Turnips are grown as a root vegetable or for their green leaves, Turnips are a cool-season crop; they expand and magnificence easiest after they come to harvest in cool local weather.
The turnip is a hardy, cool-weather biennial grown as an annual. The turnip has a rosette of good green, wavy-edged leaves that expand to 12 inches long or further. Beneath the leaves, a swollen taproot can also be creamy white, at ease yellow, red, or purple. The flesh of the root is white.
Turnips are carefully related to rutabagas; the way and texture are an an identical. Turnips are biennials maximum frequently grown as short-season annuals while rutabagas are long-season crops. Increase every for a seamless supply of roots and tops.
That is all your knowledge to emerging turnips!
Turnip Rapid Emerging Tips
- For a past due spring harvest, sow turnip seeds at once throughout the garden 2 to 3 weeks previous than the standard remaining frost date in spring. The soil should be no less than 40°F for germination. Seeds will germinate and seedlings will appear in about 7 days.
- Sow turnips in past due summer time for autumn harvest; in early autumn for past due autumn harvest, and in past due autumn for winter harvest in reverse-season spaces.
- Turnips expand to maturity in 2 to 3 months depending on the variety.
- Turnip yield: plant 5 to 10 plants in keeping with circle of relatives member.
Where to Increase Turnips
- Increase turnips in entire sun or partial shade.
- Plant turnips in well-drained soil rich in herbal subject with a soil pH of 6.5 to 7.0.
- Get able planting beds prematurely via doing away with all rock and hindrances and applying garden compost and well-aged manure. Art work the soil to about 8 inches deep then rake it blank.
- Heavy clay soil can also be lightened with the addition of aged compost, sand, and perlite.
- Add sand or gypsum to heavy, clay soil or get able beds via planting green manure and working it into the beds the season previous than seeding.
- Add wood ashes to the soil to fend off wireworms.
Turnip Planting Time
- Turnips are a cool-weather crop that requires 30 to 60 days to go back to harvest.
- Turnips expand easiest in temperatures from 40°F to 75°F (7-24°C).
- Turnips can have the best style and texture when grown in short at temperatures between 60°F and 65°F.
- Turnips are easiest harvested previous than temperatures exceed 75°F (24°C). Sizzling local weather will reason why roots to grow to be woody. Turnips moreover cannot withstand a heavy frost.
- Sow turnip seeds at once throughout the garden in early spring 2 to 3 weeks previous than the standard remaining frost date in spring for a past due spring or early summer time harvest.
- Make successive plantings every 3 weeks until midsummer.
- For a fall harvest, sow turnip seeds about 9 weeks previous than the main expected frost.
- Sow turnips in past due summer time for a fall crop; in early autumn for past due autumn harvest, and in past due autumn for winter harvest in reverse-season spaces.
- Increase turnips all over the place any time of the 12 months when there are 35 to 50 days of cool local weather.
- Briefly- and medium-season spaces, plant turnips in early spring.
- In delicate winter spaces, plant turnips in fall and overwinter for harvest in spring.
- Indoor seed starting: get began turnip seeds 3 to 4 weeks previous than the frost-free date; take care of turnip seedlings gently to avoid irritating the roots.
Planting and Spacing Turnips
- Turnips do not transplant effectively. It is best to direct sow seeds throughout the garden. Use pathogen-free seed.
- Sow turnip seed at once throughout the garden ½ inch (12mm) deep and 1 inch (2.5cm) apart in large rows
- For a succession or staggered harvest of roots, sow seeds every 3 weeks.
- Seeds will germinate at 40°F; the optimal soil temperature for quick germination is 60°F.
- When the main true leaves appear, thin successful seedlings to stand 4 to 6 inches (10-15cm) apart for root harvest. Thinnings can be used in salads.
- Increase 9 turnips in keeping with sq. foot.
- Thin turnips being grown for greens from 2 to 3 inches (5-7cm) apart.
- House large rows 12 to 24 inches (30-61cm) apart.
