Jan–MarApr–JunJul–SepOct–Dec
Planting
Days to maturity
Seasonal yields
Sow indoors · Direct sow · Transplant outdoors
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Plant · P-718
Rapeseed
Brassica napus
Rapeseed is grown mainly for the oil pressed from its seed, sold as canola once bred into low-erucic-acid strains that removed the toxicity older varieties carried. The whole plant earns its keep beyond the seed - young leaves, flowering stems and sprouts are all edible, and grazing animals do well on it as a fast-growing forage crop, though it has to be introduced gradually and capped in the daily ration to avoid bloat and anemia. The leftover meal after pressing is a high-protein livestock feed that rivals soybean meal, and the whole plant works as a green manure, its deep taproot loosening heavy soil while its flowers feed nectar to bees.
Record at a glance
Growing profile
- Sun
- Full Sun · Partial Sun
- USDA zone
- USDA 2–11
- Soil
- Sand · Loam · Clay
- Moisture
- Well-Drained · Moist
Vertical layer
Herbaceous- Soil pH
- 6–7
- Plant type
- Annual
- Mature height
- 2–4 ft
- Mature spread
- 12–24 in
- Plant spacing
- 6–10 in
- Root type
- Tap
- Spread pattern
- Seed
Keep exploring
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Solanum aethiopicum
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Agrimony
Agrimonia eupatoria
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Alfalfa
Medicago sativa
Alfalfa is a deep-rooted perennial legume grown worldwide as one of the richest forage crops available, its taproot running six metres or…
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Aloe Vera
Aloe vera
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Amaranth Greens
Amaranthus tricolor
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Angelica
Angelica archangelica
Angelica is a very large, short-lived umbellifer grown for its candied stem and aromatic root - the thick young stalks are peeled and boiled…
Herbaceous · USDA 5–7
The deeper layer
Plan what comes next.
- Primary
- Locked ecological function
- Secondary
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- Byproduct
- Locked ecological function
Behind the record
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