Why Grow Swede and Turnip From Seed?
Turnips are quick germinating and a reasonably fast crop from seed to plate. The green tops can be eaten after a month, and the turnip roots after a tad longer, the turnips will be ready to harvest after a couple more months.
A great crop for making sure you are still filing your allotment or raised borders as the winter months set in. Suttons offer several good swede seed varieties. Swede ‘Ruby’ is great for beginners who would love some homegrown Swede.
Growing Turnips From Seed
Turnips like a cool sunny spot to grow in, if the area they are growing gets too hot they are likely to bolt.
- If soil is heavy add some compost and horticultural sand to the planting area, providing both nutrient and drainage
- Sow turnip seeds late spring to mid-summer, even later if growing Turnip tops
- When planting turnip seeds, prepare the ground with a light forking then rake and tread removing air pockets, rake again. Use a garden line to identify seedlings easy. As with all plants you grow, label and date .
- Sprinkle in some Comfrey pellets or other slow release fertiliser around the Turnips as they begin to grow .
- Keep soil moist, especially when plants are young as this will help them establish more quickly.
- Turnips don't like root disturbance so gently weed around your plants when required.
Growing Swede From Seed
- It’s good to start swede seeds off in a seedbed in a cool spot. Prepare the seedbed so it has a nice weed free fine tilth for seeds
- Transplant your swede seedlings when they look large enough to handle, plant them out in cool overcast conditions
- Don't overdo it with Nitrogen, you don't want them to put on too much foliage, a good Seaweed liquid feed will help. It’s particularly important for Swedes as they supply the trace element Boron. Swedes can suffer deficiencies of this nutrient leading to brown centres of the edible root. Apply as Swedes put on growth, little and often
- Swedes like plenty of moisture so if its dry make sure they are watered as they like plenty of moisture. It is a good idea to add a few buckets of Organic matter to the soil, prior to transplanting from the seed bed. Under watering can lead to corky, pithy Swedes
- Cabbage whitefly can be quite fond of Swedes, so grow under insect netting for protection or fit special Collars around the base of the plant will help deter this pest
Turnips are excellent end of season crop, another one that can be included in the ‘Grow a Christmas dinner’ list. As beds empty toward the end of the summer, Turnips can be repeat sown on the new available ground. Turnips are so delicious they can be peeled and eaten like an Apple. For maximum use of space grow Turnips along-side Swedes.
Buy Turnip and Swede Seeds Online from Suttons