- One gram of seeds will plant 20 feet of row.
Turnip Important different Plants
- Increase turnips with bush beans, peas, and southern peas.
- Keep turnips transparent of mustard and potatoes.
- Turnips are carefully related to rutabagas; the way and texture are an an identical.
- Turnips are a short-season crop while rutabagas are a long-season crop; plant every for a seamless supply of roots and tops.
Container Emerging Turnips
- Small turnip roots can also be grown in large boxes no less than 8 to 12 inches (20cm) deep.
- Sow seeds 1 inch apart, then thin turnips to 2 inches apart.
- You’ll be able to expand 3 turnips in 12-inch pot.
- Turnip greens are merely grown in boxes.
Watering Turnips
- Keep the soil rainy to stick turnips emerging as rapid as imaginable. Do not let the soil dry out. Growth becomes checked if the soil dries out.
- Lack of moisture will reason why turnip root growth to sluggish; roots will grow to be woody and powerful flavored if growth is not speedy and loyal.
- Water at the base of plants; overhead watering will pass away turnip tops, turnip leaves vulnerable to fungal diseases.
- Give turnips from 1 inch to 2 inches of water each week. One inch of water equals 16 gallons (60.5 liters).
Feeding Turnips
- Side robe plants with well-aged compost at planting over and over at midseason.
- Side-dress turnips with aged compost or apply manure tea at midseason.
- Turnips can also be fed with a mild, balanced, all-purpose herbal fertilizer with an NPK of 5-10-10. Fertilizer can also be added to the soil ahead of planting or as a side-dressing when plants are about 6 inches tall. Follow the label directions when applying fertilizer.
- In case you are emerging best turnip green, fertilize with a nitrogen-rich liquid fertilizer harking back to fish emulsion.
- Avoid feeding turnips with a high-nitrogen fertilizer which will help green growth on the other hand now not root growth.
Turnip Care
- Keep planting beds weed-free.
- Overcrowding turnips would possibly reason why small roots.
- Mulch turnips with straw to protect the root tops from sunburn and to keep soil moisture.
Turnip Pests
- Turnips can also be attacked via cutworms, cabbage loopers (caterpillars preceded via small yellow and white moths), imported cabbage worms, cabbage root maggots, slugs, and aphids.
- Place a protective collar spherical more youthful plants to exclude cutworms.
- Handpick loopers and worms destroy them or spray with insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Cabbage root maggots are the larvae of a fly. Plant radishes with regards to turnips to repel the flies. Place row covers over seedlings or set the plants right through the garden fabric to stick flies from laying eggs throughout the soil. Mound diatomaceous earth or scorching pepper spherical stems if maggots are throughout the soil. You’ll be able to moreover mix wood ash into the soil with regards to the roots.
- Cabbage worms are moth larva; keep an eye on them with Bacillus thuringiensis. Use row covers to exclude the moths from laying eggs on the plants.
- Turnips can also be attacked via cutworms, cabbage loopers (caterpillars preceded via small yellow and white moths), imported cabbage worms, cabbage root maggots, slugs, and aphids.
- Place a protective collar spherical more youthful plants to exclude cutworms.
- Handpick loopers and worms destroy them or spray with insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Cabbage root maggots are the larvae of a fly. Plant radishes with regards to turnips to repel the flies. Place row covers over seedlings or set the plants right through the garden fabric to stick flies from laying eggs throughout the soil. Mound diatomaceous earth or scorching pepper spherical stems if maggots are throughout the soil. You’ll be able to moreover mix wood ash into the soil with regards to the roots.
- Cabbage worms are moth larva; keep an eye on them with
- Moths, butterflies, and flies that lay eggs on or with regards to turnip tops can also be excluded from the crops with a horticultural fleece row quilt.
- Cutworms and flea beetles will attack more youthful plants.
- Flea beetles nibble small holes in more youthful leaves; attacks are worse in dry local weather; preserving the soil rainy will deter attacks. Sprinkle leaves with diatomaceous earth.
