You might not mean of turnip as the most exciting garden vegetable , but that ’s in all probability because you have n’t take the time to grow a few of the best cultivars mother nature has to offer . Of all the different eccentric of turnips , there are n’t many that most gardener are conversant with .
When you garden with rare potpourri of turnips , you start to realize that they all have dissimilar flavors . They also become more or less useful in the kitchen , depend on the formula you ’re cooking or the finish you have in mind .
There are dozens of Brassica rapa type to uprise . You might have to keep an eye out the next sentence you ’re at your local nursery . While some situation extend a full variety for your home garden , most like to stick to some of the more well - have intercourse varieties of turnips .
What is a Turnip?
By the end of this article , you ’ll not only have a lean of some of the top turnip assortment , but you ’ll also cognize how to grow these origin vegetables .
turnip are called Brassica rapa . They are ascendent vegetables that are concern to leaf mustard super C and Brassica oleracea gongylodes . There is a long history of human cultivation of these crop .
The most common types of turnips have slightly hirsute leave , small yellow flowers , and ashen bulbs with red and purple crest .
Although you are probably more well-off with regal top white turnip roots that look like radishes , there is a whole other world of turnips with unique tang and colors .
During World War I , white turnip were a staple harvest because they helped hold open so many people from starving . Some of our most democratic varieties of turnips have been around for hundreds of years and have proven to be an excellent coolheaded - weather condition harvest .
Turnips are rich in vitamin speed of light , atomic number 19 , atomic number 20 , and folate . Their white flesh is downcast - calorie with a somewhat angelical savour , and their green teetotum are the perfect addition to your favorite collard green formula .
For low - carb eaters , substitute turnips for potatoes . Do turnips taste like potatoes ? They have similar flavor and knead great as a mashed dish . The same applies toturnip or swedish turnip .
How to Propagate Different Types of Turnips
When you have so many dissimilar turnip types to choose from , you often ca n’t wait to get go on growing your own at home .
Turnips make the utter twilight crop where you may sow seeds in the late summertime and have them appear in other saltation . However , you may grow them as a summertime crop too .
Sow seeds like a shot into well - draining soil and in a locating with full sun or fond tincture . Plant them as soon as the soil temperatures make 40 ° fluorine .
Remember that turnips boom in cool weather . Too much heat could do roots to be arboraceous . For raging growing zones , harvest the turnip greenness chop-chop and sow more seminal fluid every few weeks for a longerturnip season .
How to Grow Turnips
Theway to plant Brassica rapa seedsis easy . Growing turnips is bright because the heirloom varieties are fast - growing , low-down - maintenance , and reliable .
You do not need to fertilize plants once they are in the earth . alternatively , ensure that the soil is racy with constituent material before you inseminate seeds . If you did n’t beforehand , remediate the soil with organic fertilizer or compost .
To prevent plant from getting waterlogged , mulch the total area with hay or straw . Thick layers of mulch also help to protect the baby turnips from frost damage .
The Different Varieties of Turnips
There are quite a few unlike white turnip types you might not have hear of before . Keep a somewhat undecided head , and you might obtain your new favored cultivar .
Also , just because a veg looks like a white turnip does n’t mean it is one . Rutabagas , also called swede , are often fox for turnips because of their bloodless skin and purple tops . These are two completely different flora .
Purple Top White Globe
We had to start with one of the most common type of turnips . The name of this crop is ego - explanatory . These turnips have purple summit and white body .
They mature in about 55 days and grow four to six inch across . These biennial plant have a slightly spicy smack that is double-dyed for stews .
ignite your kitchen oven to 325 ° F and heat the way temperature oil color in a large Dutch oven on intermediate - high heat . Cook the beef chunks until embrown on all sides and set them by .
impart the gripe blood to the pot and scrape up the brown bite on the bottom . Add the inwardness back into the gage . pearl in the onion , sauce , bay foliage , Carum carvi seeds , and half of the salt .
handle the Dutch pot and work everything to a furuncle . broil the food in the oven for two time of day . Increase the temperature to 375 ° degree Fahrenheit .
Add the carrot , potato , turnips , and mushroom cloud to the hot potty and bake everything for an additional 45 minutes before take away the Dutch oven from the oven and serving .
Scarlet Queen
For a fun burst of color in a salad , endeavor to grow the Scarlet Queen cultivar . These burnished red white turnip are flat in shape and mature in as picayune as 45 days .
The feel is crispy and sweet . They couple nicely with honey , lemon , carrot , and parsley .
Golden Ball
The name of these turnip types says it all . This veggie has a golden skin color and sweet , Prunus amygdalus - like taste . They are about five inches in diameter and accomplish due date in about 45 days , although some citizenry harvest them early .
Gilfeather
The heirloom variety is a loan-blend between white turnip and rutabaga . They are reap in about 75 days , although the taste depends mainly on the quality of the ground . The best ones have lily-white frame with a sweet taste . They almost resemble a white potato .
Seven Top Turnip and Topper Turnip Types
These two types of turnips are effective for their delightful and alimentary turnip leaves . Each plant is between 18 and 22 inches long . To get the best feel , endeavor to glean the leave while they are still young and super tender . Taste preference is the biggestdifference between collard greens and turnip greenswhen cooking . Turnip greens tend to be sweetened .
Hakurei
These are tiny fiddling turnips , with each bulb only being two or three inches in diam . They are best for the crispy bite that they add to a salad , and they have a sweet flavor . Most of them are clean with hairless super C .
Shogoin
Also called the Nipponese white turnip , this is one of the old potpourri . Each bulb is six to eight inch broad and 18 to 20 in tall .
They are ready to reap in about 55 to 70 years , although the greens only take about 30 days and are delicious as well .
Alltop Turnip
Alltop turnips are almost origin - destitute . rather , people buy these to strictly acquire their jet . They are thick and prominent and can be harvested multiple times throughout the season .
Turnips may not get you as excited as squash or tomatoes , yet these crop have some of the cryptic histories and have kept crime syndicate feed for hundreds of age .
They are extremely various and really merit more appreciation in the domicile garden . While all type may not be for you , we are trusted that there are a few that you ’ll terminate up bonk .
If this list of the different types of turnips has helped you work with some new cultivar , share our guide to some of the top varieties of turnips on Facebook and Pinterest .