Globus rutabaga
Price range: $4.00 through $10.00
(Brassica napus)
Green top with yellow flesh. Very mild – my brother, with somewhat distorted pronunciation, suggests as the advertising tagline, “Take the ‘rude’ out of rude-abaga,” which I’m sure will catch on. A “modern” rutabaga variety released in 1981 in Sweden by Svalöf Weibull AB (now Lantmännen Seeds), who advertised its high yield and claimed that it was less prone to cracking than Gullåker III and Östgöta, for all you Swedish rutabaga experts. Sadly, declining interest in rutabagas means that little breeding work has been done since then, so ‘Globus’ really represents the forefront of development for this crop.
NordGen Accession # NGB 13637
Note: Unfortunately I failed to photograph some of my crops in 2025. Life was a bit too busy. I am sorry now, but what can one do in winter? Draw, of course. I suspect I wouldn’t win artistic competitions, but… I will try to take pictures next time.
Plant in mid-late June (about three months before the first frost date) for fall storage crop. Sow ½” deep, 2” apart in rows 18” apart, or broadcast and rake seedbed; thin to 8”. Keep watered if weather is dry. Harvest after frost (it improves the flavour) by digging root with a fork. Trim root and tops and store in root cellar buried in sand, sawdust, or autumn leaves.
Rutabaga leaves are also edible.