How to get a good harvest of rutabagas: growing and caring according to the instructions for beginners
Healthy, tasty and easy-to-grow rutabagas are rarely found in the garden beds, and even more so on store shelves. But even 200-300 years ago this wonderful vegetable was cultivated everywhere, used as food and fed to livestock.
The cultivated area of rutabaga has decreased due to the widespread distribution of potatoes and other vegetable crops. However, now interest in growing this forgotten root vegetable is reviving. Novice gardeners are interested in the question of how to plant and care for rutabagus in order to get a good harvest. Step-by-step instructions for growing a turnip are in our article.
The content of the article
What is rutabaga
Rutabaga belongs to the cabbage family and is considered a hybrid of cabbage and turnip... In shape, the root vegetable is similar to beets, turnips or radishes, but has a different original color: the upper part is violet-bronze or gray-green, and the lower, like the pulp, is light yellow or white.
According to many, rutabagas are tastier than turnips - they do not have a rare aftertaste, besides, they are better and longer stored... Its pulp contains vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, fats, pectin, nicotinic acid and mustard oils. It contains iodine, sodium, magnesium, manganese, potassium, calcium, iron and other useful substances in a biologically active form, in which they are better absorbed by the body.
Important! Rutabaga contains more vitamin C than citrus fruits, and its low calorie content - 100 g contains only 35 kcal - makes it an ideal product for those who are monitoring weight.
Features of its cultivation
Today Swede is actively grown in Siberia, the Urals and in the Non-Black Earth Zone of Russia... In more southern regions, it did not take root due to the peculiarities of cultivation and the requirements for soil, heat and light.
Rutabaga is unpretentious, cold-resistant and does not require much heat... The optimum temperature for growing is from +15 to + 20 ° С. She does not like extreme heat, the high temperature prevents the development and growth of root crops, and the low temperature, from 0 to + 10 ° C, promotes the formation of peduncles.
Soils are suitable for any composition, but the best harvest of swede will be on loamy, heavy clayey or well-cultivated peat soils. Acid, sandy and gravelly poorly cultivated lands are unsuitable for it.
Rutabaga is moisture-loving, hardly tolerates severe drought, prefers moderately moist soil and high humidity. It becomes watery when over-watered.
Depending on the variety, it relates to the length of daylight differently... But it was found that in sunny weather the rutabaga grows better, matures and accumulates vitamins.
Interesting about culture:
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Vegetation period
After sowing, it takes about a week and a half before the first shoots, and after 20-30 days, the first thickening of root crops begins. The full growing season of swede is 3-4 months. On the 90th day, the root crops of some varieties weigh more than 800 g. Their weight gain may continue further, but the pulp coarsens, although it remains juicy.
How to grow a turnip
The technology for growing swede is simple, but for a guaranteed good result, it is useful for novice gardeners to familiarize themselves with proven methods.
When to plant
Rutabagas are planted in the spring for seedlings or before winter... If planted in late autumn, in the spring it will give amicable shoots and the harvest will ripen several weeks earlier. Rutabagas are sown when the ground is already frozen by a few centimeters.
The seeds are placed in holes slightly less than 3 cm deep, which are arranged in a row. Leave 2-3 cm between the holes, about 10 cm between the rows.After sprinkle with a layer of compost, and if the winters in the region are frosty, cover with spruce branches. The shelter is removed in early spring, as soon as the snow melts.
Preparation of planting material
Before boarding it is recommended to soak seeds for several hours in warm water with potassium permanganate or in a garlic solution. This is done for disinfection. Then the seeds are washed, dried and planted.
Sowing seedlings and caring for it
In the spring, starting from the second half of March, rutabagas are sown for seedlings... The seeds are planted in boxes with a moistened substrate, deepening them by 1-1.5 cm, at a distance of about 3 cm from each other, leaving at least 6 cm between the rows. Cover the boxes with foil, maintain a temperature of about 17-18 ° C.
Seedlings will appear in 6-10 days and the film can be removed and the boxes placed in a cooler room. It is important to maintain a temperature comfortable for the growth of seedlings - about + 15 ° C. Further care consists in timely watering, loosening and thinning.
Important! Before planting in open ground, turnip seedlings are hardened for 1.5-2 weeks. Boxes with plants are taken out into the open air for several hours, increasing the time spent outdoors every day.
Open ground transplant
After a month and a half, as soon as the seedlings have 4-5 true leaves, the rutabagas are transplanted into open ground... Usually, the planting date is planned for mid-May, when the threat of return frosts has passed.
Planted in the place where they used to grow potatoes, eggplant, pumpkin or cucumbers. The beds for planting are prepared in the fall, they are dug up in advance and fertilizer is laid.
For 1 sq. m it is recommended to make:
- 4 kg of manure;
- 15 g of urea;
- 20 g of potassium salt;
- 35 g superphosphate.
If the earth is sour, add lime to a neutral state.
Planting pattern 20 x 50 or 35 x 40 cm... This distance between seedlings must be adhered to so that the swede has enough space for full development, since the tops will gain a large green mass, will be high and dense.
When planting, the plants should not be too deep, all the lower leaves should remain on the surface. After that, the soil around is compacted and watered. In hot sunny weather, the seedlings are shaded for the first two days.
