Swede growth stages

The Swedish midge (Contarinia nasturtii) attacks plants in the Brassicaceae family including field crops such as canola and mustard, cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, and weeds such as shepherd’s purse and wild mustard. This insect has multiple generations in a year, depending on the weather. The adults are tiny flies that emerge from the soil. The females lay their eggs in areas of active new growth on host plants. After the larvae hatch from the eggs, they feed on the growing plant tissues. Then they fall to the soil to pupate, and in a few weeks, the next generation of adults emerges from the soil.

In canola, the larvae cause different types of damage depending on the population levels of the pest and the stage of growth of the plant when the pest attacks. Examples of damage include crinkled leaves, misshapen buds that do not open, flowers with fused petals, pods that will not develop, and stunted or dead plants. Yield loss can be serious if high numbers of larvae attack when the crop is most vulnerable, that is during the rose stage and bud formation. When the flowers are in bloom, the yield is not significantly affected by pest attacks.

Planting and planting

These two words are often used interchangeably, which confuses people. At least on this page, sow refers to seeds, from celery to tomatoes to garlic, even potatoes. A plant refers to the arrangement of a plant with leaves. Sometimes one also says to plant garlic and potatoes!

• How big your plant is when you put it in the ground is your call.
• I recommend planting small ones 4 weeks on average from sowing, except for tomatoes, aubergines etc. (mainly lack of nitrogen).
• Older plants take longer to establish so you end up losing time to prune.
• Use fleece/seal covers in spring to help young plants establish.
• Fleece reduces light by 15-30% but in spring this is not important, because there is an excess of light, and fleece converts some of the excess into heat that is not there otherwise. Result: net gain.

Did you know?

Rutabagas were some of the earliest jack-o-lanterns! The Irish and Scots used to carve out roots like rutabagas and turnips to make classic scary faces. It wasn’t until Irish immigrants landed in America and introduced pumpkins that the root vegetables were set aside for the larger, easier-to-carve orange fruits.