Crop type: Swedes
Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group) ‘Magres’ AGM
Common name: Swede ‘Magres’
Crop slug: swede
This Allotment Pro editorial draft summarises the cited RHS cultivar profile and its linked crop guidance. Check the sources and adjust cultivation decisions for local conditions.RHS cultivar profile
1 - Overview
‘Magres’ is a hardy biennial grown as an annual root vegetable. It produces purple-skinned swedes with yellow flesh, an excellent colour and shape, and good flavour without bitterness. The RHS profile describes it as a superior culinary swede, very winter hardy and showing good resistance to mildew.
The combination of cooking quality, strong winter hardiness and useful foliage resistance makes ‘Magres’ well suited to a maincrop harvest extending into cold weather. It holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit. Its name status is recorded by the RHS as unresolved, a source detail retained here rather than silently treating the name as accepted.
2 - Size
- Ultimate height
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Ultimate spread
- 0.1–0.5 metres
- Time to maturity
- 1 year
- Habit
- Clump-forming
The plant forms a compact leafy crown above its swollen root. Use the profile’s 15cm final spacing to give the rounded roots space to develop while keeping the rows productive.
3 - Growing conditions
- Suitable soils
- Loam or sand
- Moisture
- Well drained, or moist but well drained
- Soil pH
- Neutral or alkaline
Grow in firmly compacted, non-acid soil. The ground should supply steady moisture without waterlogging, since uninterrupted growth supports good root texture and shape. Remove large stones and prepare the seedbed before sowing so the storage root can expand evenly.
4 - Position and hardiness
- Light
- Full sun
- Aspect
- South- or west-facing
- Exposure
- Sheltered
- Hardiness
- H4 — hardy through most of the UK, tolerating approximately −10 to −5°C
‘Magres’ is specifically described as very winter hardy. Full sun helps the long-season roots swell, while a sheltered site protects the leafy crown. In exceptionally severe weather or persistently wet winter soil, use the protection and storage methods described in the parent swede guide.
5 - Colour and seasonal interest
| Season | Foliage | Root |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | — | Developing after early sowings |
| Summer | Green | Purple skin and yellow flesh developing |
| Autumn | Green | Mature, well-shaped purple root |
| Winter | Reduced or harvested | Hardy culinary root held for winter use |
Its chief identifying feature is the well-shaped purple-skinned storage root with rich yellow flesh. The green brassica foliage remains useful through summer and autumn, with the profile noting good resistance to mildew.
6 - Botanical details
- Family
- Brassicaceae
- Native to Great Britain and Ireland
- No
- Lifecycle
- Hardy biennial grown as an annual vegetable
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Habit
- Clump-forming
- Name status
- Unresolved
- Award
- RHS Award of Garden Merit
Genus
Brassica includes annual, biennial and perennial plants, generally upright with alternate, often glaucous leaves, long taproots and clusters of cross-shaped yellow or white flowers. Numerous members of the genus have been selected as food crops, including swedes, turnips, cabbages and mustards.
7 - How to grow
Cultivation
Sow outdoors from April to June where the plants are to crop. Choose full sun and a well-compacted, non-acid seedbed. Sow thinly 1cm deep with 30cm between rows, then thin seedlings to 15cm apart.
Keep weeds from competing with young plants and maintain even moisture as the roots swell. The cultivar’s winter hardiness allows a long harvest, while the parent guide provides more detail on mulching, insect-proof mesh, mature root sizing and protection or storage in severe conditions.
Propagation
Propagate by seed. Direct sowing into the cropping position avoids disturbing the taproot as it begins to develop.
Pruning
No pruning is required. Remove only leaves that are badly damaged or diseased.
Pests
Potential pests include birds, cabbage caterpillars, cabbage root fly, cabbage whitefly, cutworms, flea beetles, mealy cabbage aphid, slugs, snails and swede midge. Rotate brassicas, inspect plants regularly and secure fine mesh before pests reach the crop.
Diseases
The profile lists possible black rot, club root and leaf spot. Its noted good mildew resistance is a useful cultivar trait, but resistant foliage still benefits from even moisture, airflow, suitable soil pH and crop rotation.