Rapeseed
Brassica napus var. napus
Also known as
Canola, Oilseed Rape
Photo by HTKy (All rights reserved)
Full Sun
Easy care
Light watering
Half-hardy
H7-H3
RHS hardiness
-20°C
Minimum temperature
Expected size
Height | Spread | |
|---|---|---|
2m | Max | 50cm |
50cm | Min | 30cm |
Flowering
-
spring
-
summer
-
autumn
-
winter
This plant has a mild fragrance
Rapeseed Overview
Canola are annual easy-to-grow herbs with compound leaves that bear bright yellow flowers in summer. The plant is used to make rapeseed oil, which is used for cooking and as a salad oil, as well as in mayonnaise and margarine. Rapeseed have a high vitamin C and mineral content. The registered name comes from a company in Canada, hence Can(Canada)o(oil)la(low acid)!
Common problems with Rapeseed
Alternaria leaf spot, blackleg, black rot, cabbage aphid, cutworms, downy mildew, flea beetles, white mould, and white rust.
How to harvest Rapeseed
Rapeseed is a fast-ripening plant and is ready for harvest when the seeds turn from green to black. Rapeseed is mechanically harvested by combine, swathing or cut by hand.
How to propagate Rapeseed
Seed
Sow seeds shallowly, 2–3 cm deep, 18–23 cm apart in Spring and 40 cm apart in Winter. Germination takes 4-10 days.
Special features of Rapeseed
Attracts useful insects
Attracts hoverflies which consume aphids, as well as attracting bees and butterflies.
Crop rotation
Useful as an alternative crop in crop rotation.
Other uses of Rapeseed
Culinary
Edible
The seeds are edible and are used to produce Rapeseed Oil/Canola Oil.