed as incompatible with beets.

Our raised bed layouts show how to map a 4×8 bed by the square foot.

Harvest

UC IPM notes that beets usually reach harvest size in about 42 to 70 days, depending on the variety. Many gardeners pull them when the roots are about golf-ball to tennis-ball size, when they are tender; very large roots can turn woody. Twist or cut off the tops, leaving an inch or so of stem so the root does not bleed, and use the greens within a few days.

Beets in containers

Beets grow well in containers at least eight to ten inches deep with drainage holes. Thin to the same 3 to 4 inch spacing, keep the mix evenly moist, and choose round or baby-beet varieties rather than long cylindrical types.

Frequently asked questions

What grows well with beets?

Extension-listed companions for beets in our checker are cabbage-family crops and onions. The table on this page explains why each pairing works.

What should you not plant with beets?

Our sources list beans (pole beans in particular) as a poor neighbor for beets.