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.

Rutabaga

Brassica napus subsp. rapifera

Semez les graines de rutabaga en pleine terre de mai à début juin pour une récolte automne-hiver. Le rutabaga est très rustique (RHS H6) et constitue l'ingrédient de base, à la chair orange, des « neeps and tatties » écossais — il pousse plus lentement que le navet, est plus rustique et a un tubercule plus gros. Semez en rangs clairs dans un sol profond et exempt de cailloux ; éclaircissez à 30 cm d'intervalle. Surveillez la présence d'altises sur les jeunes feuilles (une protection en voile non-tissé ou un semis légèrement plus tardif permet d'éviter le pire). Récoltez à partir de fin octobre ; le gel améliore en fait la saveur. La plupart des jardiniers amateurs les récoltent en novembre et les conservent dans du sable humide pour l'hiver ; dans les jardins plus doux, les rutabagas peuvent être laissés en terre sous un paillis de paille et récoltés au fur et à mesure des besoins. Marian (la variété standard au Royaume-Uni) et Brora (plus récente, résistante à la hernie des navets) sont des choix fiables.

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