By Guest Author Richard Leighton.
Many gardeners love to plant turnips in their gardens. Turnips are a good choice for the novice gardener as they are typically easy to care for and grow well with other root vegetables, such as carrots or radishes. And because they like cool weather and grow quickly, it’s possible to grow a spring crop and a fall crop every season.
Like beets, turnips can be grown for the greens or the bulb. Turnips are members of the brassica family of cruciferous vegetables, and their tops – which taste a little like mustard greens – can be cooked or eaten raw in salads. The roots can be boiled and mashed, but are most often used in soups or stews.
How to plant turnips
Though they grow best in cooler temperatures, turnips typically require full sun but will tolerate partial shade. To thrive, turnips need well-draining, fertile soil with a fairly neutral pH level – ideally between 6.0 and 7.5.
If you plan to grow turnips mostly for the greens, use an organic fertilizer 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 fertilizer. Always add compost to provide nutrients and promote drainage.
When to Sow Turnip Seeds
If you’re planning a summer crop, sow turnip seeds outdoors early in the spring – turnips are quite hardy so they can be sown about a month before the last frost date. A fall crop should be started about two months before the first expected frost. Turnips don’t tolerate heat well, so avoid mid-summer plantings. In some temperate zones, if you stagger your seed sowing at 10-day intervals, you can harvest turnips continually.
Turnip seeds should be sown directly in the garden bed. Sow the seeds about an inch apart and cover them lightly with 1/4”-1/2” of soil. Watering immediately will help speed up the germination process – with luck, your seeds should sprout within a week.
Water your turnips regularly so that the soil stays moist during the germination period. When the seedlings reach 4” tall, thin the plants, leaving 2-4” between each. You can use the tender young greens in salads.
Growing tips
As your turnip seedlings grow, be sure to remove any weeds that may be competing for water or nutrients. If the soil contains plenty of organic matter, it may not be necessary, but you can fertilize your turnip patch a second time about one month after planting. When the seedlings reach 5-6” tall, add a 2”-thick layer of mulch to keep the soil moist and help combat weeds. If the soil gets too dry, the turnips may develop a woody texture.
Turnip Pests and Diseases
Because turnips are planted in cool weather and grow quickly, they are typically harvested before most garden pests can become an issue, but like other brassicas, they can be prone to several diseases.
Anthracnose, clubroot, root knot, downy mildew, leaf spot, Rhizoctonia rot, scab, turnip mosaic virus, and white rust (or white spot) can all affect your crop. The best way to prevent these diseases is to practice crop rotation – never plant turnips or any brassicas in the same garden bed more than 2 years in a row. If your crop develops clubroot, it’s best to wait at least 6 years before growing turnips in the same area again.
Some common turnip pests are aphids and flea beetles, which will damage the greens – use row covers to keep these insects off the turnip leaves. Root maggots or wireworms can be more dangerous, as they will damage the turnip root – root covers can prevent females from laying their eggs 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 tunnels, avoid planting crops in the same area next year.
When to Harvest Turnips
Depending on the variety you’ve planted, it will take your turnips 40-60 days to mature. Turnip greens can be harvested at any time by cutting them from the plant. Leave about an inch above the crown of the plant and more leaves will grow in their place.
Turnip bulbs taste the best when they are small and tender – so about 45 days after planting, use a spading fork to gently loosen the soil around a bulb and determine if it’s ready for harvesting. If you’re harvesting the whole plant at once, the bulb should be about 2” in diameter; if you’ve already harvested the turnip greens, the roots may be larger – about 3” in diameter.
Summer turnips are more tender and should be used soon after harvesting, but fall turnips are typically hardier and can be stored through the winter. The smaller the turnip bulb, the milder and sweeter its flavor will be.
In many areas, turnips planted in the fall can even be left in the ground and harvested into the winter – they will no longer be actively growing, so they will not become tough or pithy. Adding a layer of mulch will prevent the turnips from freezing, and the cold weather will sweeten their flavor.
Storing your turnips after harvest
If you plan to store your turnips, remove the leaves first or they will continue to draw nutrients and energy away from the bulbs. Although you should use the greens as soon as possible, you can store the roots along with your carrots, beets or rutabagas in a cold, dark place.
Turnip bulbs store well in the vegetable crisper drawer of the refrigerator, but also in a root cellar or cold room. They can typically be used throughout the winter. Consider chopping them for stews, boiling and mashing them, or baking them whole.
Author’s bio: Richard Leighton is a farmer by day and an enthusiastic blog writer by night. He has been growing plants and vegetables for most of his life and really enjoys helping others to do the same. His website is GrowerExperts.com where he helps people with everyday garden-related questions”.