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Soil preparation
Rutabagas should not follow other cole crops.
Total nutrient uptake is 165 lbs. of N, 10 lbs. of P and 200 lbs. of K.
A soil test will determine how much compost to apply.
Spread lime as needed to increase both the pH and Ca levels. Dolomite lime will also increase Mg levels. Spread gypsum when calcium levels are low but pH is correct.
A fertilizer company can add OMRI-listed potassium sulfate to compost if it doesn’t have enough K to meet the crop’s needs.
Test for boron and apply only as recommended by the soil test. A fertilizer company can add boron to compost to optimize boron distribution. If this isn’t an option, distribute soluble boron through a water solution with a sprayer directly on the soil. If applied directly on the crop don’t exceed more than 1 lb. of boron per acre to avoid leaf burn.
Jang, Sutton Jr. or Planet Jr. planters in combination with small seeds like rutabagas don’t perform well with plant matter on the soil surface, so avoid planting them after tall green manures.
Direct-seeded rutabaga requires a fine and firm seedbed. Prepare the land a few weeks in advance to provide the opportunity for some initial weed control via shallow cultivation or flaming.
Alternatively, place a silage tarp over the prepared and irrigated seedbed 3–5 weeks in advance of the seeding date, depending on the time of year. This will flush many annual weed seeds and reduce weed pressure. Remove the tarp when the weeds have died.
Common recommended fertilizer rates1
Nitrogen
Phosphorus
Potassium
pH
60
0-125
0-200
6.0-6.4
1Rates are for New York and are from Cornell University’s Nutrient Guidelines for Commercial Vegetable Production (2019). Check the Cornell website for updated guidelines, or consult with local experts for recommended rates outside New York.
Greenhouse guidelines
EZ Seeder seeding plate #16
Cell pack tray
Germination temp
Growth temp
Hardening off
Notes
72, 98 or 128
75°
65°–75°
Withhold water
Put plug trays on a wire mesh bench to encourage air pruning. Take plants outside 1 week before planting in field.
Signs to watch for and what to do
Rutabagas perform poorly in a cell pack and tend to look a bit scraggly. It takes them a bit longer to develop a strong root system in the cells. As a result, many growers direct seed rutabagas.
Transplant readiness indicators
Harden plants off outside; plants that are lush don’t perform well in the field.
Plants are ready when they come easily out of their cells. Be extra careful when handling the young seedlings, as the leaves are thin. Plants shouldn’t be older than 5 weeks.
Transplanter
Rows
In-row spacing
Planting depth (inches)
Notes
3
9 inches
Same level as the soil
Use 9-inch sprocket
Direct seeding information
Seeder
Rows
Seeds per foot
Seed plate no.
Depth (inches)
Sprocket setting
Notes
Planet Jr.
3
25
1-2
Depth 2
Only use regular shoes
MaterMacc
3
3
24 H 1.0
1/4-1/2
22-17
Jang
3
4-6
Y 12
Front 14/rear 10
Cultivation procedures
Use a basket weeder or wheel hoe when weeds are in the white thread stage, without burying the young crop. Weed control is more effective when you eliminate weeds before they emerge.
Hand hoe between plants.
Use spring hoes in combination with side knives or sweeps for a second cultivation before a second flush of weeds emerges. Remove any remaining weeds by hand. The spring hoes will slightly hill and bury small, emerging weeds effectively.
Frost, disease and insect protection
Control black rot (Xanthomonas) by purchasing clean seeds, keeping the greenhouse clean and exposing seed to hot water treatment. Some organic seed suppliers hot treat their seeds, so check with them before applying your own treatment, as double treatment can affect germination.
Check the soil for wireworms as a high population can cause roots to become unmarketable. To avoid wireworm damage, rotate with crops like onions, lettuce and alfalfa, or include buckwheat as a cover crop the previous year. Some results have been obtained using beneficial entomopathogenic nematodes. Also promising results have been obtained when applying Beauvaria bassiana.
Cover the crop with floating row covers or insect netting before emergence or after transplanting to avoid flea beetle damage. Keep covered until harvest. Alternatively, use a spinosyn-based product like Entrust.
If possible, follow Extension bulletins that publish the timing of each generation of flea beetles, or place yellow sticky cards at plant height to monitor their presence. Check the cards at least twice a week.
Spray beneficial nematodes on heavily infected land to control flea beetle grubs and avoid future generations. Flea beetles tend to overwinter in nearby hedgerows and grass strips.
You can prevent cutworms by spraying the soil with the beneficial nematode Steinernema carpocapsae. Once the pest is in the crop, control the population by spraying the crop with Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, or spread a baited product containing spinosyn, like Seduce, around the plants.
Cabbage maggots: To reduce infestation of cabbage maggots on young seedlings, cover seedlings with floating row covers or insect netting, as you would for flea beetles. Maggots appear in 3–4 generations in the Northeast, starting in early spring.
Scout for the eggs of imported cabbage worms or diamondback moths on the underside of leaves. When the small worm population is over 2 per plant, spray a Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt aizawai or Bt kurstaki) product, such as XenTari, or a spinosyn-based product, such as Entrust, every week until the population is under control. Alternate your spraying schedule by using Bt products along with a spinosyn-based product to avoid resistance buildup.
Other cultural practices
Irrigate frequently for optimum yield and plant health. Frequency depends on soil type, evaporation, precipitation and the particular needs of the crop.
Double cropping and/or cover cropping
Rutabagas are generally harvested too late to be followed by a cover crop.
Harvest
Yield
An average of 2.55 lbs. of marketable rutabaga per row foot.
Standards
Harvesting1 Depends on size, but 400 lbs. per hour is not unusual. Expect to harvest more than 400 lbs when rutabagas are large.
Washing 350–400 lbs. per hour per person when using a brusher washer.
Tools and supplies needed
A tractor with a forklift, 20-bushel bulk bins, harvest buckets and sharp knives, or 1 ⅓-bushel harvest boxes
1Harvest rates don't include the time required to transport crops from the field to a wash and pack shed or storage facility.
Ready-to-harvest and quality indicators
Before the ground freezes or before the tubers get too big for consumption. Rutabagas should not weigh more than 3 lbs.
Rutabagas aren’t a pretty looking crop to begin with, but only harvest tubers that are relatively round and don’t weigh more than 3 lbs. You can feed unmarketable ones to farm animals.
Harvest procedures
Pull rutabagas out of the ground, trim off any excess roots, then cut the stem about an inch above the tuber. Leave them in a windrow or put them directly in a bucket or harvest box.
When harvesting for long-term storage, transfer the buckets into 20-bushel bins. A tractor with forks drives slowly along the harvested bed so that the crew doesn’t have to lug the full buckets to the headland. If harvesting multiple beds, leave the buckets where you emptied them. This prevents unnecessary trips to retrieve buckets.
Washing procedures
Wash hands and rinse boots before entering the wash-and-pack shed, and cover up field clothes with a bib. If a long-sleeve shirt contains soil, remove this as well.
At 32°–41° and 95–100% humidity. Pack in closed containers or bags for long-term storage.
This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture through the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.
