Many gardeners love to plant Brassica rapa in their garden . turnip are a good option for the beginner gardener as they are typically easy to care for and uprise well with other root vegetables , such ascarrotsor radishes . And because they like cool weather and grow apace , it ’s potential to grow a spring crop and afall cropevery season .
Like beets , turnips can be grown for the greens or the bulb . turnip are extremity of the brassica family of cruciferous vegetables , and their tops – which savor a little likemustard greens – can be falsify or eaten raw in salad . The roots can be boiled and crunch , but are most often used in soups or stews .
How to plant turnips
Though they turn good in coolheaded temperature , turnips typically require full Sunday but will tolerate fond tint . To thrive , turnips need well - draining , fertile soil with a fair neutralpH level – ideally between 6.0 and 7.5 .
If you plan to grow Brassica rapa mostly for the Green , apply an organic plant food with plenty of nitrogen , which will encourage leaf growth , such as a 15 - 5 - 0 ; if you ’ll be using the roots , use a 5 - 10 - 10 organic plant food . Always addcompostto provide nutrient and promote drain .
When to Sow Turnip Seeds
If you ’re planning a summertime crop , sow turnip seed outdoors early in the saltation – white turnip are quite hardy so they can be sown about a month before thelast icing date . A fall harvest should be initiate about two months before the first expected Robert Frost . Turnips do n’t tolerate heat well , so avoid mid - summertime plantings . In some temperate zones , if you stagger your seminal fluid sowing at 10 - day intervals , you could harvest turnips continually .
white turnip seed should be sown directly in the garden layer . Sow the source about an inch apart and compensate them lightly with 1/4”-1/2 ” of soil . lacrimation immediately will assist belt along up the germination process – with luck , your seeds should stock within a calendar week .
Water your turnips regularly so that the soil stays moist during the germination stop . When the seedling reach 4 ” tall , thin the plants , leaving 2 - 4 ” between each . you may use the tender vernal jet in salad .
Growing tips
As your turnip seedlings grow , be trusted to take away any weed that may be compete for water or nutrients . If the soil comprise batch of organic topic , it may not be necessary , but you may fertilize your Brassica rapa patch a 2d prison term about one calendar month after planting . When the seedling reach 5 - 6 ” marvelous , add a 2”-thick stratum of mulch to keep the filth moist and help combat weeds . If the soil get too dry , the turnips may produce a woody texture .
Turnip Pests and Diseases
Because turnips are plant in cool atmospheric condition and grow quickly , they are typically harvested before mostgarden pestscan become an event , but like other brassicas , they can be prostrate to several diseases .
Anthracnose , clubroot , root knot , downy mildew , leaf spot , Rhizoctonia putrefaction , strikebreaker , turnip mosaic virus , and bloodless rust ( or white smirch ) can all affect your crop . The sound way to prevent these diseases is to practicecrop revolution – never plant white turnip or any brassicas in the same garden bottom more than 2 year in a row . If your harvest developsclubroot , it ’s best to wait at least 6 years before growing white turnip in the same area again .
Some rough-cut white turnip cuss are aphids and flea mallet , which will damage the greens – use row covers to keep these insects off the turnip leafage . base maggots or wireworm can be more dangerous , as they will damage the white turnip stem – root covering can keep females from laying their testicle in your garden , but if you notice larvae that are white and yellow , as well as scarring on the surface of your turnips or feeding burrow , avoid plant crops in the same orbit next year .
When to Harvest Turnips
count on the miscellany you ’ve planted , it will take your white turnip 40 - 60 days to mature . Turnip putting green can be harvested at any time by write out them from the plant . Leave about an inch above the peak of the plant and more leaves will grow in their seat .
Turnip bulbs savor the skillful when they are small and tender – so about 45 daytime after planting , use a spading fork to softly tease apart the soil around a bulb and determine if it ’s ready for harvest . If you ’re harvesting the whole plant at once , the bulb should be about 2 ” in diameter ; if you ’ve already reap the turnip green , the beginning may be bigger – about 3 ” in diameter .
Summer turnips are more tender and should be used shortly after harvesting , but fall white turnip are typically hardier and can be stored through the wintertime . The minuscule the white turnip bulb , the milder and scented its smell will be .
In many areas , turnips planted in the evenfall can even be impart in the undercoat and glean into the winter – they will no longer be actively grow , so they will not become tough or sententious . Adding alayer of mulchwill prevent the turnips from freezing , and the cold atmospheric condition will sweeten their look .
Storing your turnips after harvest
If you project tostore your Brassica rapa , get rid of the leaves first or they will extend to draw nutrients and vigor off from the bulbs . Although you should use the greens as shortly as potential , you could salt away the roots along with your carrots , beets or turnip cabbage in a inhuman , dark position .
white turnip bulbs store well in the vegetable crisper draftsman of the refrigerator , but also in a root cellar or insensate room . They can typically be used throughout the winter . Consider hack them for lather , boil and mashing them , or bake them whole .
