Beneath the soil: Tips for growing great root crops

Nothing “beets” the pure joy and surprise of pulling a root vegetable from the soil! For our Houston gardens, our three favorite root crops to grow are carrots, radishes, and beets.

Here are a few tips to help you enjoy a beautiful and bountiful root crop harvest:

Start with the Right Environment

At Garden Girls, we always recommend raised bed gardens filled with sandy loam soil for growing vegetables. This type of soil drains quickly and provides plenty of nutrients for healthy growth.

Root crops love cooler weather, which makes them perfect for Houston’s fall and winter gardening season. Aim to give your roots about six hours of sunlight per day. If you have shadier spots in your garden, try planting herbs or lettuces there instead—they’ll thrive in the cooler months.

Plant from Seed

Some vegetables just do better when started from seed, and root crops are a prime example. Transplanting can disturb their growth, so we always direct sow radishes, carrots, and beets.

When planting, space seeds about two finger-widths apart—but don’t worry if it’s not exact! If your seeds end up too close together, you can thin them once the seedlings are 6 to 12 inches tall. Just remember: what’s happening underground matters most. Each plant needs enough space for its roots to develop fully.

Go Easy on Nitrogen

A little fertilizer goes a long way. Too much nitrogen will produce lush green tops but small, underdeveloped roots. Instead, use a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as bone meal to encourage strong root growth.

Harvest with Care

Because root vegetables grow underground, it can be tricky to know when they’re ready. As a general rule, radishes mature in about 45 days, while beets and carrots take a bit longer. Look for the “shoulders” of the vegetables starting to peek above the soil line near the base of the greens. Before harvesting a whole row, pull one or two to test their size.

The best part about growing root crops is how low-maintenance they are after planting—just water regularly until germination, thin as needed, and wait for the magic to happen. There’s nothing quite like that first tug from the soil!