How big is a turnip

Turnips develop wild in Siberia and have been eaten since prehistoric instances. Rutabagas are a cross between cabbage and turnip.

Turnips are simple to develop if sown within the correct season. They mature in two months and could also be planted both within the spring, late summer season or fall for roots or greens. The spring crop is planted for early summer season use. The autumn crop, which is often bigger and of upper high quality, is commonly saved for winter use.

Reading: How big is a turnip

As a result of rutabagas require 4 weeks longer to mature than turnips, they’re finest grown as a fall crop. The leaves are smoother and the roots are rounder, bigger and firmer than these of turnips. Rutabaga is mostly grown within the northern tier of states and Canada however ought to carry out pretty nicely anyplace there’s a pretty lengthy cool interval within the autumn or early winter.

Beneficial Varieties

Turnip (white-fleshed until famous):

Simply Proper (hybrid – 28 days to reap for greens and 60 days for roots; clean, prime quality, gentle roots, pure white; for fall)

Gilfeather (75 days; Vermont heirloom; egg-shaped, uniform, giant; creamy white, clean texture, delicate taste, clean foliage, virtually like a rutabaga)

Golden Ball (60 days, candy, fine-grained yellow flesh)

Market Categorical (earliest, 38 days for child turnips, pure white roots)

Purple Prime White Globe (55 days, the usual purple and white; clean, globe roots)

Royal Crown (hybrid – 52 days, purple prime, quick progress, uniform roots, immune to bolting)

Scarlet Queen (hybrid – 45 days, brilliant scarlet root, clean white flesh, immune to downy mildew, gradual to get pithy)

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Tokyo Cross (hybrid – 35 days; AAS winner; all-white, uniform, spherical roots; gradual to get pithy)

White Knight (75 days, clean, uniform, pure white, flattened globe roots)

White Girl (hybrid-pure white, candy, tender, scrumptious roots, gradual to get pithy; clean tops)

Turnip Greens:

Alltop (hybrid – 35 days, vigorous, high-yielding, fast regrowth, immune to mosaic)

Seven Prime (open-pollinated – 40 days; darkish inexperienced leaves; for tops solely)

Shogoin (42 days; tender, gentle; roots good when younger)

Topper (hybrid – 35 days; heavy yields, vigorous regrowth; good bolt resistance; immune to mosaic; pale inexperienced roots additionally edible)

Rutabaga (yellow-fleshed):

Altasweet (92 days; purple shoulders, mild yellow under; gentle, candy taste)

American Purple Prime (90 days, giant globe-shaped roots with purple prime and light-weight yellow flesh)

Improved Lengthy Island (90 days; giant, spherical; purplish purple shoulders, mild yellow under; small taproot)

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Laurentian (90 days; darkish purple shoulders, pale yellow under; clean, uniform roots, small necks)

Pike (100 days; purple shoulders; much like Laurentian, higher leaf cowl, could also be left in subject later in fall); and Pink Chief (90 days)

When to Plant

For summer season use, turnips must be planted as early within the spring as doable. For fall harvest, plant rutabagas about 100 days earlier than the primary frost and plant turnips about 3 to 4 weeks later.

Fall turnips may additionally be broadcast after early potatoes, cabbage, beets and peas or between rows of candy corn. Put together seedbed and rake the seed in evenly. No cultivation is important, however it’s possible you’ll discover that a number of giant weeds should be eliminated by hand. Present ample water for seed germination and vigorous plant progress. Each turnips and rutabagas have been used for glorious fall and early winter inventory feed when broadcast onto fields left vacant by earlier crop harvest.

Spacing & Depth

Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep (3 to twenty seeds per foot of row). Enable 12 to 24 inches between rows. Water if essential to germinate the seed and set up the seedlings (particularly for summer season sowings). Skinny rutabaga seedlings to 6 inches aside when they’re two inches tall. Skinny turnip seedlings to 2 to 4 inches aside when they’re 4 inches tall. The eliminated crops are giant sufficient to make use of as greens. When you’ve got planted turnips for greens, harvest the tops as wanted when they’re 4 to six inches tall. If the rising factors usually are not eliminated, tops proceed to regrow. Successive plantings at 10 day intervals present later harvests of high quality roots or greens. Previous turnips are usually robust and woody. Rutabagas usually are not often sown in succession as a result of their longer time requirement earlier than harvest. In gentle areas, giant rutabagas might maintain within the backyard nicely into the winter.

Care

When the crops are small, domesticate 2 to three inches deep between rows. Because the crops change into bigger, domesticate extra shallowly to forestall harm to the tender feeder roots. Pull weeds that seem within the row earlier than they change into too giant.

Harvesting

Turnips and rutabagas retailer nicely in fridge. Spring turnips must be pulled or minimize when the roots or tops attain usable measurement. Harvest fall roots beginning in early autumn or as wanted. Turnips and rutabagas are of very best quality (gentle and tender) when they’re of medium measurement (turnips must be 2 to three inches in diameter and rutabagas 3 to five inches in diameter) and have grown shortly and with out interruption. Each are hardy to fall frosts and should, the truth is, be sweetened by cool climate. A heavy straw mulch extends harvest via the early a part of the winter. They could be dipped in heat (however not scorching) wax to forestall lack of moisture.

Widespread Issues

Root maggots could be a downside in areas the place radishes, turnips or rutabagas had been grown the earlier yr. The soil must be handled with a urged insecticide earlier than the following planting.

Questions & Solutions

Q. Why are my rutabagas small, robust and bitter tasting?

A. Rutabagas are finest grown in northern areas or as a fall crop. After they develop and mature in scorching climate, they don’t develop typical sweetness and taste. In southerly places, strive adjusting the planting season in order that root growth takes place within the cooler days of fall, each time which may be in your space.

Q. Can you utilize turnips for greens?

A. Turnip tops are nutritious and infrequently eaten as cooked greens. Sure cultivars – corresponding to ‘Shogoin’ – are grown completely for greens. Different cultivars present each greens and roots – corresponding to ‘Purple Prime,’ ‘White Globe,’ ‘Simply Proper’ and ‘Tokyo Market.’

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