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WHAT'S ON IN SWEDEN

CHRISTMAS

Six Christmas events to kick off December in Sweden

December is officially under way and that means the Christmas season is starting to pick up pace. Here are six great events to kick the festive period off across Sweden this weekend.

Published: 1 December 2016 06:59 CET
Six Christmas events to kick off December in Sweden
Gothenburg is about to turn on its 'Lane of Light' from the centre of the city to Liseberg. Photo: Liseberg

The Lane of Light, Gothenburg

One way to make the most of Christmas in Gothenburg this year is to follow the city’s 'Lane of Light'. In essence it’s a three kilometre stretch of Christmas light installations running from Göteborg Opera on the harbour to the Liseberg amusement park further south, with various buildings, bridges and more lit up in different ways along the route.

The path also cuts through Kungsportsplatsen, where Gothenburg’s ‘Singing Christmas Tree’ will feature daily performances of Christmas songs until December 23rd. The Lane of Light starts on December 1st and continues until January 8th. A handy map of the route can be found here.


A section of a previous incarnation of the Lane of Lights. Photo: Dino Soldin/Göeborg & Co

Icehotel 365, Jukkasjärvi

The Icehotel in Jukkasjärvi near Kiruna is famous the world over, but while previous incarnations of the building have been allowed to melt before being completely remodeled and rebuilt each year, this month marks the launch of a new permanent section.

Icehotel 365 boasts nine deluxe suites – each with their own sauna – as well as its own ice bar and ice gallery, but apart from that most of the details are being kept under wraps, including what it will look like! As usual everything is built out of snow and ice, sculpted by artists who have been brought in from around the world to create it. The new section opens on December 1st, so why not start Christmas by finding out what all the fuss is about? Prices and tickets are available here.

Christmas concert, Uppsala

University city Uppsala will get the month going in a more subtle way with a Christmas concert this weekend to help spread some festive cheer.

The performance will take place on Saturday afternoon at Helga Trefaldighets church right next to Uppsala cathedral, and while the building isn’t quite as grand as its bigger neighbour, it still dates back to the 1300s. Vocal group Simplyfive will perform, times and the venue’s address can be found here.

 

A photo posted by Krystal  (@semi__swede) on Nov 11, 2016 at 7:02am PST

Winter Live, Umeå

Northern Sweden's biggest town is set to host a special winter event during the first weekend of December which will take over Rådhusesplanaden, the stretch between Rådhustorget and Järnvägstorget. That means music, dancing and other performances, reindeer, mulled wine and much more.

The events will run between noon and 4pm on Saturday and Sunday. Details are available here.

 

Streetviews #umea #umeå #visitumea #visitsweden #swedishmoments #northernsweden #november #streetview #umeälven

A photo posted by Visit Umeå (@visitumea) on Nov 14, 2016 at 5:33am PST

Live Christmas calendar, Stockholm

Every year, TV network SVT broadcasts a new Christmas calendar series with daily episodes airing between December 1st and Christmas Eve, and it’s so popular that many consider it an essential part of Swedish Christmas tradition.

The concept is taken a step further by the Mäster Olofsgården charity in Stockholm’s Old Town, which for the last 12 years has organized a live Christmas calendar in the area. At 6.15pm each day between December 1st and 24th different windows will open in Gamla Stan and a new Christmas calendar scene will be performed by Swedish actors and musicians, so if you’re in the neighbourhood at that time it’s worth keeping an eye and an ear open.

For those not willing to leave it to chance, a map of the different windows and the corresponding dates on which they will be opened on can be found here.

 

#gamlastan #levandejulkalender #godjul #julafton

A photo posted by Gustaf Hedberg (@stepmonto) on Dec 24, 2015 at 2:50am PST

Winter Magic, Malmö

One of Malmö’s biggest 2016 Christmas celebrations will take place at Gustav Adolfs torg under the umbrella of “Winter Magic” (Vintermagi). The square will be covered in lights and host igloos, a winter garden, and of course, a Swedish Christmas market from now until December 23rd.

READ ALSO: Ten of the merriest Christmas fairs in Sweden

The festivities are open daily between 11am and 6pm, and cost nothing to look at. The sweet treats on sale at the market are a different question.

Check out our interactive calendar below for more things to do in Sweden.

 

 

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For members

FARMING

How to grow your own fruits and vegetables in Sweden

Whether you were a keen gardener or not before you moved to Sweden, growing in the Nordic climate might not be quite what you're used to. The Local spoke to master gardener John Taylor for his tips on growing veg in Sweden.

Published: 6 May 2024 11:24 CEST
How to grow your own fruits and vegetables in Sweden

Know your growing zone

Sweden is split into eight different growing zones, known as växtzoner in Swedish, with one being the mildest zone in the far south of the country and eight being the harshest, in the far north.

The easiest way to figure out which zone you live in is to search your address on a digital growing zone chart like this one from the Swedish Garden Association.

There are two “bonus” zones too, which you’re unlikely to see on plant labels: zone zero, which refers to extra mild conditions in zone one, like a sheltered south-facing garden or the climate inside an unheated greenhouse, and the fjällzon or zone nine, which is found in mountain regions.

Lots of fruit trees can handle snow, for example, but not all of them will survive the winters in harsher, colder zones.

“Apple trees or fruit trees will survive snow,” British gardener and cider maker John Taylor, known for presenting Swedish gardening show Trädgårdstider (Garden Times), told The Local.

“You can grow all kinds of apples, pears, plums, cherries, we can grow edible quince in southern Sweden, so there’s a bunch of fruit trees which will survive, but it depends what rootstock they’re on – that’s called grundstam in Swedish,” he explained.

