When to sow Swede in the UK
Swede is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Swede is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| South Coast and Channel | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| South East and Home Counties | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| East Anglia | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Wales and West Coast | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Northern England | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Northern Ireland | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early May to late May | early May to late June | early June to late June | early September to late December |
Growing notes
Sow direct from late spring to early summer and thin to 20-25cm; it takes up to six months to mature and can be left in the ground past Christmas. Although it sits in the roots browse group, swede is a brassica and must be rotated with the cabbage family, not with carrots and parsnips.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 23 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 38 cm
- Plants per m²
- 11
- Days to maturity
- 180 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.7 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 40 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 30 cm
- Balcony rating
- 1 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 3 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- club root
- cabbage root fly
- flea beetle
- powdery mildew
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for swede.