How to Grow Swede UK

On this page
  1. Swede (Brassica napus Napobrassica Group)
  2. Regional Planting Calendar
  3. Quick Facts
  4. At a Glance
  5. Soil & Growing Conditions
  6. Growth Stages
  7. Harvest & Storage
  8. Diseases
  9. Pests
  10. Nutrient Issues
  11. Companion Planting
  12. Swede, Seedling to Root
  13. Plan your Swede planting
  14. Growing Swede in another region
  15. References
  16. Frequently Asked Questions

In the UK, swede goes in the ground early May to late June.

Timing is the decision that matters most in the UK: sowing early May, and that same window applies across all 4 regions covered here.

The short answer

Plant
Early May to late June
Site
soil pH 6–6.5
Biggest risk
Club root

Core growing advice on this page is checked against named horticultural sources — see References.

Swede (Brassica napus Napobrassica Group)

Tiny swede seedlings at the cotyledon stage in a labelled seed tray — “-2020-06-25 Swede seedlings (Brassica napus subsp. rapifera), Trimingham” by Kolforn is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: Wikimedia Commons

9 sources cited · Verified

Regional Planting Calendar

Region Sow
Southern England derived early May to late June
Midlands derived early May to late June
Northern England derived early May to late June
Scotland derived early May to late June

Rows marked derived are interpolated between regions our sources do state, because no source we consulted gives a figure for that region specifically. They are deliberately wider to reflect that uncertainty.

Southern England - detail & sources

UK-wide baseline (not yet region-differentiated): Earlier sowing in cold soil bolts; later leaves roots too small for winter.

Midlands - detail & sources

UK-wide baseline (not yet region-differentiated): Earlier sowing in cold soil bolts; later leaves roots too small for winter.

Northern England - detail & sources

UK-wide baseline (not yet region-differentiated): Earlier sowing in cold soil bolts; later leaves roots too small for winter.

Scotland - detail & sources

UK-wide baseline (not yet region-differentiated): Earlier sowing in cold soil bolts; later leaves roots too small for winter.

A page from the UK Vegetable Garden Planner PDF: the crop rotation planner, with a planning grid and four-bed rotation tips

Plan your swede — and the rest of the plot

This page covers swede. For every crop's sowing months on one chart, use the free UK vegetable planting calendar, and browse the UK vegetable growing guides for what else to grow alongside it. When you want the whole season on paper, the UK Vegetable Garden Planner is a printable PDF:

  • Twelve month-by-month sowing and harvest spreads
  • Raised bed, allotment and container layout pages for your own plot
  • A four-year crop rotation planner
  • Seed inventory, sowing log and harvest tracker
See inside the UK Vegetable Garden Planner →

80 printable pages · instant PDF download · reprint every season

Quick Facts

Factor Value
Soil pH 6 - 6.5
Germination temp 15.6°C
Optimal growing temp 14-24°C
Minimum survivable temp -1°C
Soil texture RHS: "moist but free-draining, fertile soil" in an "open, sunny site". RHS advises applying lime to raise the pH if the soil is acidic but states no target figure, so soil_ph_min/max are left null.
Drainage RHS: moist but free-draining.

At a Glance

Brassica napus Napobras… Swede Club root Cabbage root fly (US: c… Cabbage caterpillars DISEASES PESTS

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: RHS: "Water young swede plants regularly until well rooted. Then aim to keep the soil evenly moist by watering during dry spells". Clemson (whose turnip factsheet also covers rutabaga): "Watering is critical during the seedling stage and the root development stage"; keep "the soil moist but not saturated".

Soil pH range

6 6.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Growth Stages

Stage BBCH Notes
Sowing & germination 0 Sow 2cm deep, rows 38cm apart. RHS.
Thinning 3 Thin seedlings to 20-25cm apart once large enough to handle. RHS.
Root development 4 Slow growing, taking up to six months to mature from sowing. RHS.
Harvest & storage 8 Usually ready from early autumn onward; can be left in the ground into winter, some varieties holding to January. In colder regions, protect in situ with straw, cloches or fleece, or lift in late autumn and store in moist sand in a frost-free shed. RHS.

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: RHS: lift "as baby veg after only a few weeks, as young roots about 5cm (2in) in diameter or, more usually, when 10-15cm (4-6in) across". Clemson gives a specific rutabaga (swede) benchmark: "Start harvesting rutabagas when they reach the size of a softball (3 to 4 inches in diameter)" -- larger than the 10-15cm RHS figure but of the same order.

