Right and wrong ways of growing turnipsGrowing Turnips: The turnip is also known as a rutabaga. They are very picky as to what they like and do not like. For instance, one of their particular dislikes is fresh manure. The Turnip cannot take this fertilizer because it increases nitrogen levels and makes them taste bad. They are better fertilized with compost. Planting Turnips Usually by the latter part of May or early June is the best time for planting turnip seeds. The temperature of the soil should be at least 60 degrees. They may be planted about 3 seeds per inch of ground. Once they sprout and are approximately 3 inches tall they can be thinned and should have about 6 inches between plants. When planting more than a row of turnips, plant the rows about 24 inches to 30 inches apart. Since Turnips like cool weather, they can be planted in the spring for a fall harvest, again in the early part of fall to harvest in the late fall and the late fall planting will be harvested in the winter. Turnips will grow in partial shade or full sun and they like the soil to be one that drains well. The turnip is a root plant and will produce very green leaves from the tuber.
Harvest time for turnips is pretty simple. All you have to do is dig them up and wash them off with water. When preparing them for storing you will want to make sure there is no dirt on the roots. The leaves can be trimmed after harvesting and they are best stored between 32 and 34 degrees. The turnip will be fine for about 6 months. The growing turnips should be harvested before the day time temperatures get higher than 75 degrees. Usually the turnips harvested in the summer will be about 3 inches around. Winter turnips are from 4 inches to 6 inches at harvest time. They can be left underground until right before the ground freezes. The light frosts that may come will make turnips have a sweeter flavor. Turnips Pests and Diseases Turnips are not prone to a lot of diseases but there are a few pests and disease that will bother them. A problem caused by growing turnips in areas where they have been grown quite a lot. This is called clubroot. The reason this is a problem that you do not want is this can stay in the soil for 7 years or more. This should not be a problem as long as you do not let the soil get too acidic. Check the pH level and make sure it stays above 6 and you should not have a problem with this disease. Occasionally you may see flea beetles or aphids on the leaves of the turnip plants. However, this is a pretty easily controlled problem. Root maggots are another problem and they can be eliminated by covering the plants in the early part of the season. Use row covers and you should not have a problem with these pesky critters. _________________________________________________________________ Top of Growing Turnips Listed under Gardening Plants |
