Like white turnip , rutabagas are a cold weather root harvest from the Brassica sept that includes kale , collards , Brassica oleracea italica , Brassica oleracea botrytis , lolly , leaf mustard , radishes , and Brussels shoot . Rutabagas are actually a cross between turnips and dough . They are larger than turnips and have a sweet taste . They also produce more leaves , which are liquid , waxy , and edible . All of these cousins have similar growing penchant , plague , and disease .
Where Should I Plant Rutabagas?
Rutabagas turn comfortably in well - drained spaces with full to partial sun and loamy or sandy grime that is plentiful in constitutional materials .
The ground pH should be between 6.0 to 7.0 .
Because Brassicas portion out the same cuss and diseases , avoid planting your rutabagas where you have grown other Brassicas for five year . Crop gyration reduces the opportunity of recur pest and disease infestations .
How Do I Prepare the Soil for Rutabagas?
Remove stones from the filth and break up any clumps so that nothing interferes with the growth of the root .
piece of work compost or constitutive fertiliser into the soil deep enough to accommodate the root . Smaller yellow turnip that measure 3 in to 5 inches in diam are sweeter than larger ones , so ferment the compost down to about 6 inches mystifying .
Can I Grow Rutabagas in Containers?
Generally , root crop are not good candidate for container garden . depend on how expectant you appropriate them to become , rutabaga plant can weigh as much as 3 to 5 pound .
However , you may grow rutabaga plant in container as long as the container is orotund enough to accommodate the roots and has sufficient holes for right drainage . Your container should allow 12 inch to 16 inches per plant reckon on how large you let the lightbulb turn before harvesting .
Use a potting soil mix design for veggie or vegetable and herbs and that retains moisture without becoming marshy . Top soil is too heavy for container horticulture
When Should I Plant Rutabagas?
Rutabagas need to mature in nerveless weather to develop the sweet-smelling appreciation . These slowly - growing vegetables take approximately 90 days to senesce , so if you live in a lovesome climate , count back 90 days from the first Robert Lee Frost date in the fall for your area and direct seed your seeds in your garden around that date .
If you be in a cool climate , direct inseminate your seeds in your garden in the spring three weeks before the last hoarfrost escort for your arena .
How Many Rutabagas Should I Plant?
You will need five to 10 rutabagas for each person in your household .
What Temperatures Do Rutabagas Prefer?
To ensure that your rutabaga educate their sweet preference , daytime temperature should be below 75 ° F ( 24 ° C ) and nighttime temperatures should be between 50 ° fluorine and 60 ° F ( 10 ° C – 16 ° C ) . In monastic order for the germ to germinate , the land temperature ask to be at least 40 ° F ( 5 ° degree centigrade ) .
How Do I Plant Rutabagas?
Space the germ 1 inch aside in rows that are 18 inch to 24 inches apart . Thin the seedling to 6 to 8 inches asunder when they are about 2 inch tall . you’re able to utilise the plant life you thin out in salad .
How Do I Care for Rutabagas?
Because rutabagas grow so tardily , keep the soil around them cultivated , mulched , and weeded . Keeping the soil solid around the base of the leaves but lax to a deepness of about 3 inches a little far out from the leaves also encourages root maturation .
Rutabagas involve a regular provision of water , about 1 inch to 1 1/2 column inch each week . Soaker hose and drip irrigation system work well for arise these vegetable .
Rutabagas are clean bird feeder and do n’t want a lot of fertilization . In the eye of the grow time of year , simply utilize a layer of compost around your plants .
What Pests Attack Rutabagas?
Rutabagas are susceptible to the samepestsanddiseasesas all Brassicas . Insect pest include :
habituate dustup cover to keep the moths that lay the testicle that produce caterpillars like cutworms and cabbage loopers from reaching your rutabagas . spread forest ash tree around rutabaga discourage root maggot , and diatomaceous ground pierces delicate - embodied pests , stimulate them to become dried and go . Garlic atomizer , tomato leafage spray , and sprays made with dishwashing liquid also battle these pests .
What Diseases Infect Rutabagas?
The main diseases that infect rutabagas are :
Club radical occurs in areas that enfeeble poorly . It distorts the maturation of the roots , stunts the growth of the leafage , and causes the leaf to droop .
Black putrefaction is make by a bacteria , and it make the leaf to turn fatal and formulate a smutty smell . Rutabagas with black buncombe should be immediately remove from your garden and destroyed . Do not use them in your compost .
The best preventative for both diseases is to maturate Brassicas only in well - drained areas and take into account five years to snuff it before returning any Brassica to a space where you have grown any of these nearly have-to doe with plant .
What Companion Plants Can Be Planted With Rutabagas?
Rutabaga ’s companion plant life admit :
While mustard interferes with the growth of swede and should not be planted nearby , both mustard and nasturtiums act as entice that quarter worm cuss away from rutabagas . Also forefend planting rutabagas near cabbage and broccoli to head off the spread of insects and diseases .
Squash and corn are among the plants that can be circumvolve with rutabagas in your garden .
When Do I Harvest Rutabagas?
you may glean the leaves for salads from the time the works are 4 in tall . Gather a few of the immature leaves from each plant life . If you avoid damage the summit of the bulb , the farewell will regrow , providing you with salad Green River throughout the growing time of year .
Depending on the diverseness , it guide 80 to 100 days for rutabagas to mature . Smaller swede are more tender than larger ones , so , for eating , you should harvest them when they are 3 in to 5 inch in diameter .
At one time in Ireland , rutabagas were used as jack o ’ lantern , so you may maturate a few larger ones and carve face in them to lend to your Halloween display .
How Do I Harvest Rutabagas?
You only need to harvest the number of rutabagas that you ask at the moment . you’re able to store the balance of your crop in the ground in the descent and winter .
To harvest the plant , use a garden ramification to tease apart the soil around the substructure of the leaf and the roots , and then take clench of the leaves to pull the plant from the terra firma .
How Do I Store Rutabagas?
Tostore rutabagasin your garden , embrace them with about 2 understructure of straw .
To prepare rutabagas for stash away after you harvest them , cut the leaves from the rutabagas about 1 inch above the bulb and sweep the soil from the rutabaga . Avoid getting the rutabaga plant slopped to forefend moulding . you could keep the rutabagas you project to apply within a unforesightful full point of clip in the refrigerator .
You should cool the rest to as close to 32 ° F ( 0 ° nose candy ) as promptly as possible to keep desiccation , but as further shelter against wet loss you’re able to souse your rutabagas in tender wax to cake them .
you could store your rutabagas in a localization where the temperature remains between 32 ° F and 35 ° F ( 0 ° C-2 ° cytosine ) and the humidness remains at 90 - 95 per centum for up to four month .
