Skip to product information
1 of 6

Botanical Interests

American Purple Top Rutabaga Seeds

American Purple Top Rutabaga Seeds

Regular price $2.69
Sale price $2.69 Regular price
~2.0 g (~480 seeds)
Sale Sold out

Free shipping on orders over $79

Product Details

Rutabaga, or swede, as the British call it, is a 4"-6" long root vegetable with a sweet, mellow flavor. Mash just like potatoes, add chunks to soups and stews, or bake in savory or sweet casseroles. Even the tops are edible and make tasty sautéed greens. Rutabagas develop the best flavor when harvested during cool weather, making an ideal fall crop in most places. A great storage crop.

View full details

Your hardiness zone is

  • Variety Info
  • Sowing Info
  • Growing Info

Variety Info

Days to Maturity: 80–120 days

Family: Brassicaceae

Native: Unknown

Hardiness: Frost-tolerant biennial

Exposure: Full sun

Plant Dimensions: Leafy tops grow 16"–20" tall

Variety Info: Best harvested at 4"–6" diameter; root is yellowish with purple shoulders.

Attributes: Frost Tolerant

Sowing Info

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. Cold Climates: 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, as soon as soil can be worked for early summer harvest, or 3 to 4 months before your first fall frost date for fall harvest. Mild Climates: Sow in fall for late winter for spring harvest. Optimal soil temperature for germination is 60°–80°F

When to Start Inside: Not recommended; root crops do not transplant well.

Days to Emerge: 7–14 days

Seed Depth: ¼"

Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds every 6"

Row Spacing: 18"–24"

Thinning: When 4" tall, thin to 1 every 6"

Growing Info

Harvesting: Harvest in early summer before consistently high temperatures start or in fall after a few light frosts. Do not allow roots to freeze. The foliage may also be harvested for greens. Harvest only about 25% of the plant's leaves at a time so as not to affect the plant's ability to produce large roots.

4.6
Rated 4.6 out of 5 stars
Based on 11 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 9 Total 4 star reviews: 1 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 1 Total 1 star reviews: 0
Rating
Ratings
Which best describes you as a gardener?
Which best describes you as a gardener?
Who do you grow for?
Who do you grow for?
How do you prefer to grow?
How do you prefer to grow?
11 reviews
  • Tonya
    Verified Buyer
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Jan 3, 2025
    5 Stars

    Fast shipping. Will start in the spring.

  • DeLaine M.
    Verified Buyer
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Dec 18, 2024
    5 Stars

    OK. Last year I did a great Winter Garden with brussels Sprouts, carrots, Beets, Rutabaga :) and some other things like a Winter Lettuce variety. I took measures to protect it from colder nights, but all in all I had a fabulous success. This year, those nasty weather monsters decided for the first time where I live to give us a very extended length of time with very cold temps and freezing at night. I tried so hard to save my garden, but those monsters won and I lost everything. The worst/best(?) part was how well everything was thriving before the deep freeze. The Rutabagas were growing like gangbuster. So was everything else. Not to worry, I will be buying more seeds and planting them again ASAP. I will also be looking into some sort of over wintering supplies so this does not happen again. I LOVE BI SEEDS!!!!!

  • Helen G.
    Verified Buyer
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Jun 28, 2024
    5 Stars

    Excellent germination and very vigorous large plants. Hope for some great roots!

    Which best describes you as a gardener? Expert
  • Suad A.
    Verified Buyer
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Jun 16, 2023
    5 Stars

    Great Germination... 100%!!

  • Roy D.
    Verified Buyer
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    May 9, 2022
    5 Stars

    I planted these seeds in late August 2019, even though we had extreme heat, even for Houston, in September, several days over 100, the seeds germinated very well. The plants serviced and I had a bumper crop of rutabagas in late November. In fact I still have not harvested all the plants. My first time to plant rutabagas, will not be the last.