Swedes

shovel's picture
shovel Posted at 04:07 on Wed, 11/06/2008
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Intro
Intro picture: 
Intro: 

They may not be glamorous, but once you’ve grown and tasted your own, you’ll never want to buy one in a shop again

Location and soil
Type of soil: 

well-drained, moisture-retaining soil which has had loads of organic matter added to it, preferably the previous year.

Location: 

Swedes like full sun

Sowing seeds
Sowing seeds: 

Sow in rows in watered drills about 18 ins apart, thinly at a depth of 2cm on light soils, or ½ inch on heavier ground.

Sow directly into the prepared soil in late spring in cold areas, or in early summer in warmer regions. Thin the seeds about three weeks after sowing, but try to transplant because they hate being disturbed. The final spacing of the young plants should be about 10ins apart.

Looking after the crop
General care: 

Hoe between the plants to kill the weeds but be careful not to damage the young swede roots. If the weather’s dry, mulch with dry peat.

The main difference between turnips and Swedes is that Swedes are used in winter, while turnips are harvested in summer and autumn. A touch of frost improves the flavour

Leave in the ground until spring and they’ll produce greens to eat

Harvesting the crop
Harvesting: 

Sowing to harvest time is approx  20-24 weeks. They can be harvested as soon as they are large enough to use the bigger the better.

They can take up to eight months to mature. They are winter hardy, so you can harvest them as required over autumn and winter and into early spring. Simply leave the roots where they are growing in the ground until they’re needed!

Some can become woody if you leave in the soil beyond early winter, so lift them for storage before then.

Storing: Top and tail them and store indoors, packing them in layers in a box and covering them with fine sand. They can also be stored loose in a sack - but watch out for mice or rats.

Varieties
Variety description: 

Magres

Variety description: 

Ruby

Pests
Problem: 

swedes

luciouslotty Posted at 08:38 on Wed, 08/26/2009

Why are my swedes bitter????