Detroit Dark Red Beet

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Beets (Beta vulgaris) always grow from seed, and perform just as well when started inside in containers as they do outside in the ground. You can germinate beet seeds in just about any type of container, as long you clean and sterilize it first. Feel free to go green and use biodegradable containers, which transfer directly from window sill to soil, or be resourceful and repurpose your used food-grade plastic containers. Beets grow in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 2 through 10, and germinate best when planted in a well-draining, sandy medium, and kept at a temperature between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

1) Pour the beet seeds in a bowl and cover them with hot distilled water. Soak the seeds for 24 hours. Soaking the beet seeds shortens the time it takes them to sprout.

2) Wash the 4-inch wide containers in which you will germinate the beet seeds, and place them in a mixture of 9 parts water and 1 part all-purpose bleach. Soak the containers for 15 minutes and allow them to air dry. Place a piece of masking tape on each container and mark the containers as beets if you’re germinating other types of seeds at the same time.

3) Soak 3/4 gallon of peat moss in a container of warm water for one hour. Squeeze the water from the peat moss and place it in a clean bushel basket or other container for mixing the propagation medium.

4) Pour 3/4 gallon each sterilized loam and coarse river sand through a 1/2-inch aperture soil sifter and into the bushel basket. Mix the coarse sand, loam and peat moss by hand until incorporated.

5) Place a seed-heating mat in a south-facing window in a room with a temperature between 55 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. You also can use an adjustable height, T-8 fluorescent shop light with a two-tube fixture fitted with one cool-white tube and one red-light tube as your light source. Adjust the seed-heating mat to between 65 and 70 degrees F, and allow it to warm up.

6) Line the interior of a glass jar with a piece of fine sandpaper. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously for about one minute to scarify the seeds. Beet seeds develop in clusters of four or five, and have thick exteriors surrounding their embryos. Scarifying helps moisture penetrate the seed coat and reach the embryo. You also can nick the seeds lightly with a sharp knife to scarify them.

7) Poke three or four drainage holes in the bottom of the containers with a skewer if they don’t have any. Most flower pots come with holes for drainage, so you’ll only need to poke holes in a container if you’re repurposing something, like a used yogurt container. Fill the container to the lip with growing medium.

8) Insert one beet seed 1/4- to 1/2-inch deep in the center of the growing medium in each container with your finger. Cover the seed with growing medium. Tamp the growing medium down gently with a pestle or the flat end of a cup. Place the containers on a shallow tray.

9) Water the medium using a watering can with a fine rose tip until water drains out of the containers. Cover each container with a piece of food-grade plastic wrap and secure it with a rubber band.

10) Remove the containers from the tray and place them on the seed-heating mat. If you’re using shop lights as your light source, adjust them so they’re 4 inches above the top of the containers.

11) Check the seeds every day to make sure the soil is moist and water as needed to maintain moisture. Remove the plastic wrap every other day and mist the medium with one or two sprays from a spray bottle.

12) Rotate the seed containers 180 degrees every other day if they're germinating in a window. Rotating the containers makes sure all sides of the containers receive equal light. Allow one to two weeks for the seeds to sprout. Transplant the beet seedlings to a larger container or the ground after the soil reaches 60 degrees F.