I have been growing veg on for many years but the one thing I appear to fail miserably at is producing a decent size swede. They never seem to get any bigger than a tennis ball. During my gardening years I have grown on four different sites and never managed a good swede. Can someone help?
Ken
Swede
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oldherbaceous
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Evening Ken, the one thing that swedes need to do, to get a good size for harvesting is, to get off to a good start.
I sow in early May when the ground is warm, whiten the ground with garden lime and hoe this in when the seedlings appear.
The biggest problem can be flea bettles at this stage, so i try and keep the seed bed moist at this point and they soon grow big enough not to be affected too much.
I thin the plants to about nine inches apart, watering them well immediately after thinning.
Thoroughly soak them once a week in dry weather.
If you have tried all the above, Ken, you have me beat.
I sow in early May when the ground is warm, whiten the ground with garden lime and hoe this in when the seedlings appear.
The biggest problem can be flea bettles at this stage, so i try and keep the seed bed moist at this point and they soon grow big enough not to be affected too much.
I thin the plants to about nine inches apart, watering them well immediately after thinning.
Thoroughly soak them once a week in dry weather.
If you have tried all the above, Ken, you have me beat.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
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Colin_M
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Hi OH, I've planted early like you suggest in the past, but ended up with massive Swedes by August. I wasn't confident about storing these.
What I was really after was a good supply by early winter. This year I planted much later in the summer (possibly like Ken) and currently have some small healthy looking plants, one or two of which have tennis ball sized roots
Guess the answer lies somewhere in the middle?
What I was really after was a good supply by early winter. This year I planted much later in the summer (possibly like Ken) and currently have some small healthy looking plants, one or two of which have tennis ball sized roots
Guess the answer lies somewhere in the middle?
I too have had the same problem Ken,even though Ihave tried OHs and Colins methods and some others besides. In my part of the village the topsoil is very light and sandy and I read somewhere that swedes need quite heavy soil to grow to any size,I have bulked it up to no avail,so a few years ago I gave up on swede growing to avoid any further frustration.
Unlike John I have medium to heavy soil although not clay. The liming point could be a benefit as it's something I tend to avoid as most things grow well in my soil without lime so I'll give it a try this coming season.
Ken
Ken
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Geoff
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My Swedes have been huge this year. I sowed Marian on 14th May and, like OH, thinned them a couple of times to end up at about 9". My ground is lightish and was dug and composted the previous year for Shallots. That bed did get some water in the early dry part of the Summer. I fed them quite heavily with Growmore like I do for all my Brassicas.
Hi Geoff,
I am so glad that you have mentioned Growmore because there are many new gardeners who seem scared stiff of it's mention let alone it's use.
National Growmore is a tried and tested man made fertilizer and quite frankly saw this country through WW2. It is as good as it was then and
provides the balanced fertilizer needed where home made composts cannot.
JB.
I am so glad that you have mentioned Growmore because there are many new gardeners who seem scared stiff of it's mention let alone it's use.
National Growmore is a tried and tested man made fertilizer and quite frankly saw this country through WW2. It is as good as it was then and
provides the balanced fertilizer needed where home made composts cannot.
JB.
Hi Ken,
I'm afraid my comment was more of an aside rather than advice to you.
I don't bother to grow them any more. They grow them on the estate behind my property for the sheep and I just deprive the sheep every now and then. With permission I hasten to add! They have fresh Beans and Peas from me during the year so it is an exchange really.
The last time I grew Swedes I started them off in 1.5" x1.5" modules and planted them out and got about a 95% take and more than I needed.
Again this is not really what you want to hear but I am at a loss as to why yours are not prospering.
JB.
I'm afraid my comment was more of an aside rather than advice to you.
I don't bother to grow them any more. They grow them on the estate behind my property for the sheep and I just deprive the sheep every now and then. With permission I hasten to add! They have fresh Beans and Peas from me during the year so it is an exchange really.
The last time I grew Swedes I started them off in 1.5" x1.5" modules and planted them out and got about a 95% take and more than I needed.
Again this is not really what you want to hear but I am at a loss as to why yours are not prospering.
JB.
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Mike Vogel
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The thing I think needs emphasising is OH's point about keeping the seedlings moist. I have had no joy from swedes or Kohl Rabi because of flea beetle and dry conditions. At my next attempt I shall cover the seedlings with enviromesh and water them as much as I can.
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As an aside to the advise received regarding my swede problem. "LIME",
I have never bothered liming my garden as I felt that the Ph was pretty sweet. However as a result of the suggestion that it would help my swede I gave all my brassica beds a good dousting of lime earlier in the year. Result! I have the best cabbage, calabresse, cauliflower and of course swede that I have ever seen in my garden.
A big thanks for that tip.
Ken
I have never bothered liming my garden as I felt that the Ph was pretty sweet. However as a result of the suggestion that it would help my swede I gave all my brassica beds a good dousting of lime earlier in the year. Result! I have the best cabbage, calabresse, cauliflower and of course swede that I have ever seen in my garden.
A big thanks for that tip.
Ken
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oldherbaceous
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Evening Ken, thank you for reporting back, as it's nice to know if replies have helped.
So, glad we were able to help in your case.
So, glad we were able to help in your case.
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.