Rutabaga: what to plant with and when to sow, methods of pest control, when and how to do it correctly, photos of various varieties of rutabaga

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Garden plants Published: August 09, 2016Last edits: January 06, 2021

Rutabaga (lat. Brassica napobrassica) is a biennial forage and food plant, a species of the genus Cabbage of the Cruciferous family. In some regions of Russia it is called bushma, gruhva, zemlyanukha, jaundice, bruchka, bukhva, kalivka, German or Swedish turnip. In everyday life, rutabaga is usually called fodder beet, although this plant is from a completely different family. The rutabaga plant first appeared in ancient times in the Mediterranean as a result of natural crossing of one of the forms of turnips with kale, but the first mention of rutabaga dates back to 1620 - it was then that this plant was described by the Swiss botanist Caspar Baugin, noting that rutabaga grows naturally in Sweden . Other sources claim that rutabaga comes from Siberia, and from there it came to the Scandinavian Peninsula. Rutabaga gained the greatest popularity in Sweden, Finland and Germany. By the way, Heinrich Goethe loved her very much.

Features of cultivation and care

Rutabaga is a hardy and cold-resistant plant. Grows best in temperate climates.

Features of cultivation:

• Temperature. The vegetable does not tolerate heat and drought well. For seed germination, +1...+3°C is enough, but for uniform germination, a temperature of +5...+7°C is needed. At favorable temperatures (+15...+18°C) it germinates in 4-5 days. If spring is delayed, plants may subsequently develop flowering.
• Growing methods. Usually rutabaga is sown by simple sowing in the ground. In regions with late springs, the seedling method is used.
• Moisture. The soil in the beds should be moderately moist. The most water is required in the first month of development.

Medicinal benefits of vegetables

The wonderful root vegetable is high in nutrients. It contains vitamins and minerals: phosphorus, magnesium, copper and zinc, as well as fatty amino acids, fiber and carotene.

Doctors have long used the beneficial properties of rutabaga, among which are:

• strengthening the immune system and cleansing the body;
• expectorant and diuretic effect;
• improved digestion;
• removal of toxins;
• strengthening hair.

Freshly squeezed root juice perfectly tones the skin and has an anti-inflammatory effect. It can be used for washing and wrapping.

The vegetable, rich in nutrients, is also low-calorie, so it can be used in the diet of overweight people.

Sowing in open ground

Sowing begins early. Their success depends on the choice of planting period and compliance with agrotechnical rules.

Soil and light requirements

Rutabaga is a long-day crop, i.e., it requires 13 hours of light for flowering and fruiting. It is usually planted in well-lit areas, but the plant tolerates dark conditions well.

Soil and site requirements:

• fertility;
• breathability;
• high moisture-holding capacity;
• moderate acidity pH = 6-6.5 (on acidified soils the vegetable produces poor yields);
• the best predecessors are cereals, representatives of legumes, nightshades and pumpkins.

Rutabaga can grow on almost any soil. Root crops develop best in fertile floodplain and cultivated soddy-podzolic soils.

Contraindications for growing:

• sandy, marshy and clayey areas;
• acidic soils (they are limed before planting).

If you plant rutabaga in an acidic environment, the roots will branch and the root crops will grow.

Landing dates

Rutabagas are sown not in calendar terms, but in agrotechnical terms, when the temperature reaches +5...+6°C. Planting at lower temperatures will result in a significant proportion of plants flowering and lacking root crops.

You also shouldn’t delay sowing. The seedlings will be actively affected by the earthen flea.

Sowing in open ground is carried out simultaneously with wheat, barley and other spring cereals. Another landmark is the flowering of coltsfoot.

Approximate dates by region:

• in the middle zone: late April - early May;
• in the south: mid-April - early May;
• Siberia: mid-May;
• Far East: early or mid-May.

Sowing pattern and depth

The planting site is prepared a couple of months before the work is carried out. The beds are dug up using a shovel, removing plant debris, stones, and other debris.

For digging they bring in:

• 5 kg of humus per 1 sq. m;
• mineral compositions (30 g of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate and potassium salt per square meter).

