How to Grow Rutabaga

 

 
Site Characteristics
Sunlight:
  • full sun
  • part shade

Soil conditions:

  • requires well-drained soil
  • tolerates low fertility
Performs well on wide range of soils. Unlike most brassicas, does not require rich soils. High organic matter and/or nitrogen levels may cause poorly shaped roots. Loosen soil deeply or grow in raised beds to encourage good root development. Sensitive to boron deficiency.
Plant Traits
Lifecycle: annual

Biennial grown as an annual.

Ease-of-care: easy

Foliage color: medium green

Often a waxy blue-green

Foliage texture: medium

Shape: cushion, mound or clump
Special Considerations
Tolerates:
  • frost
Special characteristics:
  • not native to North America - May have developed from cross between Old World cultivated B. oleracea and wild B. napa .
Growing Information
How to plant:

Propagate by seed

Germination temperature: 45 F to 85 F - Will germinate at soil temperatures as low as 40 F. 60 F is optimum.

Days to emergence: 4 to 7

Maintenance and care:
Plant seed 2 inches apart and ½ inch deep in rows 18 to 24 inches apart in early to mid-summer, about 3 months before expected harvest for most varieties. Thin to 6-inch spacings. Frost improves quality and flavor.

For early crops, sow seed as soon as you can work the soil in spring. Do not wait until fall to harvest as roots will become woody and fibrous.

Larger seeds germinate faster and may be ready for harvest as much as 5 to 6 weeks sooner than smaller seed.

To help reduce disease, do not plant rutabagas or other cole crops in the same location more than once every three or four years.

Use floating row covers to protect crop from early pests.

Sustained mean temperatures above 80 F can cause excessively fast growth and root cracking.

Pests:
Flea beetles - Use row covers to help protect plants from early damage. Put in place at planting and remove before temperatures get too hot (midsummer). Control weeds.

Cabbage root maggots - Use row covers.

Diseases:
Black leg
Black rot
Turnip mosaic virus

Rutabaga is a hardy, cool-weather biennial vegetable grown as an annual. Sow rutabaga seed in the garden 4 to 6 before the average date of the last frost in spring. Sow rutabaga also in late summer for autumn or winter harvest. In mild winter regions sow rutabaga in autumn for winter harvest. Grow rutabaga so that it comes to harvest before temperatures average above 75°F; rutabaga requires 60 to 90 days to reach harvest.

 

Description. Rutabaga is a biennial vegetable grown as an annual. Rutabaga is grown for its large swollen root which has a purple or creamy brown or combination of both skin and yellow or white flesh. It is larger, denser, and sweeter than a turnip. Rutabaga has a rosette of smooth, deeply lobed, deep green leaves that grow from the swollen root. The rutabaga also can be distinguished from the turnip by the leaf scars on its top.

 

Yield. Plant 5 to 10 rutabagas per household member.

 

Site. Rutabagas grow best in well-worked, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Add aged compost to planting beds in advance of sowing. Remove soil lumps and rocks which could cause roots to split or become malformed. Add aged compost to planting beds before planting and as a side dressing at midseason. Rutabagas prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.5.

 

Planting time. Rutabagas grow best in cool weather. Sow rutabaga seed in the garden 4 to 6 before the average date of the last frost in spring. Sow rutabaga also in late summer for autumn or winter harvest. In mild winter regions sow rutabaga in autumn for winter harvest. Grow rutabaga so that it comes to harvest before temperatures average above 75°F; rutabaga requires 60 to 90 days to reach harvest. Rutabaga roots will become grow small and stringy in hot weather.

Planting and spacing. Sow rutabaga seed ½ inch deep and 1 inch apart. Thin successful seedlings to 4 to 6 inches apart. Space rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Thinning is important so that roots have room to develop.

 

Water and feeding. Give rutabagas regular, even water so that roots growing steadily. Do not let the soil dry out. Roots that grow too slowly will be tough. Sporadic watering can cause developing roots to crack.

 

Companion plants. Beets, carrots, turnips.

 

Care. Grow rutabagas in cool temperatures or they will be small and bitter. When roots start to swell, trim the outer foliage to enhance root growth.

 

Container growing. Rutabagas can become quite large--often reaching 3 to 5 pounds--and are not a good crop for container growing.

 

Pests. Aphids and flea beetles can attack rutabagas. Pinch out foliage infested with aphids or spray them away with a stream of water.

Diseases. Rutabagas have no serious disease problems. White rust, a fungal disease, can cause small cottony blotches on the upper surfaces of the leaves.

 

Harvest. Rutabagas are ready for harvest 60 to 90 days after sowing. Lift rutabagas when they are 3 to 5 inches in diameter and tops are about 12 inches tall. Rutabagas can remain in the ground as long as the soil temperature does not dip below 24°F. Mulch roots remaining in the ground.

 

Varieties. Altasweet (92 days); American Purple Top (90 days); Laurentian (90 days); Swede Purple Top (100 days).

 

Storing and preserving. Rutabaga will keep in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for 2 to 4 months. Rutabaga can be diced and frozen.