Turnip

A dual-purpose vegetable that gives you both tender greens and a sweet, smooth-skinned root. Turnips are fast-growing and cold-hardy — perfectly suited to the cool ends of the season. Varieties range from round white globes to golden-fleshed types, and all deliver mild sweetness when harvested young.

Growing

Sow directly 1–2 cm deep in rows 40–45 cm apart from early spring to late summer. Sow every two to three weeks for a continuous supply. Thin seedlings to 10 cm apart once they have 2–3 true leaves. Turnips germinate quickly, usually in 3–6 days, and tolerate light frost without trouble.

Care

Keep soil consistently moist — dry spells cause woody, bitter roots. No heavy feeding needed; a light compost top-dressing at planting is enough. Aim for a soil pH of 6.0–7.5. Keep the bed weed-free, especially while plants are small. Flea beetles can be a nuisance on young seedlings; insect netting installed at sowing also keeps out root maggots.

Harvest

Harvest young leaves at 10–15 cm tall as a spinach-like green. Pull roots when 5–8 cm across for the best texture — typically 50–60 days from sowing. Harvest every other plant and let the rest develop. Best eaten young; larger roots become pithy and less sweet.

In the kitchen

Use both greens and roots. Young leaves cook like spinach or go straight into salads. Roots are excellent raw and grated into salads, stir-fried in thin slices, roasted whole with butter and thyme, or simmered in soups and stews. Mature roots mash well alongside potato.

Storing

Turnips store reasonably well. Keep unwashed in the fridge in a perforated plastic bag for 1–2 weeks. For longer storage, top fall-harvested roots and keep them at 0–4 °C with high humidity — they'll last 4–6 months. Blanched roots freeze for 10–12 months. Dried slices keep in an airtight container for 6 months. Can also be left in the ground and harvested as needed through autumn.