The seeds are first prepared. They are immersed for 30 minutes in water heated to +55°C. For disinfection, soak for 2-3 hours in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate. Then they are washed, dried and, for ease of sowing, mixed with sand 1:1 (for example, take 10 g of sand for 10 g of seeds).

Sowing rate - 0.2 g of seeds per 1 sq. m. Farmers are advised to grow 1 sq. m no more than 20 plants.

The procedure for planting in open ground:

1. Prepare furrows at intervals of 30-40 cm from each other.
2. Scatter the seeds and deepen them:
   on loose soils by 2.5 cm;
3. on heavy soils 1.5 cm is enough.
4. Sprinkle with a layer of soil and compact it a little.
5. Pour with warm, settled water.

In order not to subsequently thin out the ridge, the seeds are laid out carefully along the furrows at intervals of 5-6 cm (about 20 pieces per 1 running meter).

If there is a threat of severe frost, cover the crops with film. But usually rutabaga tolerates spring cold snaps well.

Rutabaga vegetable - description

The rutabaga vegetable is a cold-resistant and drought-resistant plant. Rutabagas are related to crops such as turnips, radishes, radishes, horseradish, mustard, turnips and all types of cabbage. In the first year of growth, rutabaga develops a root crop and a rosette of leaves, and in the second year, peduncles and seeds form. The stem of the plant is tall, leafy, the leaves are almost bare or pubescent, lyre-shaped, pinnately cut. All ground parts of rutabaga are bluish. Flowers with yellow petals are collected in a racemose inflorescence; the fruit is a long, smooth or tuberculate pod with dark brown spherical seeds.

The shape of root crops, depending on the variety, can be cylindrical, round-flat, round or oval, the pulp is white or different shades of yellow. The taste of rutabaga is similar to turnips, but it is superior in nutritional value. The topic of our article is planting and caring for rutabaga in open ground, but we will also tell you what varieties of rutabaga exist for open ground, when to plant rutabaga in the middle zone, how to plant rutabaga in the spring and before winter, how to harvest rutabaga after ripening, how to properly store rutabaga, and we will give you a lot of interesting and necessary information.

Growing by seedling method

Planting rutabaga with young seedlings in open ground allows you to speed up the harvest. The process requires more effort from gardeners, but rutabaga can be harvested 3-4 weeks earlier than when sowing with seeds. This is especially important for regions with short summers and cold springs.

Timing of sowing and planting in open ground

Seeds for seedlings are sown 40-50 days before the intended planting. Replanting occurs when 5-6 leaves appear.

The seedlings are moved to open soil in cloudy and calm weather, in the morning or evening. The approximate date is May, when the temperature will be +15...+16°C.

How to sow rutabaga for seedlings?

The seeds are first disinfected in a solution of grated garlic (25 g poured into 100 ml of water). The washed seeds are placed on a moistened cloth for germination.

Sowing order:

1. Prepare containers or boxes. Fill them with nutrient substrate. The container must have drainage holes, otherwise the water will stagnate.
2. As soon as the seeds sprout, plant them to a depth of 1-1.5 cm. Scheme:
   distance between seeds 2-3 cm;
3. between rows 6-7 cm.
4. Cover the boxes with crops with transparent material (glass, polyethylene).
5. Maintain the temperature in the mini greenhouse at +17...+18°C.
6. After germination, remove the lid and transfer the containers to a room with a low temperature (+6...+8°C).
7. After a week, return the crops to the heat (at a temperature of +12...+15°C).

Seedling care

The seedlings have to be looked after for about a month before they are planted in the ground. Care consists of maintaining the proper level of temperature, soil moisture, lighting and nutrition.

Principles of care:

• Hardening. Plants are regularly taken outside 10-14 days before planting in the ground. First for 20-30 minutes to adapt. The duration of the “walks” is increased gradually, reaching 3-4 hours.
• Watering. Seedlings are regularly moistened, focusing on the condition of the soil. It should not dry out, but water stagnation should not be allowed. The frequency of watering is selected individually, as it depends on the growing conditions. The best time for watering is morning.
• Loosening. To ensure air access to the roots, after watering, the soil is loosened between the rows.
• Lighting. If the daylight hours are not enough, the seedlings begin to stretch. In this case, artificial lighting is used so that there is light for at least 13 hours.
• Thinning. After the seedlings have a couple of leaves, the excess plants are plucked out. The optimal distance between adjacent specimens is 5-6 cm.

