Turnips...how to grow?

[kcsunshine]

I plant mine in the same fashion,hoodat.The problem here is that it is so dry I have to water them to get them to come up.Then the soil gets crusty as it dries and the sprouts can't come through the crust.

We are having record breaking temps here,low 90's.Just last week ,we had record lows,37 degrees,and a serious drought on top of that.It's very tough trying to garden in these conditions.

Andy

Sprinkle some sand over them, then water - doesn't crust as badly.

 

[hoodat]

planted them thickly also helps them use a little team effort to break through. You can always thin after they're up.

 

[Andy J]

I have been watering the garden a few minutes every afternoon,hoping to keep the soil moist and loose.Low and behold,I went out this morning and the turnips,mustard,rape and kale had all sprouted.Every thing is really looking good now.

I have one old rooster that is not penned up,therefore he has access to the garden.It is amazing how much damage one chicken can do to 50 broccoli plants.He is now incarcerated again.

Andy

 

[kcsunshine]

Don't worry about frost with your greens. They grow better and taste better after a frost.

 

[gagirl]

I have decided to try once more..before it's too late to grow something that I can eat.

The tomato plants looked beautiful, just didn't get any fruit even though there were blooms galore.

I've decided turnips (which taste SO good) might be a good last ditch effort. I've read that I need to plant the seeds 1/4" down and that they need to have 3" spacing.

I will be planting them in a pot, since I can't put in the ground (apartment).

How much sun do they need? There weren't any directions on that in the seed packet. Where do I need to place them? How cold can they get before dying? Is it already too late to plant?

you should have sprayed your blooms with tomato set and you would have had tomatoes.

 

[gagirl]

I prefer to grow my turnips in bands rather than rows. I drag a garden rake in a line to roughen the soil and then scatter the seed. That leaves them growing in a band the width of the rake. When they are growing I thin to an appropriate distance depending on the size of the variety.

in our area we sow the seeds thickly and do not pull up to thin or space.. when the leaves are young we pinch some of them off and cook and continue to do this at intervals allowing the roots to grow,,,as the turnips mature if they are too close, we will pull some up and again use to cook. turnip leaves are better when they are young as they tend to get bitter when they are really mature unless they have been grown off fast. or you,ve had some light frost to them.