When to Plant Rutabaga in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Also called swede.
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Rutabaga guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Days to harvest
- about 13 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 20 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 6.0–7.5
- Shop price
- $7.50/kg at one shop
Swedes (known as rutabagas in North America) are a large, slow-growing root crop with yellow-orange flesh and a sweet, earthy flavour that improves after frost.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Tropical
Rutabaga is not recommended for Tropical.
Swedes need 14 to 18 weeks of cool weather and will not bulb in tropical heat. Grow turnips or radish in the dry season instead.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Rutabaga included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Rutabaga in Tropical Australia
- Soil
- Deep, fertile, well-drained loam enriched with well-rotted compost. Avoid acid soils prone to clubroot. Remove stones which cause misshapen roots.
- Salt
- Moderately sensitive. Copes with a little salt, but the harvest drops on salty bore water.
- pH Range
- 6.0-7.5
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Spacing
- 20cm apart, 40cm between rows
- Watering
- Consistent deep watering throughout growth. Irregular watering causes woody, fibrous roots and can lead to splitting. Water deeply once or twice weekly.
- Good companions
- Nasturtium (trap crop), Dwarf Beans, Onion, Chives, Peas
- Keep away from
- Strawberry
- Grow before it
- Legumes (Beans - Dwarf, Peas, Broad Beans)
- Grow after it
- Fruiting crops (Tomato, Capsicum, Zucchini)
Give the bed 3 turns before brassicas go back in. The cabbage family is hungry for nitrogen and shares club root and other soil diseases.
Tropical Growing Tips for Rutabaga
Recommended Varieties
- Not reliably grown in tropical zones
Key Challenges
- Temperatures too high for root development
- Bolting in heat
- Excessive pest pressure on brassicas
Pro Tips
- Do not attempt swedes in the tropics, conditions are wrong
- Grow turnips instead (faster, more heat-tolerant)
- If determined to try, plant in the driest, coolest months (June-July) and accept poor results
Pests and problems for Rutabaga in Tropical
Harvesting Rutabaga
When ready: Roots are 8-12cm diameter, with purple/green shoulders visible above soil. Harvest after first frost for sweetest flavour. Roots become woody if left too long (larger than 15cm).
How to harvest: Loosen soil alongside root with a fork. Lift gently. Trim foliage to 2cm. Brush off soil. Do not wash until ready to use.
Storing and preserving rutabaga
How to keep it
- Root Cellar / Sand Storage. Twist off tops (do not cut). Layer in damp sand in wooden boxes. Store at 1-4C in dark conditions. Keeps: 3-5 months.
- Freezing. Peel and dice into 2cm cubes. Blanch 3 minutes in boiling water. Ice bath, drain. Freeze on trays then bag. Alternatively, cook and mash, then freeze in portions. Keeps: 10-12 months.
- Dehydrating. Peel and slice or dice thinly. Blanch 3 minutes. Dehydrate at 55C for 10-14 hours until crisp. Store in airtight jars. Keeps: 12 months.
- In-Ground Storage. Leave roots in ground and harvest as needed through winter. Apply 10cm mulch for frost insulation. Best preservation method for fresh quality. Keeps: 3-4 months in ground.
Grow vs buy
A 2.4 m × 1.2 m bed fits 12 plants, about $45 worth at today’s Coles prices, checked today.
That is roughly 6 kg at $7.50 a kilo.
Draw your rutabaga bed → No account needed.
What rutabaga costs in the shops right now, retailer by retailer, updated daily.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Rutabaga
When do you plant rutabaga in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): not recommended
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Mar to May
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Feb to Apr
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Jan to May, Sep to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): Jan to Apr, Dec
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Mar to Jun
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan to Mar
What else is rutabaga called?
Rutabaga is the usual Australian name. Overseas seed packets and recipes call it swede. Same plant, same growing advice.
When should I plant Rutabaga in Cairns?
Swedes need 14 to 18 weeks of cool weather and will not bulb in tropical heat. Grow turnips or radish in the dry season instead.
What soil temperature do Rutabaga need?
Rutabaga germinate best when soil temperature is between 7°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Rutabaga are ready to harvest?
Roots are 8-12cm diameter, with purple/green shoulders visible above soil. Harvest after first frost for sweetest flavour. Roots become woody if left too long (larger than 15cm).
What are the best Rutabaga varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Not reliably grown in tropical zones.
What grows well with Rutabaga?
Good companion plants for Rutabaga include: Nasturtium, Dwarf Beans, Onion, Chives, Peas.
Are rutabaga salt tolerant?
Only a little. Rutabaga are moderately sensitive to salt, so the harvest drops on salty bore water. Mix salty water with rainwater, and mulch the bed.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.