Growing Turnips: A Beginner’s Guide
Growing turnips can be a very economical move in times when money is tight. Whether you eat a great deal of turnips yourself or if you have an interest in selling fresh grown turnips at your local market, you can save or even make money by starting a turnip patch in your garden. First, though, you will need to educate yourself about the turnip and the environment it needs in order to grant you with a successful harvest.
The turnip is a very nutritious root vegetable that also happens to be pretty easy to grow. It is a very popular vegetable in the United Kingdom and Europe; however its popularity in the United States has paled over the years. Although the turnip was once a common household vegetable in the United States, its popularity began to dim as the country became less dependent on root vegetables—likely because of the expanding variety of vegetables available in the winter. A number of soups and stews use turnip as a foundation element, but as this style of cooking has fallen out of fashion (likely due to the demands of today’s hectic lifestyle), the turnip itself has all but been forgotten.
Many people foresee a shift in this pattern as the younger generations are expressing more of a conservative attitude towards finances and health. Whereas vegetable gardens used to be associated with middle-aged folk, the practice of home-growing vegetables is now “cropping up” among 20-somethings. Not only does the idea of organic vegetables have an appeal to the health-minded, but so does the idea of saving a pretty penny on the grocery bill. So, if you think that growing turnips has a place in your life and your garden, then pay attention as we discuss the ideal growing conditions for the turnip.
Turnips need a sunny location, so full sunlight is always best, although partial sunlight will do. The turnip is seen as a cool-weather plant due to their reputation of becoming “woody” if exposed to long periods of heat. If you live in an area that tends to have long, hot summers, you may want to consider planting your turnips to be spring or autumn crops, when the cooler temperatures will provide the best quality harvest. The soil in the planting area doesn’t have to be ultra nutritious, but it should have a pH level close to neutral (say 6 or 7) and should also be quite loose and loamy.
If you are going to sow your seeds to be spring crops, go ahead and do so as soon as the ground has softened enough to be tilled. If you want an autumn crop, go ahead and sow the seeds in the mid summer time. If you want enough turnips to see you through a good portion of the year, you can always sow both spring and autumn turnips. You can either sow your turnips in a bed or in rows, although I recommend rows simply for the easy access and the “organized” appearance. Plant the seeds down about half an inch into the soil and space the seeds about an inch and a half apart. If you are planting more than one row, make sure that the rows are at least a foot and a half apart from one another. Water the soil well, although take care not to overwater or flood the soil.
Once the plants have grown to a height of about half a food, you’ll need to thin them out so that each plant is spaced about half a foot away from the others. Regular maintenance is pretty easy. You will need to ensure that you water the plants on a regular basis, sometimes even weekly if the weather is particularly dry. A good way to ensure that your plants are retaining enough moisture is to add a little mulch to the area.
Growing turnips offers a keen sense of pride when harvest time comes around! The turnips are ready when the root is about two to four inches in diameter. If you are harvesting your plants in the fall, a bout of frost or two will make the turnips sweeter, but be aware that the crops will not survive and outright freeze (which also applies to freezer storage).
As you can see, growing turnips is a relatively simple process as long as you can ensure that the right environment is provided. Best of luck with your crops!