Swift and Redstart at home in wintry Britain

New hybrid brassicas bred in New Zealand with the combined attributes of winter tolerance and rapid growth are proving their value in Britain’s coldest winter for almost 30 years.

Used widely throughout the country as the mainstay of increasingly popular out-wintering systems, the varieties Swift and Redstart are maintaining performance in the most demanding of conditions, according to British Seed Houses.

"These hybrid brassicas can withstand frost in the same way as kale but are more akin to forage rape in their rapid growth potential," says Paul Billings of British Seed Houses. "Whilst standard forage rape crops are losing their leaves and lying down, Swift and Redstart crops are withstanding the snow and frost and are continuing to provide quality forage for grazing livestock."