How To Grow Swedes

Growing Swedes - Swedes can grow up to 30cm high and have a plant spread of around 23-25cm.Height up to 30cm/12" - spread up to 23cm/9". In terms of yield, obviously you only get one swede per plant. A six foot long row should yield are 7-8kg of swedes.

Swedes will take up to twenty-four weeks from planting to being ready to harvest. The swedes can be sown directly into the ground from late May to June depending on your location e.g. North or South of the United Kingdom. Whilst swedes are hardy their ideal temperature for germination is around 17-18C. Swedes should be sown thinly in rows around half and inch deep, with a space of 12-15 inches between rows.

Once the swedes have germinated and the seedlings are large enough to move without damaging them, they should be thinned out so that they are two to three inches apart. The weak plants you have thinned out can be disposed of as swedes do not transplant well.

The ideal soil condition for them is well drained, unlike many plants the do not benefit overly from adding manure so it is best avoided.

As the swedes grow on you should continue thinning in them out until the plants are around nine inches apart apart. Swedes do need a reasonable amount of water once they start to grow strongly, so ensure that they are kept well watered. Do not allow swedes to dry out as this can cause the roots to split. The swedes are ready to harvest when they are the size of a grapefruit. Whilst swedes will grow bigger if you let them, they are best when the size of a Grapefruit.

To harvest swedes simply pull them out of the ground. It is best to pick every other swede plant as this will allow the remaining crop more room to grow larger. A typical crop of swedes can be harvested over a sixteen to twenty week season. As I said at the start swedes are a hardy plant and so they can even be left in the ground over Winter and pulled out in Spring. Alternatively you can pull the swedes out, twist off the leaves and store them in a box on a thin layer of peat, in cool place such as shed or garage. If you have problems growing them then find out about Swede Pests And Diseases

If you like swedes then why not find out How To Grow Turnips.

By Richard Allen -