Swede 'Marian'

swede

• Position: full sun
• Soil: light and fertile
  
  An allotment staple for winter cooking, producing richly-flavoured roots for casseroles and roast dinners right through the cold weather. The big, handsome purple-topped globes have a deep orange, sweet flesh and are very reliable: resistant to both clubroot and mildew, the roots store very well and will keep you in hearty veg right through winter.
  
  
• Growing Instructions:Swede dislikes being transplanted, so sow direct where it is to grow in shallow drills. As seedlings emerge thin to final spaces of 10-15cm. Protect against slugs and keep well-watered to prevent roots turning woody. The roots can stay in the ground until you need them: alternatively store in boxes of damp sand in a frost-free shed. You can also eat the green leaves: pick sparingly to leave enough to keep the root developing, and cook like spring greens.
  
  
• Sow: May-June
  
  
• Harvest: October onwards
  
  
• Approximate quantity: 900 seeds.