2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Rutabaga is an interesting plant that is one of the representatives of the Cruciferous family. At the moment, a small number of summer residents grow such a vegetable in their gardens. Gardeners are not interested in this kind of culture. However, some gardeners still appreciate the beneficial qualities and positive properties of rutabagas. About the swede, undeservedly forgotten by summer residents, its usefulness will be discussed further …
In general, the very process of growing this crop is very similar to the process of planting and caring for turnips. Nevertheless, some individual features are also present in the turnip. It should be noted that this plant belongs to the type of biennial crops.
In the first year of cultivation, leaves are formed on the seedlings of the swede. Also at this time, the root crop itself begins to develop directly. In the second year, there is a flowering phase and seed formation. Rutabagas are grown for a wide variety of purposes. Therefore, there are fodder and table varieties of varieties of this vegetable.
Table types of swede are characterized by a rounded and flattened shape of the fruit. The pulp inside the vegetable is juicy and has a yellow or white tint. Rutabaga leaves an interesting aftertaste after eating.
The benefits of swede
The value of rutabaga roots is very high. Vegetables contain a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. For example, the large amount of vitamin C in rutabagas should be noted. Even during long-term storage, these trace elements do not disappear. Also, the structure of the root crop is not destroyed when the vegetable is boiled. When growing this vegetable crop, you need to make a minimum of effort. But the results and yield can be the most unexpected and pleasant for the summer resident.
You can store rutabagas for a long time. Even in the winter season, it retains all its positive qualities and vitamins. Growing conditions for rutabagas are identical to those for planting turnips. But swede has a longer growing season. Maybe it is for this quality that gardeners dislike her?
The vegetable is a cold-tolerant crop. Seeds germinate at a temperature of two degrees Celsius. However, even three-degree frosts do not pose a threat to turnip seedlings. Adult plants can easily tolerate cold snaps up to seven to eight degrees below zero. The ideal temperature for the normal development of the turnip is the range of fifteen to eighteen degrees. But it is worth considering the fact that if the air is too dry, the fruits can become stiff.
The size of the fruits of the rutabaga is most often large, and when grown in beds, their upper part is located above the soil. The flesh of the root vegetable is hard and has a yellow or white color. The upper area can be dark green, red or purple. If you overexpose a vegetable on the open ground, then its pulp will lose its taste and become rough.
How to prepare the ground?
If you fertilize the soil before starting the cultivation of swede, then the gardener will delight the plant with high rates of bountiful harvest. But do not use faeces as fertilizing components. Compost made of them will not work either. At the same time, manure will become an excellent nutrient. It is brought into the ground during the autumn digging of the earth. It should be borne in mind that manure in this case must be stale. A good option for feeding will be a fertilizer from potassium and phosphorus. Summer residents also use wood ash, lime and dolomite flour.
A large amount of boron is needed for rutabagas. The vegetable feels great in clay soils, acidic and neutral soils, on sandy loam and loam. It is important to ensure that there is no groundwater near the beds. You can not plant rutabagas in places where crops in the form of beans, peas, tomatoes, potatoes and their other relatives were previously grown.
Seedling for rutabaga
Most often, such a tasty and healthy root vegetable is grown using seedlings. However, some gardeners prefer to plant seeds directly into the ground. Seedlings are planted for seedlings at the end of March. The seeds are deepened into the soil by two centimeters. The cultivation container and the soil mixture must be prepared in advance. When growing seedlings, it is necessary to observe the same conditions as in the case of cabbage. Then, in open ground, the plant is planted at the moment when three or four leaves are formed on the seedlings. That is, one and a half months should pass from the moment of planting.
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