Should I be harvesting my swedes and turnips?

Swedes.  I should leave them in the ground and use them from there.  You could cover them with straw should there be a threat of frost.

Turnips are a smidge more delicate, I should lift in about a month and store in sand or sawdust.


Cheers,     Tony.

they will stay happily in the ground for some time but I would pick them as and when you need them at this stage.

And they both freeze perfectly and do not lost flavour after freezing (if you still have room in the freezer!)

As already suggested by other members I would leave the swedes and use them as required direct from your plot. Frost (even hard frost) and snow will not affect swedes and some even say they taste better after being frozen. Swedes will also get bigger than the size of grapefruit if left (and they have been correctly thinned out). Opinions may vary but I personally don't think that bigger swedes taste any different either.

You may want to net the swedes if you leave them in the ground. The pigeons started to peck at the top of our swedes last year. It did not harm them but they just looked a little unsightly.

Hope this helps.

My swedes will remain in the soil under nets as need.

They are a winter crop here, so, leave them until after at least the first frost, they wont come to any harm in the cold - like parsnips,  this develops their taste - if you lift them before a frost they are very bland.