Swede gets one long season in the ground, so a variety that fails can't be resown that year. In Scotland the biggest threat is clubrootA soil-borne fungal disease of the brassica family that swells and distorts roots, and survives in soil for years. Full definition →, which thrives on the damp, acidic ground common here. That makes disease resistance, more than flavour, the first thing to choose on.
Quick answer
Gowrie as the all-rounder. Marian if clubroot has been in the plot. Brora for flavour and storing, and Magres for mildew resistance and winter hardiness.
What Scotland means for the choice
Much of Scotland's soil is naturally acidic, and clubroot, which swells and distorts brassicaThe cabbage family: cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, swede, turnip and more, sharing the same pests, diseases and rotation rules. Full definition → roots, is worst on acidic, poorly drained ground. Liming helps, and so does a resistant variety. Winter matters too: swedes can be left in the ground into winter, but in cold regions or where the soil sits wet, the advice is to lift them in late autumn and store them. So storing well can matter as much as holding in the ground. The James Hutton Institute, based at Invergowrie, breeds swedes for disease resistance. The swede growing guide covers sowing, liming and storing.
| Variety | Skin / flesh | Resistance | Stands out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gowrie | Purple / good colour and texture | High, to powdery mildew | All-round; holds in the ground to January |
| Marian | Purple / yellow, nutty | Powdery mildew and clubroot | Clubroot-prone ground |
| Brora | Reddish-purple / creamy-yellow | None stated | No bitterness; stores into the new year |
| Magres | Not stated / free from bitterness | Good, to mildew | Very winter hardy; good flavour |
| Tweed | Purple top / creamy | None stated | Does well in poor soil |
Gowrie, Brora and Magres hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one. Marian and Tweed don't. All four RHS-listed varieties are rated H4The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →, hardy to between -10°C and -5°C.
Gowrie
Gowrie is the default: a purple-skinned swede with good flesh colour and texture, high resistance to powdery mildew, and long holding, harvestable through to January. It has no resistance to clubroot, though, so it's the choice for clean ground.
Marian
Marian "shows resistance to powdery mildew and club root", the only variety here with any clubroot resistance. It has purple skin and yellow flesh with a nutty flavour. Resistance isn't immunity, so keep liming and rotating, but anywhere clubroot has turned up before, Marian is the one to grow, even though it doesn't hold the AGM.
Brora, Magres and Tweed
Brora is the flavour pick: reddish-purple skin, creamy-yellow flesh with no bitterness, and reliable storage through autumn into the new year. It has no stated disease resistance. Magres is very winter hardy, with good flavour free from bitterness and mildew-resistant foliage, but no clubroot resistance. Tweed is a British-bred swede with a purple top and creamy flesh that does well in poor soil.
Which one for your situation
- Clubroot has been in the plot, or the ground is acidic and wet: Marian.
- Clean ground, one reliable variety: Gowrie.
- The best flavour, lifted and stored: Brora.
- Mildew has been a problem: Gowrie, Magres or Marian.
- Poor soil: Tweed.
Variety makes no difference to caterpillars, flea beetle, cabbage root fly, slugs or pigeons, so protect any swede from them.
Common questions
Which swede resists clubroot?
Marian, which shows resistance to both clubroot and powdery mildew. Gowrie, Brora and Magres have none, so on clubroot-prone ground grow Marian and keep liming and rotating.
Are Gowrie and Brora Scottish varieties?
They're named after Scottish places, the Carse of Gowrie in Perthshire and Brora in Sutherland, but a name doesn't show where a variety was bred or that it does better here.
Is swede the same as turnip?
No. Swede is Brassica napus and turnip is Brassica rapa, related but different crops. In Scotland both get called neeps, which is where the confusion starts.
Sources
Show the 7 sources
- Swede: grow your own: AGM varieties (Gowrie, Brora, Magres) and descriptions; club root; liming; leaving in the ground or lifting in cold or wet areas
- Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group) 'Gowrie': Description, holding to January, mildew resistance, H4
- Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group) 'Brora': Description, no bitterness, storage, H4
- Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group) 'Magres': Winter hardiness, flavour, mildew resistance, H4
- Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group) 'Marian': Description, resistance to powdery mildew and club root, H4, no AGM
- How to grow swede: Tweed
- James Hutton Institute — Brassica breeding: Swede breeding for disease resistance at Invergowrie