Growing turnips from seeds are one of the easiest ways to get started growing your food. The only thing you’ll need is a good quality turnip seed. You can get these from your local garden center or online. If you don’t have a garden, you can still grow turnips from seed indoors.
Growing turnips from seeds is a great way to start your gardening season. You can grow them in the spring and then eat them all summer long. This article shows how to grow turnips from seeds.
Turnips are cool-weather vegetables, and they can be grown best and are tasty when they come to harvest in cool weather. Turnips can be grown in spring and winter, but it is best to avoid the hot summer season. Gardeners love to grow turnips in their garden as they mature very rapidly ad you can enjoy both the greens and the roots. If you are planting turnips late in the summer, you have many turnips to store throughout the winter. You can harvest turnips before the first frost, as they become delicious after the first frost but before the ground freeze. They are such hearty, flavorful food that they are precisely what many of us are craving during the cold winter months. Keep reading the article on how to grow turnips from seeds?.
How to grow turnips from seeds?
In many cultures, turnips are grown for their taste; highly nutritious leaves are called ‘green’ for their roots. Turnips grow faster than other plants, and they taste delicious, either eaten raw or cooked. Growing turnip in the garden or a container is the usual method to obtain the crispy roots and tender leaves, but you can also develop new green turnips from the sprouting top in your kitchen. Round and white with the purple top have crunchy flesh that tastes a bit like cabbage. This easy-to-grow root crop is nutritious and versatile. Once you have tasted it, you will be growing turnips, too.
Here I share steps to grow turnip in your garden that benefits you in many ways:
When to plant your turnips?
Turnips are a fall crop, but they can be well harvested in winter and spring. You can plant your seeds according to the time of year when you want them to be ready. If you’re going to enjoy turnips before summer or late spring, you should plant your turnip seeds two or three weeks before the last frost. Moreover, if you want your turnips to be ready to harvest in autumn, then sow turnip seeds in late summer. You can also sow turnip seeds in early autumn for a late autumn harvest. Turnips are in October and November for winter harvest but make sure your region’s winter is not extreme. You can surely harvest your turnips after 50 to 60 days of planting.
Soil
Turnips prefer slightly acidic soil. Good soil fertility will help them multiply. Turnips are the root crop, and they need the best ground to grow and require room for proper development. The temperature of the soil is essential in growing turnips. You would take care of your soil temperature as it will grow when the temperature must be above 10 F. Ideal soil temperatures for turnips range from 40 to 75 F. Make sure the soil is well-draining, so the roots don’t rot.
Sow Turnip seeds
Turnips would grow well in spring. Gardeners take care of the ground where they want to sow their crops because the ground establishment is essential in growing crops. As soon as the ground can be worked, they quickly plant spring crops. Your turnips need at least a month to mature. But seeds can be germinated in three to seven days. It would be best if you sowed seeds at least three months before the last frost and harvest and must maintain spacing between seeds about 1 inch apart.
Water
Turnips are a relatively trouble-free crop, and It requires much care and protection to grow healthier plants. You have to water plants in a dry period to avoid woody texture and split skins. It is essential to start thinning as soon as possible because they are such fast-growing plants. At least 1 inch of water per week is vital for good root development. Drying conditions make the roots more aromatic, while uniform water makes fir best result. Provide ample moisture to the plants. The leaves may not tell you when the soil is dry. Our role of thumb is “when in doubt, water.”
Fertilizer for Turnips
Turnips grow well in natural fertilizer, so feed your plants with compost tea for good root development. You can apply fertilizer every two weeks with a garden feeder. Moreover, turnips also respond well to organic fertilizer, as it contains calcium, so they can make your turnips extra strong. Fertilizers are used for in-ground plants as well as plants in pots.
Growing turnip from seeds
Turnips are available most of the year through grocery stores and markets, but usually in the standard purple and white varieties. When you buy turnip seeds from the market, they will be surprisingly small. At nearly two hundred thousand seeds per round, even a small packet can provide many turnip plants. Turnip seeds sprout best within a week or two. However, if sown in more excellent soil, down into the mid-40s, they take longer to grow. Space your seeds about an inch apart, and cover them with roughly half an inch of garden soil.
Growing turnip in the container
Planting turnips in a container offers many advantages, especially for urban gardeners who don’t have sufficient sunny garden space. Growing vegetables in a container require slight bending, digging, and maintenance. You can grow turnips in a container as long as you choose one with at least 8-12 inches of depth. Most turnip varieties are short, round, and grow 1-5 inches in diameter, making them a very suitable plant to grow in a container. Good potting soil and fertilizer are essential for plants growing in the container.
Turnips is a vegetable that grows in the form of roots. Both the turnip roots and leaves are edible. They are rich in nutrients and low in calories. Growing turnips in pots are very suitable. You should select a container or pot that holds at least 1 gallon of soil for each plant. The container can be glazed, ceramic, plastic, or clay with a good drainage facility, or your greens will suffer root rot. The selection of a pot depends upon the type of turnip that you are growing, small turnips need less space, and large turnips need more space to grow healthier.
