When should I sow swede in the UK?

May to early June. Don't sow earlier than May — April-sown swedes face the worst of the flea beetle generation and grow slowly through cold weather. May-sown plants outgrow the pest faster. Single sowing covers the season; swedes are not a successional crop.

What's the difference between swede and turnip?

Different species. Swede (Brassica napus, subsp. rapifera): yellow-orange flesh, dense and slightly waxy when raw, slow-growing (24+ weeks from sowing), very hardy (RHS H6), classic winter storage root. Turnip (Brassica rapa): white flesh, fast-growing (6–12 weeks), tender when young, hardy (H5). Swedes are the neeps in Scottish neeps and tatties. Different in flavour, hardiness, and growing schedule.

Why are my swedes small and woody?

Drought stress during the first 6 weeks after sowing is the usual cause. Swedes need consistent moisture to develop full-sized roots; once they check, they don't catch up. Other causes: club-root infection, sowing too late, or a cultivar wrong for UK conditions.

How do I stop club root on brassicas?

Lime the soil to pH 7+ before planting. Raise transplants in modules so they have a strong root system before going in. Use brassica rotation (don't plant brassicas in the same bed two years running). If your bed is heavily infected, the only solution is to skip brassicas in that bed for 7+ years; or grow in containers of fresh compost. Club-root-resistant cultivars (Invitation F1 swede, Kilaton F1 cabbage) are useful tools.

When are swedes ready to harvest?

From late October onwards, but frost-sweetened roots are best — wait until after the first hard frost in November for the transformation in flavour. The first lifts can be cricket-ball-sized; later lifts can be tennis-ball or larger. Smaller is sweeter; over-large swedes get woody.

How long do swedes store?

Lifted and stored in damp sand in a frost-free shed: 4–5 months, until March. Left in the ground under straw mulch in milder gardens: until February or March, lifted as needed. They hold up far better than turnips in storage and are one of the most useful UK storage vegetables.

Herbstrübe

Brassica napus subsp. rapifera

Säen Sie Steckrübensamen von Mai bis Anfang Juni direkt aus, um im Herbst und Winter zu ernten. Die Steckrübe ist sehr winterhart (RHS H6) und das orangefarbene Grundnahrungsmittel der schottischen „Neeps and Tatties“ – sie wächst langsamer als die Rübe, ist winterharter und hat eine größere Knolle. Säen Sie die Samen spärlich in tiefen, steinfreien Boden; vereinzeln Sie sie auf einen Abstand von 30 cm. Achten Sie auf Flohkäfer an jungen Blättern (Vliesabdeckung oder eine etwas spätere Aussaat beugt dem schlimmsten Befall vor). Ernten Sie ab Ende Oktober; Frost verbessert sogar den Geschmack. Die meisten Kleingärtner ernten im November und lagern die Steckrüben über den Winter in feuchtem Sand; in milderen Gärten können Steckrüben unter Strohmulch im Boden bleiben und nach Bedarf geerntet werden. Marian (die britische Standardsorte) und Brora (neuer, gegen Knollenfäule resistent) sind die zuverlässigen Sorten.

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Herbst­rübe

Herbstrübe