Rutabaga - Swede
From Allotments4All
Sowing
- Seed depth:
- Germination soil temperature:
- Days to germinate:
- Sow indoors:
- Sow outdoors:
- Plant outdoors:
Growing
- pH range:
- Growing soil temperature:
- Spacing in beds:
- Watering:
- Light:
- Nutrient requirements: N=xxxx; P=xxxx, K=xxxx
- Rotation considerations:
- Good companions:
- Bad companions:
- Seed Longevity: x years
How To Grow Swede/Rutabaga
Growing Swedes
Swede is one of the hardiest vegetable, and one of their great attractions is their ability to do well without much attention. It can be left in the ground throughout the winter and will still be tasty even if it has been frozen in the ground for weeks.
Swede is a cousin of the true turnip which originally came from Sweden, and its name is an abbreviation of Swedish turnip. The crop is grown for its large yellow fleshed roots, which are hardier, sweeter and milder than turnips, and rarely get woody. One of he main differences between swedes and turnips is that swedes are used in winter, whilst turnips are harvested in summer and autumn.
SWEDE QUICK GUIDE
Latin Name Brassica napus napobrassica
Type Hardy Biennial
Sowing to Harvest Time 20-24 weeks
How Many? 0.5-1kg (1-21/4 lb) per root
Size 7.5-17.5 cm (3-7 in) in diameter, 12.5-17.5 cm (5-7 in) long
The growing season of the swede is much longer that that of the turnip. Growing a combination of the two vegetables will give you a long season of use. Although the crop is grown mainly for it's edible roots, you can leave the crop in the ground and it will produce pale green leaves in the spring which can be cooked and used as greens. Swedes are divided into three groups according to the colour of the upper part of the root. The purple tops, the bronze tops and the green tops. The green variety are slower to mature that the purple sort, which are much freer growing and the heaviest croppers. The bronze variety are intermediate in habit between the two other types.
Where To Grow Your Swedes in the UK Swedes grow best on fertile medium soil, although with proper soil preparation the will grow well on a wide variety of soils, from light sandy loams to medium clay. Swedes like other members of the brassica family are subject to club root disease. Club root thrives in acid soil so make sure that your soil is between pH 7.0 and 7.3. Provided the soil was well matured for the previous crop, there should be sufficient organic matter for the swede crop. If the soil was not previously manured, dig in well rotted manure or compost at the rate of one barrow load to 11 sq m (12 sq yd).
Do not apply fresh manure or compost to the ground before sowing swede, this will only result in watery, mis-shapen roots. When preparing the ground, make sure you get rid of all weeds, particularly the perennial ones, such as couch grass and thistles. If you live in an area of high rainfall it is best to grow swedes on a ridge. It is hard to define high rainfall but if you get more that 60 cm (24 in) of rain per year you would do better to grow the crop on ridges.
Make the ridges 15 -20 cm (6-8 in) high, and between 60-67 cm (24-27 in) from centre to centre. Ridges are better drained in winter when the ground tends to become water-logged. Fine soil will gradually fall down to the bottom of the trench between the ridges and the roots will grow through into this. In lower rainfall areas grow swedes on the flat as ridges would tend to dry out in the summer. For the same reason do not make ridges if your soil is very sandy or free draining. Firm the ground before sowing whether on ridges or on the flat. Do not attempt to firm the ground if it is too wet or the soil will become compacted and lose its friable quality
Sowing Swedes The time for sowing swede varies according to local conditions. In Britain sowing should take place in late spring in the north, early summer in the Midlands and mid summer in the south and south east. The temperature required for germination is over 7 degrees C (45 degrees F) and less that 37 degrees C (97 degrees F). By sowing late in the season in warmer areas, the plants will be less subject to the worst summer heat, drought and mildews. A last summer sowing will produce greens for use in the following spring.
If you grow swede on ridges sow the seed as soon as possible after the ridges are prepared. If the soil is dry water the drills right before sowing. The rows should be about 67 cm (37 in) apart and the rows on the flat should be 45 cm (18 in) apart. Sow the seeds thinly at a depth of 2 cm (3/4 in) on light soils or 1.25 cm (1/2 in) on heavier ground.
Care of Swedes The seeds take between seven and twelve days to geminate. Thinning the seeds takes place about three weeks after sowing, when the seedlings are at the rough leaf stage. Don' try and transplant the thinnings as these will not grow once they have been disturbed. The final spacing of the young plants should be 25-30 cm (10-12 in) apart in the rows. Water the young plants will until they become established. Cultivate the ground to kill the weeds but be careful not to damage the young swede roots. Also do not hoe too deeply just lightly loosen the soil surface, this will create a dust mulch which helps to conserve the moisture below. If the weather is dry, mulch with dry peat, working it up and over any protruding roots.
Harvest Swede Although swedes may be large enough to use in early autumn they are often left in the ground until all the summer vegetables have been harvested and a frost has set in. They can be pulled as required throughout the winter as long as the ground is soft enough to dig. A touch of frost improves the flavour of swedes. Over wintering the roots leaves them open for attack by rabbits and pigeons, make sure they are well protected with nets or fencing. Otherwise you can leave them in the ground until the spring, when they will produce leaves which can be cut and used as greens.
In the south, winters are rarely severe, and you can usually leave the roots in the ground until you are ready to use them. Lift them systematically, do not pull the biggest ones first. You will then have areas of cleared ground to dig over before winter sets in and any swedes left in the ground for spring greens will be grouped together.
An outdoor crop of spring greens is harvested by cutting off the tufts of leaves at the neck as you require them. If you live in a colder area and have a good supply of roots, you can store them in boxes to ensure that you will have a good supply when the rest of the crop is frozen in the ground. Lifting the crop can begin in the autumn. Choose a day that is mild and gently ease the roots out with a garden fork. If you are going to store them for future use, top and tail them. Removing the leaves and root tails makes them much easier to store, and also helps to prevent rot.
To store the swede indoors, pack them in layers in a box and cover them with fine sand. They can also be stored loose in a sack. Whichever method you choose make sure they swede is kept cool preferably at a temperature of 0-4 C (32-40 F) Once stored be on the look out for vermin, such as mice or rats.
Pests and Diseases
Symptoms
Aphids Curled leaves, twisted stems with colonies of green black or bluish insects on the leaves and stems Gall Weevil Swellings on upper part of roots containing white maggots Downy Mildew Greyish white downy patch or leaves turning yellow and wilting Slugs and Snails Slime trails, holed leaves , stalks and roots Flea Beetle Small round holes in leaves of seedlings or plants Wireworms Shiny yellow worms and tunnels in the roots Club Root Disease Weak sickly plants with swollen balled bad smelling and rotting roots