The vegetable does not tolerate transplantation well, so picking is not carried out. Sow immediately at the required intervals, and thin out if necessary. Rutabaga seedlings are transplanted only once, immediately into open ground.

Landing rules

When the weather is favorable and the seedlings reach the desired size, begin replanting.

Order:

1. Moisten the soil in the containers so that the seedlings can be easily removed without damaging the roots.
2. Prepare holes in the beds at intervals of 20 cm from each other.
3. Water the planting areas with warm, settled water (about 500 ml per hole).
4. Remove the plant from the planting box.
5. Place the seedling in the hole so that the neck is above the soil.
6. Sprinkle the roots with loose soil and compact it with your hands.
7. Pour (1/4 l). When the water is absorbed, mulch with peat or humus.

Popular varieties

Moscow, Tver, Vladimir and many other cities have already appreciated all the advantages of the product.

There are 4 most popular plant varieties:

1. Krasnoselskaya rutabaga. Has a medium ripening period. Full maturity occurs in approximately 90-125 days. The root crop is flat, semicircular. The fruit pulp has a rich yellow color and is quite sweet. The size of one root vegetable is 300-600 grams;
2. A bright dream. One of the earliest varieties. It takes only 65 days to grow to full maturity. The root crop is massive and yellow in color. Although the weight of one vegetable is approximately 300-350 grams, it is possible to collect more than 3.5-4 kg of product from one square meter;
3. Novgorodskaya. The plant produces juicy fruits 120-130 days after planting. Unlike previous varieties, it has a purple-pink root color. The average fruit weight is 400 grams;
4. Child love. This is a mid-season variety. Technically, it can be used within 90-117 days. The color of the fruit is unsaturated, but the pulp is quite sweet.

Appearance of rutabaga in the garden

How to care for rutabaga in open ground?

The plant is unpretentious in care. The procedures are standard: sufficient moisture, removal of weeds from the beds, fertilizing and protection from pests.

Watering

With a lack of moisture, rutabaga grows bitter and its pulp becomes coarse. In excess, the result is watery and tasteless root vegetables.

Irrigation features:

• during the growing season they water about 4-6 times;
• water consumption is 10 liters per 1 sq. m;

Roots exposed during watering are covered with soil.

Fertilizer

Rutabaga has a fairly long growing season. Therefore, she needs feeding. Fertilizer is applied for the first time 2 weeks after planting. The quantity and quality of additives depends on the characteristics of specific soils.

Periods:

1. First time. At the stage of formation of true leaves (around June). Apply nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers at approximately 0.3 liters per plant:
   nitrophoska 1 tbsp. l per 10 liters of water;
2. liquid organic matter (1 kg of manure is diluted in 10 liters of water).
3. Second time. During the closing of rows. Phosphorus-potassium mineral mixtures are added. For example, superphosphate (20-30 g of granular fertilizer per 1 sq. m of planting).

During the growing season, it is recommended to spray the tops with boric acid. For foliar feeding, prepare a solution of 10 g of acid and 2 g of potassium permanganate, diluted in 10 liters of water. The consumption will be 1 liter of solution per sq.m.

In rutabaga, at the height of the growing season, the lower leaves may dry out and die. This is not a symptom of a disease or a reaction to unfavorable conditions, but a feature of the plant.

Weeding, loosening, thinning

Agrotechnical measures are recommended to be carried out 1-2 days after watering. Use a hoe carefully so as not to damage the root crops. The soil is regularly sprinkled with mulch to slow down the evaporation of moisture, prevent the growth of weeds and reduce the amount of loosening.

Thinning must be carried out on beds with crops planted in open ground. The weakest plants are removed, the strongest ones are left.