- Mealy aphids are gray-green, waxy-looking aphids that suck juices from leaves; squash via hand or introduce ladybugs into the garden.
- Cabbage whitefly is a small white insect; spray with insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Caterpillars are the larvae of various kinds of cabbage white butterflies and moths; the ones pests consume holes in leaves; insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Cabbage root fly: the ones adult flies lay eggs at the base of more youthful brassica plants; hatched grubs tunnel into roots causing plants to collapse; exclude the flies with row covers; dig up and dispose of collapsed plants.
- Wireworms are click on on beetle larvae 1/2 to 3 inches long; they bore holes into roots. Regulate wireworms with pyrethrin or the addition of wood ash to the soil. To know when you have wireworms, place a cube of potato tuber throughout the soil 4 inches deep and take a look at back in a week. Wireworms can are living throughout the soil for up to 6 years; turn the soil in winter to expose larvae to killing winter cold.
- Slugs and snails consume ragged holes in leaves; handpick and destroy the ones pests.
- Birds can attack more youthful seedlings; protect seedlings with netting or row covers.
- To deter insect pests, plant thyme alongside broccoli in a row about 6 inches away. You’ll be able to moreover spray plants with a mix of boiled onion and garlic.
- Introducing in reality helpful insects harking back to ladybugs and green lacewings can keep pest insects beneath keep an eye on.
- Keep weeds throughout the garden proper right down to keep an eye on flea beetles.
- Moths, butterflies, and flies that lay eggs on or with regards to turnip tops can also be excluded from the crops with a horticultural fleece row quilt.
- Cutworms and flea beetles will attack more youthful plants.
- Flea beetles nibble small holes in more youthful leaves; attacks are worse in dry local weather; preserving the soil rainy will deter attacks. Sprinkle leaves with diatomaceous earth.
- Mealy aphids are gray-green, waxy-looking aphids that suck juices from leaves; squash via hand or introduce ladybugs into the garden.
- Cabbage whitefly is a small white insect; spray with insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Caterpillars are the larvae of various kinds of cabbage white butterflies and moths; the ones pests consume holes in leaves; insecticidal cleansing cleaning soap or Bacillus thuringiensis.
- Cabbage root fly: the ones adult flies lay eggs at the base of more youthful brassica plants; hatched grubs tunnel into roots causing plants to collapse; exclude the flies with row covers; dig up and dispose of collapsed plants.
- Wireworms are click on on beetle larvae 1/2 to 3 inches long; they bore holes into roots. Regulate wireworms with pyrethrin or the addition of wood ash to the soil. To know when you have wireworms, place a cube of potato tuber throughout the soil 4 inches deep and take a look at back in a week. Wireworms can are living throughout the soil for up to 6 years; turn the soil in winter to expose larvae to killing winter cold.
- Slugs and snails consume ragged holes in leaves; handpick and destroy the ones pests.
- Birds can attack more youthful seedlings; protect seedlings with netting or row covers.
- To deter insect pests, plant thyme alongside broccoli in a row about 6 inches away. You’ll be able to moreover spray plants with a mix of boiled onion and garlic.
- Introducing in reality helpful insects harking back to ladybugs and green lacewings can keep pest insects beneath keep an eye on.
- Keep weeds throughout the garden proper right down to keep an eye on flea beetles.
Turnip Sicknesss
- Turnips are vulnerable to cabbage family diseases along side yellows, clubroot, powdery mould, and downy mould.
- Plant disease-resistant types, rotate crops each 12 months, and keep the garden free of debris to scale back the superiority of sickness.
- Remove and destroy infected plants instantly.
- Black rot, additionally known as blackleg, clubroot, and yellows are fungal diseases that can attack cabbage
- Blackleg leaves yellow, V-shaped lesions on leaf edges. Plants with clubroot wilt and look stunted; there it will be galls on the roots. Cabbage yellows are marked in the course of the yellowing of lower leaves.
