How to grow turnips

The turnip is an underrated root vegetable, which can be grown for their leaves or their roots. Hardy and versatile, turnips can be used in a variety of dishes, from soups and stews to gratins and roasted veg. Make time to plant turnip or swedes in your garden this season and you’ll have tasty, healthy nutritious morsels to add into warming stews come winter time. With one exception the ”Laing’s Garden” Swede Turnips are generally utilized for field purposes, rather than for the table. Turnips and Swedes are easy to grow, but to have them tender, and mild in flavor, they must be kept growing all the time and never allowed to suffer a check in growth. Root veg that is left for too long in the ground are likely to become stringy and to develop a bitter, pungent taste.

Here are my top tips for planting turnips in your garden.

When to Plant Turnips

Turnips are best planted in early Spring, as soon as the ground can be worked. To get a head start on the growing season, you can sow turnip seeds indoors about six weeks before you plan to transplant them outside.

How to Plant Turnips

To plant turnips, first prepare the planting bed by raking it smooth and breaking up any large clumps of dirt. Sow the seeds about 1/2 inch deep and 2 inches apart in rows that are 18 to 24 inches apart. Thin the seedlings to 3 to 4 inches apart when they are about 4 inches tall.

Water the turnip seeds well after planting, and keep the soil moist until the seedlings emerge, which should happen within 10 days. Once the seedlings are up, water them deeply once a week during dry weather.

Best soil for growing turnips

The Turnips need a fine soil, a light sandy loam being the most suitable. The ground must be in good condition, and ground that has been heavily manured for some previous crop is well suited for growing Turnips. Should manure be necessary, it must be well decomposed. If you don’t have access to farm manure, Bone Dust and Superphosphate of Lime are the most suitable, and if necessary use commercial fertilizers. In any case, manure must be applied three or four weeks before sowing the seed, and thoroughly incorporated into the soil.

Over-manuring must be avoided, as this causes the plants to run to leaf at the expense of the growing the bulb. Turnips and Swedes, unlike Carrots and other root crops, require a shallow, not a deep, soil. As previously mentioned the ground must be finely broken up and thoroughly worked. Six or eight inches deep is quite sufficient. A compost of ashes, charcoal dust and chicken manure or bone dust should be made and sprinkled over the bed or in the drills some days before the seed is sown if the ground is heavy.

Turnip growing season

You can you grow turnips in the summer but Turnip seed can be sown the whole year round, providing a judicious selection of varieties is made. ”Orange Jelly Turnip,” and ”Laing’s Garden Swede” are good sorts for planting during the Summer months, and may be sown from early. ”White Stone,” ”Jersey Lily,” and ”Silverball” may be sown from the middle of the season. ”Early Milan” and ”Early Munich” may be sown during the same period. ”Non-seeding White” may be sown during every month in the year. Turnips and Swedes run to seed during Summer, and sowings for this reason that ”Non-seeding” Turnip, a variety which stands a long time before going to seed, is best suited for sowing. The field varieties of Swede may be planted but must be lifted young for table use, and the Gardener is strongly recommended to stick to ”Laing’s Garden,” which is distinctly a table variety of this plant.

Growing turnip from seed

Seed may be sown broadcast, but the best method is to draw shallow drills and drop the seed in, thinly covering it with from one-half to three-quarters of an inch of fine soil. Allow from 15 to 18 inches between the rows, and when the plants are well above ground thin out to from 6 to 8 inches apart in the rows. In the case of field Swedes, which require more room, give from 18 to 21 inches between the rows, 2nd thin out the plants from 12 to 15 inches apart.

How to grow turnip at home: General Care

Thinning out for both Turnips and Swedes must be done early. Whilst the crop is growing keep the soil between the rows in a loose condition with the hoe, and destroy weeds as they appear. No further manure will be necessary, provided the soil has been properly prepared in the first place. Remember that the best antidote to the Turnip Aphid is to keep the plants in a healthy condition and to grow them rapidly! The crop should be ready for digging in about 11 to 12 weeks, and you can you cook turnip leaves just chop the young tops and cook like Spinach.

It’s important not to let turnips get too wet while they are growing, as this can lead to splitting. Mulching around the plants will help keep the soil moist and prevent weeds from competing with the turnips for moisture.

With a little care and attention, turnips can be a delicious and nutritious addition to your garden’s bounty. By following these simple planting tips, you’ll be well on your way to enjoying home-grown turnips in no time!