The procedure is carried out in 2 stages:

• The first is carried out at the moment the first leaves appear. Leave two plants for every 10 cm.
• The second time rutabaga is broken through when four true leaves appear. There should be 20 cm between adjacent specimens.

Rutabagas planted as seedlings do not need thinning. She is immediately planted at the prescribed distance.

Properties of rutabaga - harm and benefit

Useful properties of rutabaga

The composition of rutabaga includes sugars, vegetable protein, fats, fiber, easily digestible carbohydrates, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), carotene (provitamin A), B vitamins, rutin, essential oil, trace elements potassium, sulfur, sodium, copper, phosphorus and iron. Rutabaga contains a high percentage of calcium, making it an excellent remedy for treating soft bones. Rutabaga seeds have long been used to rinse the mouth for inflammatory processes and treat measles in children.

• Why do the leaves on eggplants turn yellow, what should I do?

Rutabaga root vegetables are a good diuretic, anti-burn, wound-healing and anti-inflammatory agent. Rutabaga juice was used to treat poorly healing purulent wounds and burns. In addition, rutabaga is a valuable food product, especially in winter and spring, during periods of vitamin deficiency. Since rutabaga root vegetables contain a lot of coarse fiber, they are recommended to be eaten for constipation; rutabaga pulp is indicated in the treatment of atherosclerosis.

Our ancestors have been eating rutabaga for a long time, since it was believed that it was a source of vitality for the elderly, and due to its high content of ascorbic acid, it promotes rapid recovery from colds and strengthens the immune system. The diuretic effect of rutabaga is used to remove excess fluid from the body in the treatment of hypertension.

Rutabaga also has a mucolytic effect - it thins sputum in diseases of the lungs and bronchi: a dry, hacking cough when consuming rutabaga quickly turns into a productive expectorant cough, after which recovery occurs.

Rutabaga - contraindications

Rutabaga is not recommended for people with exacerbation of gastrointestinal diseases, since coarse plant fibers can irritate the inflamed mucous membrane of internal organs. Individual intolerance to the product is also a contraindication.

Treatment against diseases

Rutabaga has a strong immune system, but under unfavorable conditions and poor agricultural practices, it can be affected by various diseases, most often fungal.

Rutabaga diseases and treatment methods are contained in the table:

Types and varieties of rutabaga

Fodder and table species of rutabaga are grown in culture. The forage species is a hybrid of table rutabaga and cabbage. They are productive and undemanding in care and living conditions. In table varieties, the roots have a flat-rounded shape, their flesh is white or yellowish, juicy and delicate in taste.

The most popular varieties of rutabaga are:

• Best of all - a hardy and consistently productive variety with purple skin and pulp with a mild taste;
• Invitation is a variety resistant to clubroot and powdery mildew;
• Swedish is a productive table and fodder variety with a growing season of up to 130 days with gray-green in the upper part and yellow in the lower rounded root crops with a red tint. The pulp of the fruit is yellow;
• Krasnoselskaya is a mid-season, high-yielding table variety, characterized by good keeping quality. The growing season of Krasnoselskaya rutabaga is from 90 to 120 days. Root vegetables weighing from 300 to 600 g are flat-round, gray-green in color with a purple tint. The pulp is yellow, tender and sugary;
• Kohalik sinine is a mid-early productive variety with root crops weighing about 900 g. The upper part of the fruit is violet-bronze in color, the lower part is yellow. The average weight of root vegetables is 940 g. The pulp is hard, juicy, without bitterness;
• Dzeltene abolu is a Latvian variety with relatively good shelf life. The roots are round-flat, weighing about 400 g, gray-green with a purple tint in the upper part, yellow in the lower part. The flesh is also yellow. The growing season of this variety is from 70 to 130 days;
• Novgorodskaya is a mid-season variety resistant to bolting with purple coloring of root crops in the upper part and whitish in the lower part. Fruit weight 350-400 g. The pulp is juicy, tender, yellow in color. The variety has good keeping quality;
• Children's Love - a mid-early variety with oval-rounded fruits weighing from 300 to 500 g with creamy yellow, dense and juicy pulp;
• Maryn is a high-yielding variety, relatively resistant to powdery mildew and clubroot. Root vegetables have a good taste;
• Brora is a variety with shiny purple roots with increased sugar content;
• Acme - The roots of this variety have purple tops and orange flesh.

