Horseradishįresh horseradish is widely used in Swedish food but it is hard to buy in the UK. Expect the roots to be ready for picking after 10-12 weeks. Sow at monthly intervals from mid April until mid June to enjoy a regular supply of tender roots. Although they are easy to grow, they don't like dry conditions, so if it doesn't rain, water moderately at fortnightly intervals. Sow two seeds at 10 cm intervals and thin out to leave a single plant at each station. You can also choose different colours and patterns such as chioggia, a striking globe variety that has red and white rings on the inside. The advantage of growing your own is that you can pull the roots when they are golf-ball size, smaller than you will normally find on supermarket shelves. Beetroot plants look good wherever you put them and so can be planted in ornamental borders as well as in vegetable gardens. Beetrootīeetroot is one of the least demanding crops: it grows quickly, doesn't need much space, can tolerate virtually any soil and it doesn't mind cool conditions. Keep the soil constantly moist by watering around the plants – not over them as it can cause mildew.Ĭut the fruits when they are about 12-20 cm long using a sharp knife.

Pinch out the tips of flowerless sideshoots after seven leaves. The developing sideshoots can be left to trail over the ground or trained up stout netting or bamboo canes. When the plants have developed seven leaves pinch out the growing tip. Water the pots well before transplanting and remove them carefully from their pots as cucumbers don't like their roots being disturbed Choose a sunny position with shelter from strong winds. The plants should be gradually acclimatised to outdoor conditions over 7-10 days before transplanting into warm, well drained and rich soil. Cucumber seedlings can be prone to scorching, so take care to shade them from direct sunlight. Try to maintain a minimum temperature of 15☌ and keep the compost moist but not wet. Once they have germinated you can move them to a bright windowsill. Place the pots inside a plastic bag at a temperature of 20☌ until they germinate. Sow cucumber seed on their sides at a depth of 1 cm in 7.5 cm pots of free-draining, seed sowing compost. You can also pick them when they are the right size for your needs.Ĭucumbers can be grown in large pots, growbags or directly in the ground provided they are in a warm sheltered spot and the soil is fertile.Ĭhoose a ridge type, the name given to cucumbers grown outside, such as Zeina (above) or Picolino, both obtainable from Thompson & Morgan. Freshly picked cucumbers straight from the garden are much sweeter, heavier and crisper. They are not really suitable for pickling either, because they are too big. They need a sunny spot for the fruit to ripen.Īlthough cucumbers are plentiful in supermarkets, the cellophane wrapped giants lining the shelves tend to be watery and rather tasteless. They can be grown in pots or as attractive edging plants. I recommend a fully hardy variety called Fragaria vesca, which is available from the Royal Horticultural Society. They are particularly nice for decorating summer cakes. I have never seen them in a UK supermarket so I think that is a good reason for growing them! They are very aromatic and sweet, but much smaller, less juicy, a little more seedy and usually darker than their big cousins. Swedes like to gather them in the forest, but they are also grown by gardeners. Smultron (alpine or woodland strawberries) are far more popular in Sweden than in the UK.

Smultron (Alpine or woodland strawberries) It will normally grow to a height of about 70 cm (just over 2 feet). If space permits, sow the seeds once a month from mid March until mid May. It can be grown in a small bed, in a pot or against a wall.

somewhat fertile soil, but for the best flavour don't add fertiliser or manure.

moist soil whilst getting established,.

In fact that is the best way of growing dill, as it hates disturbance. Dill is a hardy annual that can be grown from seed. Many supermarkets are now beginning to stock dill fronds but I have never seen dill crowns (flowers) in a UK supermarket, so this is my top recommendation. They are all difficult to buy in most supermarkets and they are particularly popular ingredients in Swedish food. Of course, the list of things that you could grow is endless so I have picked out some plants that I think are particularly worth growing. You don't need green fingers or a big garden to grow some plants that will enhance your Swedish dishes. Swedish food for an English garden Plants for Swedish food lovers

Smultron seeds