Growing Tips

A winter vegetable that follows peas and beans in the rotation. Needs a well manured soil.  Sow seeds April to May in half inch drills, six inches apart. Prefers limy soil.

Swede is one of the easiest vegetables to grow and is well-suited to the novice gardener. They also crop over a very long time. This is because they can be left in the soil throughout the winter.

Swede is often confused with turnips but they have several advantages over the turnip. Firstly, they crop much later in the season and swede is well capable of withstanding very hard frosts. In addition, the swede is sweeter and milder.

As the name implies, swede originated from Sweden and they are related to the turnip.

Swedes prefer a medium soil which contains lots of nutrients although they will be happy growing in most soil types. They are unfortunately prone to club root so make sure the soil is not too acidic. Acid soils encourage club root. The ideal pH for swedes is somewhere between 7.0 and 7.4. If the soil is short of nutrients then add some well-rotted manure a month or so prior to sowing seed. If manure is not available then add a long lasting fertiliser such as bonemeal or similar. Swedes don't like being waterlogged. If your soil is not free draining then either dig in some well-rotted compost or grow them on a ridge so that the water drains away

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