Harvesting of turnip
Turnip is a fast-growing vegetable that multiplies and will be ready for harvest within two months. Turnip is that they should not allow growing big enough as they become woody and bitter tasting. The variety and your growing condition decide the actual time for harvesting a turnip root. It would be best to cut the outer leaves an inch for a better harvest, and they will grow back quickly. You have to be careful while harvesting; don’t cut too many outer leaves as it becomes the reason for their slow root growth.
Turnips are best grown in winter with a temperature between 60 and 65. Turnips will not grow well, and their flavor will suffer If the temperature exceeds 80. It would be best to use a garden hand fork to lift the soil around the roots and make sure it is dry when you pull the turnips. After that, you will take them inside to wash them in your sink. Wash them with a damp paper towel or a dry one. Moreover, you have multiple ways to store your turnips, and you would cook the turnips down until they were soft and mushy. While storing, keep in mind that hold them in a proper amount that you would want to eat them in.
Varieties of turnip
It always becomes fun to grow new crops in your garden every season and see which one of them gives an enchanting view to your garden. Turnips are closely related to cabbage, mustard, and kale. A crop seeded in late summer is sweeter and more tender than a spring crop and has fewer pests problems. Turnips grow for their roots as well as for their green leaves. Roots are a rich source of vitamin C, and leaves are a rich source of vitamin A. They can be white, yellow, golden, and bitter as radishes or smooth and creamy, almost like an apple.
Baby bunch turnips
Baby bunch turnip offers a delicate, mild flower, somewhere between a crisp radish and a tart apple. They are delightful and creamy, can be eaten raw, and are lovely on salad.
This has become most of our favorite turnip. Baby turnips are made up of edible stems, roots, and leaves. It has a similar but slightly milder taste and texture than radishes. Baby bunch turnips are available year-round, especially in the peak season October through March. Common turnips are harvested young, but baby turnips are a similar turnips variety that will never reach an enormous turnip.
Baby turnip can be transformed into soups and gratins, and their tender leaves can be used as a bitter green in salads.
While lady turnip
A beautiful globe-shaped turnip with crisp white flesh has smooth and milk-white skin.
The greens are very nutritious and full of protein. It can be prepared fresh and can freeze for later use.
It would be best if you plant your turnip in a reliably sunny spot, away from trees and close to the water source. To check water moisture, use your finger or a trowel to dig and examine the soil. If the first 2-4 inches of soil is dry, it is time to water your plants. This plant prefers fertile, well-drained soil and cooler temperature. You can harvest turnips when they are around 2-3 inches for the best quality and tenderness.
Gold ball turnip
Gold ball turnip is one of the best late cropping turnip varieties available in the autumn season. It maintains an excellent mild, nutty, and firm texture well into the winter without becoming woody.
The gold ball turnip has been long noted for its slightly sweet and smooth flavor with an aftertaste of almond. It has a golden yellow interior.
Patience is crucial in this turnip variety as it germinates slower than other varieties, but the wait is well worth the effort of 65 days.
It has a sweet, mellow, and smooth flavor. At maturity, it is about the size of a small ball. It will be the most mellow tasting if harvested at half its mature size like other turnips.
Tokyo cross turnip
Tokyo cross turnip is a fast-maturing variety resistant to bolting and can be harvested at any stage, with small or large size roots. Their seeds are quick and easy to grow.
These turnips have a perfect globe shape with smooth skin and sweet, crisp flesh. Sow regularly through the spring, summer, and autumn seasons to get a continuous supply through its growing season.
You must control your Tokyo cross turnips from weeds by cultivating them often or using them as mulch to prevent their seeds from germinating. Avoid disturbing the soil around the plant when weeding.
White egg turnip
White egg turnip is an excellent variety for bunching, with nearly round roots and white. It is a fast-growing turnip variety in southern areas. Egg-shaped seeds that grow partly above ground.
Its roots have white flesh and mild flavor that’s extensively consumed raw and cooked. Turnip makes a great addition to salad mixes and provides the perfect crisp and bite.
You can direct-seeded turnips in rich, intensely worked soil and full sun for best results. Harvest greens as soon as they reach the eating size; harvest only 2-3 leaves per root. You can store them for future use, cut the top down to 1/2 inches and store them in a cool, dark place without washing off the dirt. The flavor of turnips will increase their intensity as they keep in a cooler.
Nutritional value of Turnips
Turnips are root vegetables packed with vitamins and nutrients, and they have many uses in the kitchen. When grown as a border point near a sidewalk or flower bed, the plant also has an ornamental value before and after planting. Change your soil with nutrient-rich fertilizers to get the most significant and tastiest turnips in your home garden this year. The good thing about turnips is that they can germinate within a few days. You can enjoy their bright greens within a month. Turnips make an excellent addition to soups and stews, and they can be eaten raw, baked, boiled, roasted, or mashed. You prepare turnips like you prepare carrots and enjoy them.
Conclusion
Therefore, you can grow nutrients enriched vegetables in any season but most often not in the hot season. Turnips have different varieties to succeed in any climate around the globe but to prepare soil carefully. Hence, it would help if you cared about turnips considering pests and their remedies.
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