In addition to those described, foreign varieties of table rutabaga Ruby, Lizi, Kaya, which are characterized by improved taste and resistance to disease, are popular.

Pests and their control

Insects attack all parts of the rutabaga. Untimely processing can lead to complete loss of the crop.

Pests and options for controlling them:

• Cruciferous flea beetle. Small jumping insects 2-3 mm in size. They gnaw through holes in the leaves. They fight by dusting seedlings with tobacco dust (20-30 g per 1 sq. m).
• Cabbage fly. They are parasitic larvae that gnaw tunnels in root crops. Regular mulching and digging holes near the roots, into which tobacco crumbs are poured (10–15 g per hole), helps save the crop.
• Cabbage aphid. It settles on the above-ground parts of plants and sucks out the juice. The pest is destroyed with a solution of laundry soap (150 g diluted in 10 liters of water, filtered). There are no exact figures for solution consumption. Leaves and petioles are generously moistened on all sides.
• Medvedka. A large underground insect up to 5 cm long. It eats holes in fruits. It chews the roots of young plants. Control the pest using insecticides. For example, Medvetox (30 g scattered over 10-15 linear meters), Thunder (1 g scattered over an area of ​​1 sq. m).

Is it possible to plant rutabaga before winter?

Vegetables can be sown not only in spring, but also before winter. Seeds that have overwintered under the snow produce seedlings with high disease resistance. They are more hardy than spring crops, grow together and produce a good harvest.

Features of winter sowing:

• Sow in late autumn, after the first real frost, when the soil freezes to a depth of 5 cm.
• Before sowing, the beds are loosened, scattering organic and mineral fertilizers. 1-2 cm of sand are poured into the bottom of holes made at intervals of 20 cm, a couple of rutabaga seeds are placed on top, and sprinkled with humus.
• The plantings are watered with warm water, and the beds are covered with spruce paws and fallen leaves.

Cleaning and storage

Rutabagas intended for long-term storage are dug in September or October, but always before frost sets in. Otherwise, the root vegetables will rot during storage. The procedure is carried out in dry weather.

Features of cleaning and storage:

• The fruits are trimmed so that no petioles remain. They are cleared of soil, dried and placed in boxes or bags. To keep rutabaga longer, it is sprinkled with river sand.
• Stored in the basement. The optimal temperature is +5°C, humidity is up to 95%.
• Root vegetables can be stored frozen, pre-washed, peeled and cut into pieces. Rutabaga is also fermented, dried, and pickled.

How to harvest

For consumption, rutabaga is dug up approximately 3-4 months from the moment of planting. If long-term storage is intended, the root crop is dug up before the onset of frost. The tops should be cut as short as possible. You can learn how to do this correctly from a video online.

Rutabaga harvest ready for storage

The root crop must be cleared of the soil and dried in a natural way: in the open air, but in the shade. Fruits should be stored in boxes in the basement or in a shallow trench in the garden. In the latter case, the inside of the cache must be sprinkled with dry sawdust or straw. The top of the shaft is covered with earth.

From all of the above, it becomes clear that growing rutabaga is not so difficult. With a little effort in the spring or fall, owners can obtain a nutritious product for both themselves and their pet herbivores.

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Useful tips

Rutabaga agricultural technology is simple. But in order to get a high-quality harvest, you should listen to the advice of experienced gardeners.

Helpful Tips:

• After removing the film or glass from the container in which the seedlings are growing, it is not watered for 3 days.
• Seedlings are watered by spraying - 1-2 times a week.
• It is recommended to plant the crop next to greens, lettuce, and medicinal herbs, but its proximity to plants of the Brassica family (turnips, radishes, cabbage) will be unfavorable.

An experienced gardener will tell you how to grow rutabaga in the following video:

Growing rutabaga is not associated with any difficulties. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, timely watering and fertilization is the key to a high-quality harvest.

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