- Blackleg, bacterial blight: keep an eye on diseases through crop rotation; collect and burn or dispose of throughout the trash can plant matter subject material after harvest.
- Clubroot (Plasmodiophora brassicae) is a soil-borne sickness that results in root swelling followed via yellow leaves, the collapse of the plant, and death. Lift all of the plant and dispose of it throughout the trash or burn it; do not compost diseased plants.
- White rust (Albugo candida) causes small white cottony blisters on the upper flooring of leaves and a yellow discoloration on the undersides. Regulate is not crucial.
- Mosaic virus causes leaves to grow to be mottled with white spots. Mosaic virus is spread via aphids. Remove infected plants and plant them throughout the trash, now not the compost pile.
- Downy mould and yellows can also afflict broccoli plants.
- To avoid fungal diseases plant disease-resistant types or seeds that have been scorching water treated. Plant in well-drained soil. Water with compost tea.
- Remove and destroy diseased plants instantly.
- Rotate crops on a three-year cycle.
Harvesting Turnips
- Turnips come to harvest 30 to 60 days after sowing.
- Harvest turnips while more youthful and succulent. A turnip about {golfing} ball dimension will be the most succulent and easiest flavored.
- In case you are emerging turnips only for the greens, turnip greens can also be harvested as soon as they are safe to eat dimension, about 4 inches tall.
- Lift roots when they are 2 to 3 inches (5-7cm) in diameter; carry them carefully with a garden fork.
- Turnip roots more than 3 inches all through can grow to be woody and lose style.
- If scorching local weather arrives, taste turnips every day to make sure they are harvested previous than they lose style.
- Harvest all turnip roots previous than the main hard freeze till you protect roots with a thick mulch. A gradual frost isn’t going to harm turnip tops or roots.
- A gradual frost isn’t going to harm turnip tops and will sweeten the roots.
- Freezing and thawing right through the winter will destroy the roots. Harvest the tops previous than the main freeze.
- Leaves can also be scale back when they are 12 inches (30cm) long; scale back outside leaves first.
- Thinned seedlings can also be harvested for greens.
Storing and Retaining Turnips
- Turnip roots will keep for 2 to 3 weeks throughout the refrigerator in a plastic bag or keep roots in a cold, rainy place for 4 to 5 months, do not refrigerate.
- Turnip greens will keep throughout the refrigerator for up to 7 days.
- Cooked turnips can also be frozen for up to 6 months.
- Store the fall crop beneath cool 32°F to 40°F, rainy necessities–about 90 % humidity.
- In mild-winter spaces, turnips can also be left throughout the garden with a mulch protective for an extended harvest.
Turnips throughout the Kitchen
- Turnips are extremely spiced and crunchy raw; they are sweet and earthy when cooked. Turnips that mature in cool local weather are the sweetest.
- Turnips can also be eaten raw, baked, boiled, fried, or mashed. Get able turnips as chances are you’ll carrots.
- Get ready dinner turnip leaves as safe to eat greens.
- Serve more youthful turnips raw, sliced thin and dipped proper right into a seasoned sour-cream dressing.
- Serve turnip slices as an aspect dish with carrot sticks and celery.
- Grate turnips proper right into a tossed green salad and serve with dressing.
- Small turnips can also be cooked whole; slice upper turnips to a half-inch thick previous than cooking.
- Small turnips can also be scale back into wedges and stir-fried.
- Get ready dinner large turnip root y steaming or boiling until refined enough to pierce with a fork.
- Serve sliced, cooked turnips with a cream or white sauce.
- Roast turnips with meat and other vegetables harking back to potatoes, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and garlic.
- Bake turnips until refined, peel, and serve each mashed or with a white sauce.
- Turnip greens are rich in vitamins A, B2, C, and E.
Turnip Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Why do turnip leaves grow to be riddled with small holes?
A: Flea beetles gnaw a lot of small holes in turnip leaves. Sprinkle leaves with diatomaceous earth or spay with Sevin.
Q: Why do turnips have quite a lot of leaves on the other hand small roots?