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Further care
Water 3-5 times per season... If the summer is dry, then more often, depending on the condition of the soil and plantings. Water it carefully so as not to wash out the soil around the top of the growing root crop. Water consumption under normal conditions is up to 10 liters per 1 sq. m.
Feeding with organic fertilizer is carried out two weeks after transplanting into the ground. For example, slurry or mullein solution in a ratio of 1:10. In the second top dressing, phosphorus-potassium mixtures are used and do it in the second half of summer, during the period of the most active growth. If the soils are not depleted, then you do not need to feed the rutabagas in addition, two times per season is enough.
Tillage consists in removing weeds, loosening row spacings and hilling. Loose the soil after each watering and do it carefully so as not to damage the roots.
Possible growing difficulties
Rutabaga is an unpretentious vegetable... Even a beginner should not have difficulties with growing it, the main thing is to take preventive measures against diseases and pests in time.
Diseases
Almost all modern varieties are disease resistant... But if you do not follow the rules of crop rotation, do not disinfect the soil and seeds before planting, do not weed out weeds in the garden, there is a risk of infection. Rutabaga is susceptible to diseases such as keela, mosaic, black leg.
Keela and black leg appear due to excess moisture, you need to monitor the condition of the soil and do not overflow the plantings.
Important! Diseased plants are immediately removed and burned.
Pests
Most often, rutabagas are affected: cabbage fly, aphid, cruciferous flea, moth, slugs. You can prevent the appearance of a cruciferous flea by scattering ash in the aisles. They get rid of cabbage aphids using a soap-ash solution: 200 g of ash and 50 g of laundry soap grated on a fine grater are dissolved in 10 liters of water. Slugs are collected by hand or scattered around the plantings, between the rows of eggshells. Insecticides, for example, "Inta-VIR", "Fitoverm", will help to get rid of any pests.
Council. To scare off aphids and cabbage flies, it is recommended to plant marigolds, marigolds and nasturtium between the rows.
Why rutabaga is not tied
There are several reasons why the rutabaga does not tie a root vegetable... Perhaps the place in which she was seated does not suit her. She does not like acidic, poorly cultivated soils and too much shading. Rutabaga is a light-loving plant; you should not plant it in the shade of large trees and bushes.
If at an early age the plant falls under frost and will develop for a long time at low (less than + 10 ° C) temperatures, then instead of tying a root crop, the swede will go into flowering.
When rutabaga ripens
Four months after planting, the first summer harvest can be harvested for your table. The brightly colored top of the root crop visible above the ground will be an indicator of maturity.
Harvesting and storage
For long-term storage, rutabagas are dug up in mid-autumn, in dry weather.... The main thing is to harvest the crop before the onset of frost, since frozen root crops will not survive in winter and will rot.
The collected rutabaga is carefully trimmed without leaving petioles, cleaned from the ground, slightly dried, put in bags or boxes and sent to storage in the cellar. If it is dry and cool enough, the roots do not deteriorate for a long time, the rutabaga will be perfectly preserved until next summer. The ideal temperature in the cellar should be no higher than + 5 ° С, and the humidity should not exceed 95%.
Another storage method is freezing.... Vegetables are washed, peeled, cut into pieces, packaged in bags or containers, and placed in the freezer.
You can store rutabagas in the form of blanks... It is dried, pickled and fermented.
The best varieties of swede
Two types of rutabagas are grown - feed and canteen... Forage varieties are unpretentious and productive, intended for livestock feed.
Table varieties have juicy, tasty root vegetablesthat are used in cooking. Let's consider the best of them.
Krasnoselskaya (pictured) is an old variety that was grown in the 19th century on peasant farms near St. Petersburg. Rutabaga of medium early ripeness, large, sugary, with juicy yellow pulp, wonderful taste. From the first shoots to harvesting - 90-115 days, the root crop is flat-round, gray-green in color with a purple tint on top, weighing 350-600 g.- Novgorod - mid-season variety, reaches ripeness in 120 days. Root crops weighing 350-400 g, green above, yellowish below, the same color as the pulp. Suitable for raw consumption and for processing.
- Hera - mid-season variety, from germination to technical ripeness 85-90 days. A rounded purple root vegetable with yellow flesh weighs up to 400 g. It has a high content of vitamins and nutrients that are not destroyed even during cooking.
- Vereiskaya - flat-rounded small roots, weighing up to 300 g, ripen in 80-90 days. The skin color is deep purple, and the flesh is yellow, tender.
- Child love - medium-early fruitful variety, resistant to diseases and different climatic conditions.A root crop of a round or oblong shape, weighing up to 500 g, pale purple in color with a juicy creamy yellow pulp. Suitable for long-term storage and any culinary processing. It has a rich vitamin composition and excellent taste in raw, boiled and stewed form.
- Kohaliq blue - large root crops, round-flat, with the upper part of a violet-bronze color, weighing up to 900 g. The pulp is juicy, yellow, without bitterness.
- Brora - late variety... Large glossy roots of violet-purple color with a white end have increased sugar content. One of the sweetest varieties.
You can choose swede seeds from domestic varieties or from varieties of foreign selection. For example, Ruby, Kaya, Lizzie have proven themselves well.
Conclusion
Growing swede and caring for it is within the power of even novice gardeners. By following simple instructions, it is not difficult to achieve a consistently high yield. Rutabaga is valuable for its useful properties and is quite worthy of a return to the garden beds.