Plant Database / Vegetables / Rutabaga
Vegetables

Rutabaga

Brassica napus
Brassicaceae (Mustard)

A hardy, sweet swede that stores for months - old-world survival food that thrives in cool Texas months.

EdibleCool-seasonStores wellSurvival crop
Rutabaga (Brassica napus) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek
Sun
Full sun
Water
Even
Soil
Loose, fertile
pH
6.0-7.0
Hardiness
Cool-season
Height
Tops 12-18 in
Spacing
6-8 in
Days to harvest
90-110

What it is

Rutabaga (Brassica napus) is in the Brassicaceae (Mustard) family. A hardy, sweet swede that stores for months - old-world survival food that thrives in cool Texas months.

How to grow it

It wants full sun, water it even, and give it loose, fertile soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0-7.0. Space plants about 6-8 in apart. Expect roughly 90-110. Cool-season.

How it's used

Rutabaga is used: roasted, mashed, stored.

🔎 How to identify it

  • Smooth blue-green leaves
  • Large yellow-fleshed root
  • Purple-and-tan shoulders

Edibility

PartsRoot and greens
UsesRoasted, mashed, stored
CautionNone.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.