A: Overcrowding or heavy clay soil may just reason turnip roots to be small.
Q: What causes small white cottony blotches on the upper surfaces of the leaves with a yellow discoloration beneath?
A: The reason being white rust, a fungus sickness that almost all frequently does now not reason why enough hurt to require keep an eye on.
Turnip Sorts to Increase
Turnips are once in a while categorized in the course of the shape of their roots–flat, round, or cylindrical. On the other hand there may be little or no difference in taste one of the vital a variety of types.
- ‘Alamo’: maximum frequently grown for greens; harvested cut-and-come-again, leaves can regrow for a couple of harvests; tolerates aphids and mosaic virus: 33 days to harvest.
- ‘Amelie’: produces sweet, crisp, white roots from 2 to 3 inches all through; bolt-resistant hybrid; 50 to 80 days to harvest.
- ‘Early Purple-Top Milan’: flattened root with white flesh and red top; one of the vital earliest to mature; 45 days to harvest.
- ‘Golden Ball’: yellow pores and pores and skin and yellow flesh; 60 days to harvest.
- ‘Hakurei: white roots; hybrid; 38 days to harvest.
- ‘Just Right’: white pores and pores and skin, globe-shaped; easiest grown in spring–prone to bolting; 40 days to harvest.
- ‘Nagasaki Akari Kabu’: red root; for fresh eating or pickling; 50 days to harvest.
- ‘Purple-Top White Globe’: round roots; good red on top, creamy white underneath; refined and corporate flesh; over the top yield; stores effectively; 55 days to harvest.
- ‘Royal Crown’: sweet, delicate style; grows to 4 inches all through; hybrid; 50 days to harvest.
- ‘Scarlet Queen’: purple roots expand 3 to 4 inches all through; 43 days to harvest.
- ‘Shogoin’: maximum repeatedly grown for green tops that expand to 18 inches tall; white roots are globe-shaped; All-The U.S. Selection; 30 days to harvest.
- ‘Tokyo Cross Hybrid’: white roots measure 6 inches all through; early maturing; resistant to viral diseases; woody in warmth local weather; All-The U.S. Selection; 35 days to harvest.
- ‘White Lady’: white root, crisp and sweet; hybrid; 35 days to harvest.
Additional Turnip Sorts. ‘All Top’ (50 days, greens); ‘Amber’ (75 days); ‘De Milan’ (35 days); ‘Gilfeather’ (82 days); ‘Gold Ball’ (45 days); ‘Just Right’ (40-60 days); ‘Market Express’ (38 days); ‘Purple Top White Globe’ (57 days); ‘Red Milan’ (35 days); ‘Royal Crown’ (52 days); ‘Seven Top’ (45 days, greens); ‘Shogoin’ (30-70 days, greens); ‘Tokyo Cross’ (35 days); ‘Tokyo Market’ (35 days); ‘Vertus’ (50-60 days); ‘White Egg’ (50-55 days); ‘White Lady’ (34-45 days); ‘Yorii Spring’ (38 days).
Turnip Seed Saving
- Turnips are bee-pollinated, self-incompatible, biennial roots that merely transfer with other brassicas.
- Turnip and rutabaga types will merely cross-pollinate; isolate types if you want to save seed. Turnips may even cross-pollinate with Chinese language language cabbage and oriental mustard, so plant the ones at a distance if you are going to allow plants to flower.
- To collect seeds, let the best plants overwinter throughout the garden beneath heavy mulch; plants will flower the following summer time.
- Decrease stalks when seedpods turn brown. Dry pods and remove seeds.
About Turnips
- Common name. Turnip
- Botanical name. Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
- Family: Brassicaceae (Cruciferae)–cabbage family
- Growth: The turnip is a biennial incessantly grown as an annual; in the second 12 months of growth, a turnip produces small yellow flowers and seeds.
- Starting. Northeastern Europe, Eurasia, Siberia
Additional tips: Simple find out how to Harvest and Store Turnips.
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