Rutabaga (swede)

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light partial shade.

Water

Keep soil evenly moist, providing about 1 in (2.5 cm) of water weekly during dry weather.

Soil

Deep, moisture-retentive but well-drained soil, preferably pH 6.0-7.5; avoid compacted ground and fresh manure.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) in the harvest year

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Yellow flowers in spring of the second year if plants are left to overwinter; normally harvested before flowering.

Foliage

Broad, blue-green, waxy leaves with pale veins, forming a loose rosette above the swollen root.

Growth

Moderate; most varieties reach harvest size about 90-120 days after sowing.

Care needed

Medium

• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Fairly tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Growth rate

Moderate

• Thin seedlings to 8-12 in (20-30 cm) apart, with rows 18-24 in (45-60 cm) apart.
• Water consistently while roots swell; alternating drought and heavy watering can cause splitting.
• Work mature compost into the bed before sowing; avoid heavy nitrogen feeding, which encourages leaves rather than roots.
• Mulch between established plants to conserve moisture and suppress weeds without burying the crowns.
• Rotate brassica crops, allowing at least three years before returning them to the same bed.

Pruning. No routine pruning is needed. Remove badly diseased leaves, but retain healthy foliage to feed the developing roots.

Lift roots when roughly 3-6 in (8-15 cm) across, usually 90-120 days after sowing; smaller roots are generally more tender. Loosen the soil with a fork, lift without bruising, and trim leaves to about 1 in (2.5 cm) above the crown for storage. Light frost can sweeten the roots, but harvest before the ground freezes hard.

Spring

Prepare a weed-free bed with mature compost; check soil pH before adding lime.

Late spring

In cool-summer regions, sow seed directly about 0.5 in (1 cm) deep for an autumn crop.

Summer

Thin seedlings promptly, water during dry spells and protect young plants with insect mesh.

Late summer

In mild-winter regions, sow for a winter crop, allowing roughly three to four months of suitable growing weather.

Autumn

Check root size and begin harvesting; leave sound roots for light frosts if hard freezing is not imminent.

Winter

Harvest outdoor roots in mild districts; in cold districts, check stored roots and discard any that soften or rot.

• Plant in orderly rows in a kitchen garden for an autumn and winter food crop.
• Use blue-green foliage alongside lettuces and other leafy vegetables in a potager.
• Grow in deep raised beds where heavy native soil restricts root development.
• Follow early peas or salad crops with a summer sowing where the remaining season is long enough.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Cottage garden, Farmhouse, Edible landscape, Homestead and Traditional.

Plant it with: Lettuce, Onions, Peas and Calendula.

Wildlife: Leaves feed several brassica-eating insects. Plants retained into their second year produce flowers visited by bees and other pollinators.

• Cabbage root fly or cabbage maggot: larvae tunnel into roots; cover the crop with insect mesh immediately after sowing and rotate away from previously infested brassica beds.
• Flea beetles: small beetles pepper seedling leaves with holes; use fine insect mesh and keep seedlings watered so they grow through minor damage.
• Clubroot: swollen, distorted roots and wilting indicate infection; remove affected plants, avoid moving contaminated soil and use resistant varieties where available. Correct acidic soil according to a soil test.
• Split or woody roots: maintain even soil moisture and harvest promptly; prolonged heat and overmaturity reduce quality.

Roots and leaves are edible and are not known to be toxic to people, cats or dogs in ordinary food quantities, though large servings may cause digestive upset. Do not offer large quantities to horses: brassicas can cause digestive and metabolic problems when eaten in excess and should not form a major part of their diet.

• Turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa)

  Turnips usually have white flesh, mature faster and have greener, often rough or hairy leaves; rutabagas usually have yellow flesh and smoother, waxy blue-green leaves.

• Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group)

  Kohlrabi has a swollen above-ground stem with leaf stalks attached around its sides; rutabaga forms a swollen root with foliage clustered at the crown.

Rutabaga comes from the Swedish word rotabagge, meaning root lump, while swede is short for Swedish turnip.

Propagation. Sow seed directly where plants will grow; transplanting can distort the roots. Time sowing so roots mature in cool weather, and avoid very early sowing followed by prolonged cold, which can trigger premature flowering.

Accepted botanical name

Brassica napus Brassica napus var. napobrassica is an older name for Brassica napus.

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and the lower 48 states.

Native range

France.

Measured

Soil pH 6 to 7.2. Average height 39 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.