How to grow swedes

Frost-hardy · Cabbage family

When to sow and plant

No sourced time window

Based on: average for Germany, last frost 19 April, safe from 6 May

Where the dates come from

The weeks come from our sources; the dates use the average frost in Germany. Enter a German postcode to get dates for your area.

We don’t have a sourced value for this yet.

Good and bad neighbours

We don’t know any sourced neighbours for this plant yet.

Crop rotation

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years).

The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.
Example: grown here in 2026, again from 2031.
If clubroot has appeared in the bed: no plants of the cabbage family for at least 7 years, not even mustard as green manure.

At a glance

Family: Cabbage family (Brassicaceae)
Frost: Hardy, tolerates frost
Spacing (row × plant): 38 × 23 cm (15 × 9 in)
Plants per m²: 11.4
Per square foot (30 × 30 cm): 4 plants
Life cycle: Annual
Harvest: After 90 days

Spacing according to RHS: How to grow swedes. Other sources: 46 × 13 cm (18 × 5 in) (USU Extension: How to Grow Rutabagas and Turnips in Your Garden).

Questions and answers

How far apart should I plant swedes?

38 × 23 cm (15 × 9 in) (row × plant), according to RHS: How to grow swedes.

How long a break do swedes need in the same bed?

After the cabbage family, leave the bed free of it for at least 4 years (sources: 4–5 years). The same species should go back to the same spot after a break of 3 years at the earliest.

Sources

Show 9 sources

Retrieved on 23 October 2026. Facts in our own words, one source per value.