Kitchen Garden Forum

There is a thread on Steve Partridge's website about his lack of success in growing swedes. I am familiar wth this as i have the same dificulty and when visiting other allotments the holders admit to the same failing. I cannot understand this as the commercial growers seem to be able to harvest a uniform crop without any dificulty.
Can anyone explain this. I am thinking (special seed,fertilizer, sprays).
Does anyone out there have the answer.
Regards Brenjon

Can't say I've had a lot of success. I garden on sandy soil, and they prefer clay I think. I've tried sowing in a row and thinning, sowing in a seed bed and transplanting. More success with transplanting. Going to try again this year, with some extra lime.

I did manage to get some to grapefruit size once, the taste was awesome. A much stronger taste than the ones you get in the supermarket, A bit peppery and parsnipy

Don't worry too much Brenjon, the commercial growers don't get 100 % crops in perfect condition and size.

50% of crops grown in this country are not eaten and the largest waste is at the farm, they just leave the less than perfect crops to rot in the field!

Hi Viv,
I agree in part about 50% crops but hereabouts most swedes are grown to give Sheep winter Fodder.
These may not be the so called wonderful varieties from the seed calalogues but I somehow prefer them.
The last Swede I bought from a Supermarket simply wouldn't cook and got ditched. I actually boiled some for over an hour yet with the 'Basic' Swede grown for the Sheep takes no more than 20 mins if that. So when the crop has been taken off the Sheep are put in and there is no waste at all. Living in Wales I cannot imagine there are no Sheep in your area.

Hello Brenjon
Swedes can be grown on modules and don't seem to suffer at all when planted out. I plant them out in a shallow V trench and then back fill the trench as they begin to get well established. I don't see any point sowing too early either as they are a winter crop and from an early sowing you just finish up with huge roots that aren't much use in the kitchen.

John

This is an interesting thread for me. I've just sown some swedes into a seed tray. I've never grown them before so thought I'd have a bash.

Anyone got any tips for me? At what size do I transplant them? Can they be put with the brassicas or do they need to go somewhere else? Should I avoid giving them lime?

Any help greatfully received

Hi Lizzie, I do like John does and plant them in little modules (240 to a tray) and plant out when the module is full of root. I dont start them until the end of May or even June or you get nasty footballs.

Cover with fleece when planted out as flea beatle love them and will chew holes all down the leaves.

Cheers Piglet. You're the man

I've sown them in a half seed tray but will transplant them into modules when they're ready.

Do they go in with the brassica plants or separately? I've got fleece there so will make a nice little bed for them. I was going to harvest when the were tennis ball size otherwise they're too big for what I want. Also, they're a buggar to peel if they're any bigger.

Lizzie do you grow pink fir apple potatoes, now they really are hard to peel.

Kind regards Old Herbaceous.

I'm a hard man with a soft collar.

Hello Lizzie
I'm not sure that transplanting swede seedlings from a tray into modules and then into the ground will work. By all means give it a try and let us know how you get on.
I sow seeds directly into small module trays (individual cells about 2 cm across), grow on until the seedling roots fill the plug then plant out directly. The sowing and growing on is all done outside on an old picnic table as they will resent any extra heat. From what Mr PW says I think he dows something very similar - over to you now PW.
They are best grown along with brassicas and like a bit of extra lime as well.
John

OH why peel pink firs? The skins are delicious and they are good baked or roasted in the skins as well as boiled.

or as individual chips! Mmmmmmmmmm

Beccy i peel the pink firs because i don't really like the middle bit.
Piglet you have not seen the size of my pink firs they would make giant chips, maybe thats not such a bad idea. YUM YUM.

kind regards a silly Old Herbaceous.

Theres no fool like an old fool.

To Johnboy,

I was not being specific to either swedes or the practice around here, but to veg crops in general and specifically in the great veg growing area of the fens (Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire) where you could walk for miles without seeing a four legged beast. During the late summer you can tell what had been grown in each feild by the stench of rooting matter as you drive by!

We do have the odd sheep or two around here, but not many swede fields!

I can vouch for that; I got lost in Cambridgeshire once, having turned the wrong way out of Peterborough. I travelled 60 miles in the twilight without seeing another car, human or animal. The only thing I saw was a load of swedes!