Swede Helenor
I've grown a lot of swede in the past couple of years, largely because our babies love the taste of it pureed, and anything they enjoy has to be embraced with both hands!
But to be honest, there's little to justify growing your own unless you're a particularly devoted fan. What's more swede often falls prey to some particularly troublesome garden pests - flea beetles and cabbage white butterflies.
Time from seed to plate: 24 weeks
Sowing Calendar
Sow
Swede seeds need to be sown direct in the ground. Work the soil in the area where you're going to sow until it's loose and crumbly. Then stretch out a taut length of string along your veg bed. Run a trowel, or corner of a rake along the string to create a shallow drill about half an inch deep. Now sprinkle in seeds leaving about half an inch between them. Firm back the soil and water.
A six to twelve foot row of swedes will give you a substantial crop.
Grow
Once seedlings have established themselves - 6-8 weeks later - thin them out to leave 6 inches between plants.
Harvest
Start harvesting swedes in November. They'll sit happily in the ground during moderate frosts, but if the cold gets really severe they will start to rot. If you live in the North of the country you may want to harvest all your swede by mid-December to avoid this. Store them in hessian sacks in a garage/barn until you need them.