“There’s one rootstock called B9 that survives down to minus 40, because it’s from Russia, then there’s another called M106, and that probably doesn’t want to live in the depths of Norrland.”

Buy plants local to you

An easy way to make sure the plant you’re planning on buying is going to survive in your zone is by sourcing it from a local plant nursery or garden centre, as they won’t sell plants that can’t handle the local climate.

“There’s a nursery in the north of Sweden and Finland called Blomkvists, they sell lots of fruit varieties which will survive up there,” Taylor said. “You can grow pretty much anything you want up there, just as we can [in Skåne, southern Sweden], but it will be different varieties that taste different and will survive the frost.”

You won’t be able to grow Mediterranean fruits like lemons or oranges in Sweden unless you bring them inside during the winter, although you should be able to grow peaches or nectarines in most of the country.

“The further up in the country you go, the further north you are or the further away from the coast, the harsher the climate becomes, so you might need to have them on a south-facing wall or in a greenhouse,” Taylor said.

Think outside the box

Although the growing season in Sweden may be shorter than it is further south, there are still a number of crops from warmer climates that do surprisingly well.

“People don’t really grow cucumbers outside here, I don’t think they realise that you can actually grow them outside,” Taylor said. “Tomatoes, too. You don’t need a greenhouse, you just stick them in the ground, they’re basically a weed – you’ll get so many you won’t know what to do with them.”

Sweetcorn, for example, performs well in a Swedish climate, Taylor said, although Swedes more often grow it as a feed crop for pigs.

You can also test things by trying to build a microclimate so you can grow things that are one or even two growing zones away from yours. Usually this is done by providing shelter from the wind and the weather using fences, hedges or by planting near buildings, as well as providing protection during the winter.

And if you’re pushed for space, look into companion planting, where you can grow multiple plants which complement each other in the same space.

One example of this is the “three sisters”: corn, climbing beans (or peas), and squash. The corn provides a support for the beans or peas, which anchor the corn in high winds while fixing nitrogen in the soil, while the squash’s large leaves provide shade for the soil, preventing it from drying out.

Don’t be put off just because you don’t have any outside space

Thinking outside the box applies to balconies too.

“If you’re in a built-up area, you will get reflected light from other buildings, so even if you’re on an east-facing balcony, you should be able to grow a lot of stuff. North is a bit more tricky, but east and west are probably better than south as you’re not getting hammered by the sun all day,” Taylor said.

You should be able to grow things like tomatoes, cucumbers and flowers, but it’s important to get hold of good soil and replenish it each year, so your plants have enough nutrients.

“Anybody with a balcony can grow pretty much the same that you can in a garden, you just have to get the soil up there and you always have to fertilise, the soil becomes nutrient deficient after one season.”

“But if you’re prepared to get the soil up on your balcony you can grow anything, even fruit trees. They will be smaller and stunted, and won’t give as much fruit – I’ve done it myself – so don’t see it as an obstacle, see it as a possibility.”

Kale and tomatoes growing on a balcony. Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

Take inspiration from Swedish growers

Thinking outside the box doesn’t mean that you should completely ignore what all your Swedish neighbours are doing. If you’re not sure what to plant in your garden or what fruit and veg you should try to grow, take a look at what other people who live near you are growing.

You might also come across some crops you’ve never tried before which work well in a Swedish climate, like Alpine strawberries (smultron), honeyberries (blåbärstry), wild garlic (ramslök) or sea buckthorn (havtorn).

This doesn’t just apply to varieties, but also where you plant them in your garden. Some crops need full sun, some work best in shade, and others, like asparagus, can grow tall and cast a shadow over your garden.

“You want a south-facing location for all fruit, and berries – check out what your neighbours are doing,” Taylor said.

If you don’t want tall plants to cast a shadow over other crops, see if you can plant them at the northernmost edge of your garden, while making sure that sun and soil conditions are still optimal. Blueberries, for example, need acidic soil to thrive, meaning you will probably need to amend your soil if planting in the ground, or even plant them in containers.

Think about what you want to do with your harvest

This may seem obvious, but it’s important to plant what you like to eat, too. If you hate the aniseedy, licorice-y taste of fennel, why bother growing it?

You should also choose the variety of crop based on what you’re going to use it for. Do you want to make pickles with your cucumbers, or are you going to eat them on salads? Do you want cherry tomatoes for snacking on, or big beef tomatoes for making sauces?

“Think ‘what am I going to do with my harvest’,” Taylor said. “Am I going to juice it? Am I going to preserve it? Am I going to make cider with it, for example?”

Apples, for example, can range from sweet eating apples to tart cooking apples, so make sure you do your research before you commit to buying an apple tree. Most varieties exist in English-speaking countries, so you should be able to search the name of the variety online and find some information in a language you understand, if you don’t speak Swedish.

“Patience is a virtue,” he added. “A lot of fruit trees are going to take two or three years, or even more, to give a harvest. So you have to have patience.”

Learn to deal with the Swedish weather

Many areas of Sweden along the coast or in the south of the country can get windy, which you’ll have to learn to deal with.

“How to deal with the wind? You can’t,” Taylor said. “We cannot affect this, we are powerless.”

“What you have to do is plant them in areas where there’s less wind, usually behind large buildings.”

Some plants simply won’t survive the wind, so either you plant them close to buildings, protect them, or accept that you’re restricted in what you can grow.

Make sure to provide supports for crops which will grow tall, like sunflowers, peas, beans and sweetcorn, and tie these down well or bury them deep in the ground, so summer storms can’t blow them away.

Listen to the full interview with John Taylor in The Local’s Sweden in Focus Extra podcast for Membership+ subscribers. Out on Wednesday, May 8th. 

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