How To Grow Turnips

If you are looking to grow a vegetable with plenty of Vitamin C, you might not realize that growing turnips is a good choice. It is nice to know that you can grow turnips without too much difficulty in a backyard garden.

It is possible to enjoy more than one harvest of turnips throughout the year. If you want turnips for your table in the summer, you will plant a crop in the spring. You can enjoy a fall crop by planting turnips in the summer. Sometimes you will even have time to plant a final crop of turnips before winter.

Keep in mind it takes anywhere from 35 to 70 days for a turnip crop to be ready to harvest. The area where you will plant your turnips should have a ph near 6.5. Ideally you will select an area where the turnips can receive full sunlight. The soil should be treated with organic compost.

Soil should be loose and allow for moderate feeding by the turnips. Moderate drainage is most suitable for the soil where you will grow the turnips. You can plant turnips in rows making each row at least 2 feet apart. The plants themselves should be spaced at least 4 to 6 inches in distance from one another.

Turnips do not need to be placed too far down in the ground. You can plant turnips about ½ inch into the soil. When you are preparing to plant turnips you also have the option to build a turnip bed. The turnip bed should offer 8 inches or more of soil. You need to make a bed large enough to allow for several inches of spacing between each turnip

Mulch can be used around the rows of turnips to help prevent weeds from entering the garden. You can feed the turnip plants throughout their growth using natural fertilizer or even compost tea. Search for products that contain potassium and phosphorous. These are important nutrients for the growth of delicious and healthy turnips.

It is not time to harvest the turnips until they are 3 or 4 inches in diameter. Summer turnip crops do best if they are not allowed to grow more than 3 inches in diameter. You will be ready to use your turnips after you remove the turnip plant from the ground. Do not forget to wash your newly grown turnips before eating them.

If you like turnips then why not find out How To Grow Swedes. Or if you are having problems then find out more about Turnip Pests And Diseases

By Richard Allen -