Advice on gorwing good swede please

[greenfingers007]

Hi all,

I have tried for the past few seasons to grow swede but with no success, they germinate fine grow leaf fine but the stem does not swell I always end up with a twig like branch with green leaves on, I love swede and would love to taste my home grown stuff.

Any advice most welcome and apresiated

[lynda66]

are you giving them plenty of room and leaving them long enough?

i spread swede seeds over a square metre patch last year as i did with most of my veg, the turnips did fine, as did most of the others, (persnips carrots etc, but the swedes haven't swelled much, i spread them out last week, and they are already starting to swell more than they had done all winter.

[zazen999]

Plus, if they get too much nitrogen and not enough phosphorus they won't bulk out.

[lynda66]

*goes off to find some phosphorus

[zazen999]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...p-k_14880.html

[Pumpkin Becki]

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...p-k_14880.html

I've printed that out to keep in my lottie notebook Zazen - marvelously simple (like me!)

[greenfingers007]

cheers all will try again this year and see what happens.

[pigletwillie]

Try sowing a few seeds into a 4" pot and then pricking out the seedlings into 3" pots after germination. Plant out the seedlings when the roots are well formed in the pot, holding the compost together and then plant out about 12" apart. Cover with enviromesh for a week or two to keep flea beetle at bay.

[Nes]

My swedes were really woody last year. Did I not water them enough?

[sewer rat]

Hi all,

I have tried for the past few seasons to grow swede but with no success, they germinate fine grow leaf fine but the stem does not swell I always end up with a twig like branch with green leaves on, I love swede and would love to taste my home grown stuff.

Any advice most welcome and apresiated

All I can do is reiterate what has been said before. I sow mine direct with an Earthshare seeder but it sows at 3" spacings, so I block off holes to get a 9" spacing. This suits me as I do nt want monster swedes but just a nice size for culinary use.
Also, go easy on the nitrogen or you get lots of top growth and no bulky root.

[weather man]

swedes!

Had an unbeleivable crop of swede last year, 2 x18ft rows the average size was about the size of a large grapefruit, and the largest the size of a small football! The ph value of the soil is 6.8 and the patch was virgin land. I sowed the seeds in trays and transplanted directly into the soil, no compost or fertilizers used, just watered at regular intervals.

[di]

The only time I've had success with swedes is when I grew them on a fairly heavy clay soil....sorry I'm norty & don't check me NPK's,so couldn't help with a scientific answer,but for me it seems the heavier the soil the better???(or it may also have been pure coincidence)

[toastie]

Last year was our first year on the allotment and we sowed Swede Virtue seeds from Thompson & Morgan. Got some wonderful swedes (although something ate the leaves but not the swedes). Thinned out the smaller ones (if they were big enough added them to stews or mashed them with potatoes), leaving the larger ones to get bigger. Had a steady supply throughout the winter, using the last two a few weeks ago.

Plan to use the same seeds this year.