Swede (Brassica napus) is a delicious and nutritious vegetable that can be grown at home. Grow them yourself for organic produce with better flavour than shop-bought. Sown in spring, they’ll be ready to harvest for warming and hearty meals in the depths of winter.
A swede is not a turnip, but instead is believed to be a cross between a turnip and type of wild cabbage. The term ‘Swede’ is short for ‘Swedish turnip’, thought to have been created in Sweden in the 17th century. Americans call swedes rutabaga, from the Swedish word ‘rotabbagge’ meaning baggy root. A turnip is generally smaller than a swede with white flesh. Swedes also have a sweeter and stronger nutty flavour and cope better with frost.
How to grow swedes
Sow seeds from late spring or early summer depending on how warm it is where you live. The soil will need to be warm enough to help the seeds germinate, with all risk of frost passed. You may want to add compost or well-rotted manure a few months before, or a general fertiliser. If it’s too late to sow seeds, or you do not have the space, you can also buy small plug plants to put into the ground or pots. These are on sale in places like garden centres from late spring. Water often, especially during dry periods. Harvest from September onwards.Grow swedes in an area that is sunny, and where the soil is moist but free-draining. While it’s easier to care for swede plants in the ground, those with limited space can use pots as an alternative. Use large pots and grow them outside. For the best results make sure the swedes don’t dry out and harvest when young.
How to sow swede seeds
Grow swedes from seed for a wider range of varieties to choose from. They can be sown directly outdoors or started off indoors to get them growing earlier in the year.
Get the ground ready for sowing by weeding and raking, removing any large stones. Gently tread over the soil to firm it. Walk over it penguin-like with toes pointing outwards but heels kept together. Make small and gentle steps to firm in the soil, covering the area
Ensure your ground is level. If sowing in a straight line, use something like the handle of a rake to press down lightly into the ground. This will create a dip (known as a drill) to place your seeds in. Push reusable labels at each end of your line before you sow your seeds to allow you to locate your swedes later. Sticks can also be used as placeholders, until you have labels ready
Water the drill gently and sow your seeds about 5cm apart. Sow the seeds by crouching down, or kneeling, and have some of the seeds ready in the palm of one hand. Use the other hand to pick up and drop the small seeds, one or two at a time into your drill. You’ll later remove seedlings to create a space of about 20cm between each plant
Pinch the soil back over the seeds and firm it back down with your hands. Leave a space of about 30cm between your line of seed and next crops, unless you are growing quick crops like salad. Quick crops can be sown, grown and harvested before the space is needed by main crops, making the most of your space
Thin out weaker seedlings as they grow, or those too close together. You want to end up with plants about 20cm apart if growing to full size. Unwanted swede seedlings can be added to the compost heap, or washed and added to salads to avoid waste
Sowing indoors
Fill your tray or pot with peat-free multi-purpose compost and firm in. Leave a gap of about 2cm for extra compost to go onto of your seeds and water to sit and soak in. For best results, sow into modular trays. This will make it easier to lift and transplant seedings and reduce any root disturbance
Sow your seeds thinly onto the compost and then cover with more compost. If possible, sieve this compost before using to remove any large pieces. The seeds should sit about 2cm deep under the compost
Place the trays or pots in a sink of water or place on the ground outside and water from above with a watering can. Make sure you have a rose attachment on your watering can to soften the water coming out. Also make sure to turn the rose upwards, this will also soften the force of the water hitting your seeds and soil. To further ensure you don’t disturb your seeds, start by watering the ground next to the pot or tray. Then sway the watering can back and forth over the tray, providing an even watering
Let the pots or trays drain out and then place on a sunny windowsill or in a greenhouse. Speed up germination by covering the pots or trays with a propagator lid or reused clear plastic. This will increase the warmth and humidity, but do keep an eye if in a warm greenhouse. On a windowsill, turn the tray or pot every few days as the seedlings grow to encourage straight growth
Once seedlings are large enough to handle, remove the unwanted ones first. These will be smaller and thinner, you want to keep your strongest candidates. Harden off the plants before planting outdoors. You can either move the plants into a cold frame or put them outside during warm days, bringing back in at night. Do this for about a week for best results. If you are removing a propagator lid, do this gradually over a few days to avoid shocking your seedlings. Plant the seedlings out before the main root (tap root) develops. This this way you will avoid disturbing future growth
How to care for swedes
To care for swedes until they are ready to harvest, remove any weeds by hand or use a hoe gently around the plant. Trim back badly damaged leaves, but don’t remove too many as the plant needs these to develop well. Keep the soil moist by watering regularly, otherwise you could end up with woody, bitter tasting swedes. This will also help prevent problems such as powdery mildew.
Consider using grey water from your washing up to reduce mains water usage. You can also install drip irrigation at ground level on a timer, to minimise water loss. Keep an eye out for slugs and snails, especially while plants are at the seedling stage. Carry out night time checks, especially after wet weather to remove slugs and snails.
Mulch around the plants to help keep soil moist, prevent weeds and slowly feed your crop. Use compost or well-rotted manure, spreading it about 5cm deep. Keep the mulch away from the base of the plants to prevent rotting. For best results, mulch after heavy rain. Mulching in dry weather can prevent water getting to the plants as it gets locked into the mulch on top. If plants do get too dry they may ‘bolt’ (produce flowers and seeds), which will make the root bitter to taste. If they do bolt, consider leaving them in the ground. The flowers will provide food for bees and other insects.
How to harvest swedes
Harvest swedes as baby veg or leave them to grow and crop from autumn onwards. If you want to grow large swedes, look out for varieties that are more resistant to becoming bitter and woody. To enjoy as baby veg, especially if grown in pots, harvest once the roots are about 5-15cm in diameter. Otherwise they can stay in the ground until needed, coping with most frost. Harvest by gently pushing a garden fork into the soil and lifting the whole plant out. Remove the soil and bring into the house or store in pots of compost in a frost-free location such as a shed.
The root vegetables will store best left in the ground until the end of the year, so harvest only as required.