Turnips and Rutabagas
Tasty and quick-growing, these vegetables are good following early-season
carrots, peas, or the like. If harvested in the fall, they can be used
for meals in winter.
-Planting: These root crops need a well-prepared soil free of stones and
other debris. Plenty of manure or compost must be worked into the soil
before planting as well. Seeds should be planted in midsummer after early
crops have died back. Seeds should be sown a half inch deep, and covered
with sand or peat moss to stop the soil from crusting over the seeds.
Marking the row is suggested, as both ruabagas and turnips are slow to
germinate.
-Growing: Sprouting weeds should be picked as soon as they appear, as they
can easily destroy a good turnip or rutabaga crop. When the seedlings
stand 4 inches tall, the turnips should be thinned to 4 inches apart, and
the rutabagas thinned to 8 inches apart. Keep the plants mulched to
resist weeds, and watered at all times.
-Harvesting: Turnip tops may be harvested at any time during the season,
but turnip roots should be dug while the roots are young and tender,
before any hard frost, when the tops of the roots are about 3 inches
across. Rutabagas may be dug in the fall, or covered with a protective
layer of mulch to be wintered over.
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