Gardening in Northern Sweden
This article is for people wondering what it is like growing vegetables in northern Sweden, compared to places like the UK.
The Seasons
Not much happens prior to April as there is deep snow cover and permafrost.
In April the temperature is changing rapidly and the snow is melting. Plants are already being prepared indoors and later in the greenhouse but the timing is difficult. If the plants live too long indoors they become long and weak. We slowly move the plants from the house, to the greenhouse. In May they will more to the outside.
The last frost is approximately in week1 of May, which feels late. Through May is a good time to be repairing raised beds and building anything new. Most trees bloom in the last week and it is important to clear cocooning bugs from the smaller apple trees.
June is marked by long hours of daylight, intense sunlight and heat, and wind. Plants can really suffer in June without some protection. Mosquitos and horseflys make watering in the evenings a pain so it requires a facenet and loose-fitting clothing. Aphids start to attack any struggling plants.
July things get easier. There’s more likely to be rain and the plants have an easier time. In the last week of July the blueberries ripen.
August can be wet and is starting to be noticably darker. We start to harvest. Slugs can be a growing problem through the year.
September is the last month, and any final harvesting happens. Tools and equipment need to be put away before winter. The first light frosts hit in week 2-3 and start killing off parts of unharvested plants.
October, temperatures drop below zero, the first snow comes and no more growing is possible.
November is the last chance to tidy up any garden projects and move any equipment to or front the greenhouse as the frost will stick things to the grounds and heavy snow will come soon.
Types of Plant That We Normally Grow
- Apple trees
- Aubergines
- Black and red currents
- Blueberry bushes
- Brocholli
- Brussel Sprouts
- Cabbage
- Chives
- Courgette / Zucchini
- Garlic
- Gooseberries
- Kale
- Jerusalem artichokes
- Onions
- Plums
- Potatoes, early and late crops
- Raspberries
- Strawberries
- Sweet potatoes
- Tomatoes (in greenhouse)
Growing Problems
The two main problems relate to the season length and plant zoning for winter survival.
As an example of season length issues, Sweetcorn is tricky to finish in time. It needs every single day of the growing season in order to be ready in time before the first frost, and also needs great soil, fertiliser, and consistent watering. We grow it mainly because two separate people told us it would be impossible, and so we now must grow it to prove them wrong. We are very stubborn.
Plants intended for a warmer growing zone can be planted but in spring will likely have had all branches killed, down to the height of the winter snowcover. Even being of the correct zone wont stop this however. An especially cold (-30C) early winter with high winds blew away the small amount of snow cover for many of our blueberry bushes. As a result they have spent the spring and summer recovering with the higher parts of the bushes dried and dead. We could have put fleece on them but the strong winds catching the fleece would have risked snapping the plants.
My tactic for the next winters is to create more wind reduction in the garden with strategic features that let the wind through but slow it down. If you had them available, I think something like straw bales near the plants would also be great as it would give some protection from wind whilst supporting its own weight and not changing shape before the snow became established.
Garden Pests
The main pests we have are slugs on the vegetables, and caterpillars on the fruit trees. Greenfly are present but mostly target plants and trees that have had a bad winter or are suffering for other reasons. So it’s a good idea to treat the greenfly but also a great idea to find and treat any underlying cause.
Similar to the UK, cats wander outdoors and tomcats will spray bushes and similar, so don’t eat raspberries and similar without washing them.
Watering
Watering is the main problem in mid summer. Not only the amount of watering needed during the summer but also the opportunity for watering is more limited. Watering plants during the day in full sunlight causes problems; it’s much better for the soil to be wet and the leaves to be dry.
If you have a stream you’re allowed to extract water for irrigation, up to a specific limit. Depending on your area, the stream might not be clean however so it’s better to use this water for trees. Specifically in rural areas, peoples septic cistern systems may discharge into the stream.
Using a Greenhouse
The greenhouse doesn’t solve all problems but starts the growing season sooner and extends the growing season significantly for the plants inside. A small greenhouse oil heater can help in late April or early may to keep the temperature above zero during overnight temperature drops. The rest of the year it is important not to overfill it as it causes ventilation, bug, and fungus problems.
Because of the large season shifts compared to the UK, there isn’t much to gain from thicker polycarbonate sheets and triple cell designs. Essentially once it goes below zero it is also dark, and heading consistently towards -10C, then -20C and then colder. There is no occasional warm sunny day to make the greenhouse warm again. If you do need to grow something, the basement of the house or the garage will be warmer.
I built our greenhouse slightly below ground to try and keep the temperature more consistent. This also causes water ingress issues in the spring as the snow melts but we have a pump out point which we use for about 7-10 days.