Storage

Clemson: "These roots store well in plastic bags in the refrigerator or a cold root cellar". RHS: store in "containers of moist sand or peat-free potting compost in a frost-free shed or garage".

Diseases

Plasmodiophora brassicae

RHS names swedes explicitly among club root hosts.

Pests

Cabbage root fly (US: cabbage maggot)

Delia radicum

RHS names swede explicitly; root crops are "ruined when white maggots, up to 9 mm long, tunnel into the edible parts".

Cabbage caterpillars

Pieris brassicae; Pieris rapae; Pieris napi; Mamestra brassicae; Plutella xylostella

Covered by the RHS phrase "All edible brassicas".

Nutrient Issues

Boron (B)

deficiency

Correction

RHS symptom in swede: "Discoloured flesh or rotting hearts in swedes, turnips and celeriac". Boron is "less available in alkaline soils (above pH 7)". Correction: test soil pH and avoid liming already-alkaline soil; short term, fritted trace elements containing boron before sowing or planting.

Companion Planting

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Capitata Group

Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…

avoid shared disease

Raphanus sativus

Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Gemmifera Group

Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…

avoid shared disease

Brassica rapa Rapifera Group

Both crops are documented hosts of Club root. These pathogens persist in soil for many years -- RHS gives up to 20 years for club root resting spores, at least 15 years for allium white rot sclerotia, and advises a five-year gap before replanting onions or shallots after downy mildew -- so the two…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Italica Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Acephala Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

avoid shared disease

Brassica oleracea Botrytis Group

Plasmodiophora brassicae produces resting spores that contaminate the soil and remain viable for many years, so any brassica following an infected crop is re-infected from the ground itself. Keep every brassica -- including radish, swede and turnip, which gardeners often forget are brassicas --…

Plan your Swede planting

When to sow and plant Swede depends on your own frost dates. Check the UK vegetable planting calendar, or the month-by-month guides that cover Swede: May, June, October, November, December. To work out where it fits in your beds, sketch your plot in the free Garden Layout Planner.

Growing Swede in another region

Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.

Frequently Asked Questions

When should I sow swede in the UK?

In Southern England, from early May. In Scotland, wait until early May. Treat these as a guide rather than a fixed date — the governing rule is to sow only once frost risk has passed and temperatures are reliably warm enough.

When do I sow swede?

Sow early May to late June, at around 15.6°C for germination.

What soil pH does swede need?

A pH of about 6–6.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.

What problems affect swede?

Our data links 1 disease and 2 pests to this crop. See the sections above for each one and how to manage it.

Plan next season before the problems start

Most of the advice on this page comes down to timing and spacing — sowing at the right moment, rotating beds, and giving plants enough airflow. The UK Garden Planner lays your plot out month by month so those decisions are already made before the season starts.

Get the UK Garden Planner →

Instant PDF download · Written for UK growing conditions

SoilCommander Editorial Team — under the direction of Nitin Sharma, Co-Founder

Every growing guide is checked against RHS, USDA Cooperative Extension, and other named horticultural authorities before publishing.

How this guide is put together

The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against RHS and Met Office guidance. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.

Vegetable Growing Guides UK

Crops With the Same Problems

Related Problem Guides

Last verified 2026-08-06

Relevant next steps

Where To Go From Here

Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.

UK garden plannerTurn this crop guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and a harvest record. All growing guidesBrowse every crop we cover for your region, A to Z. Planting CalendarSee how this crop fits alongside everything else you are growing.

Keep going

This guide in another region
Global UK USA Canada
Top tips for October
  • Plant garlic before hard frosts
  • Protect late salads with fleece
  • Store squash somewhere dry
  • Mulch empty beds
Free Tool
soilcommander.com/pages/garden-planner
1 · Shape
2 · Crops
3 · Conditions
4 · Plan
Choose your garden shape
🍅
Bed 1
Tomatoes
🍌
Bed 2
Legumes
🥦
Bed 3
Brassicas
🥕
Bed 4
Roots
🥥
Bed 5
Alliums
🌿
Herbs & More

Free planning tool

Plan your veg garden before you dig a single inch

Sketch your exact plot shape, pick your UK crops, and get a spacing-accurate bed layout with companion pairings, a rotation plan and month-by-month sowing dates — every fact sourced from RHS and Garden Organic.

Garden Layout Planner Tool

Free to use. Nothing to install.

Plan the next step

Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.

Get Planner