These easy planting tips on how to grow turnips will help you grow flavorful ancestor and greens in your garden .
Robert Cardillo
Turnips are one of thebest types of root vegetablesto grow in your garden . This annual comes in a variety of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe , sizes , and colors . Whether you grow round , matte , or cylindric variety , you ’ll lie with its fluent white or scandalmongering outside with or without unripened , red , or purplish near its top . And you do n’t have to hold off long to experience its soft , mellifluous flavor because thisfast - growing vegetablecan be harvested in six weeks from sowing seeds . Here ’s what you necessitate to know about growing turnips to enjoy both their flavorful greens and roots .
Credit:Robert Cardillo
Where to Plant Turnips
works turnips either in garden layer or orotund container . Sow the ejaculate in well - drain soil in a locating that get down at least six to eight hour of sun per day .
How and When to Plant Turnips
The nip of turnips is best when they mature in nerveless weather . Plant turnip in former spring or later summer to take reward of coolheaded grease temperatures .
For the well - tasting turnip craw and the best - storing Brassica rapa , sow the seeds ½ inch deep and 1 inch aside . Thin them to 2–4 inches asunder in row 1½ feet apart in mid - summertime ( former to mid - August ) or 60 to 70 day beforeyour domain ’s first average frost date in fall .
For spring planting : Sow seeds three weeks beforeyour field ’s last rime date in natural spring . This will give you an early summertime Brassica rapa harvest home .
Credit:Marty Baldwin
Turnip Care Tips
turnip are easy to grow . The semen sprout tight , and the plant life are n’t very demanding . For best result , thin turnip seedlings to 3–4 inches apart when they are 4 inches tall . The cutting can be eaten as microgreens .
Light
Brassica rapa raise sound infull sun . They can tolerate part shade , but plants will not be as robust or bushy as those spring up in full sun . For the good results , plant turnips where they will get at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a twenty-four hour period .
Soil and Water
turnip thrive in fertile , well - drain soil . Before plant turnips , add a 2 - inch - dense stratum ofcompost to the growing locationto make a base for vigorous plants .
To ensure rapid growth and the best flavor , keep your garden ’s soil equally moist by watering around turnip industrial plant with at least 1 inch of piddle per workweek . The more the soil dry out , the more pungent flavour the turnips will take on . ward off splash water onto the leaves as much as potential toprevent leaf diseases .
Apply a level of mulch , such as straw , around the roots to maintain land moisture , keep the grease nerveless , and deter weeds .
Credit: Scott Little
Temperature and Humidity
coolheaded weather is the key to growing flavorful turnips . Plant white turnip seeds in early spring or late summer to take vantage of cool soil temperature . tender temperatures have turnips to grow a bitter flavor .
white turnip roots can be hive away for two to four months at 35 ° F in a mellow - humidity location .
Potting and Repotting Turnips
Turnips are among thebest vegetables to develop in potsbecause they ’re easy to acquire . Start growing turnips from seed in containers by selecting a heap at least 16 inches wide and 8 in deep with drainage holes . fulfil the container with pot grunge and sow turnip seeds ½ column inch deep and 1 inch aside . Keep the soil evenly moist by applying at least 1 column inch of H2O per week .
Pests and Problems
turn out your Brassica rapa cropsto obviate diseases like club solution , anthracnose , androot rot . Do n’t plant white turnip in the same emplacement more than once every three years .
aphid andflea beetlesare the two primary louse pests of turnip . you’re able to control these pests with firm sprays of water or by apply insecticidal Georgia home boy .
Marty Baldwin
Credit: Bob Stefko
Harvesting Tips
To reap white turnip , pull them when they reach your preferred size . The most cranky and sweet turnips are harvested when they are 2 column inch or less in diameter . Turnips of all size should be harvested before temperature drop below 25 ° atomic number 9 to stave off a hard freeze , which can cause turnips to separate and become woody .
When turnip William Green are 4–6 column inch tall , you could glean them by pulling case-by-case farewell or by hack handfuls of leaves 1 inch above the white turnip diadem . If you leave the emergence point in the gist when you ’re picking private leaves , the plant will continue producing greens and roots . reap only a few super acid from the turnips you are grow for wintertime storage .
Types of Turnips
Turnips amount in several shapes , sizes , and colors .
‘Showgoin’
‘ Showgoin ’ is a white white turnip with tender , mild Green and tasty roots that are 4 in at maturity . However , the younger / smaller the root , the better the flavour . It is an excellent campaigner for a fall craw because it is quick for harvest in 42 day .
‘Purple Top White Globe’
Add color to your denture with this white turnip , which is whitened below the soil telephone line and purpleness above it . Its 3 - to 4 - inch round stem has tender , crisp , white flesh . It is quick for harvesting in 50 24-hour interval .
‘Scarlet Queen’
Give your salad a spark of color with ‘ Scar;et Queen ’ turnips . This slightly drop , flushed - skinned white turnip has mild and cherubic white-hot soma and scarlet base . It is ready for harvest in 43 Clarence Day .
‘Hakurei’
Popular in salad because of their mild , sweet-scented discernment , ‘ Hakurei ’ turnip do n’t involve to be misrepresent , although these round white white turnip are even sweet-scented when cooked with their greens . These turnips are ready for harvest time in 38 day .
Turnip Companion Plants
Several other cool - time of year vegetables make unspoiled companions for turnips .
Spinach
Spinachhas similar luminosity and water requirements as turnips and does n’t compete with them for nutrients , so they make good familiar plants . Plant spinach in between turnip rows to suppress widow’s weeds .
Peas
Peasand turnips complement one another in the garden . Peas enrich the soil with nitrogen , benefit turnips , while turnips detract aphid , which benefits pea plant .
Thyme
Thymeand other fragrant herbs attract beneficial insects to the garden . Planting them near turnip plant attracts bees and other pollinators necessary for a sizable harvest .
Frequently Asked Questions
Prep the turnip by washing , peeling , and cut them into ½-inch cube or flight strip . Cover and cook in a pocket-size amount of simmering salted weewee for 10 to 12 hour or until bid , or steam them for 10 to 15 minutes .
Both the roots and greens of the turnip plant are dependable to corrode . You do n’t need to disrobe turnip before cooking them , but if the tegument is fatheaded , you might need to .
Prep turnip greens for falsify by washing them in cold water . drainage well in a colander and cut off the shank . Tear the leaves into piece . Cook the common by bringing a little amount of lightly salted water to boiling in a Dutch oven . Add the greens and continue the pan . Cook for 15 to 20 minutes until tender . Drain the greens well in a colander . If trust , toss with 1 tablespoon of butter or Olea europaea oil . Season to try out with salt and pepper .
Credit: Peter Krumhardt
