Plant ID card |
|
|---|---|
Botanical name |
Brassica rapa var. Rapifera (Brassica rapa var. Rapa). |
Common name |
Turnip, turnip-rave. |
Family |
Brassicaceae. |
Origin |
Europe. |
Dimensions |
0.80 cm high with the flower stem, the second year. |
Foliage |
Oblong leaves, covered with small rough hairs, edible when young. |
Bloom |
From June to September, the second year. Yellow in color, they are grouped in loose clusters. |
Root |
Fleshy, rounded, elongated or flat, two-tone (white/purple), white, pale purple, yellow or black. |
Exposure |
Sun, partial shade. |
Ground |
Humus, fresh and loose. |
Rusticity |
-7 to -15°C. |
By playing with the varieties and spreading out the seedlings, the turnip can be present in the vegetable garden for almost 10 months.
Its only requirement to satisfy is to have humus soil, which remains fresh throughout the growth of its root.
Turnip varieties: a great diversity of shapes and colors
Round, long, two-tone, yellow, early, shelf-stable... Turnips are diverse and varied.
Two types of categories are distinguished:
Spring and summer varieties
:
'Milan Rouge': round root, slightly flattened, with a purplish-red collar;
'Snowball': round root, with white skin and flesh, very early;
'Demi-long de Croissy': white root, half-long and cylindrical, with sweet flesh.
Fall and winter varieties:
'Globe Saint Benoit': round root with purple collar and white lower part;
'Yellow ball of gold': round root with golden yellow skin and yellow flesh;
'Noir Long de Caluire': long root with black skin and white, sweet flesh.
What about rutabaga
(Brassica napus napobrassica
)?
Sometimes called forage turnip, it is the result of a cross between
Brassica rapa
var.
Rapifera
and
Brassica oleacea
(cabbage).
When and how to sow turnips?
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No use without permission.
Sowing is done
in place
, because transplanting is not supported.
For a spring and summer harvest, sowing takes place from mid-March to the end of June (mid-February for growing under cover).
Fall and winter turnips are sown from mid-July to the end of August and protected from too much heat using a shade sail or overturned crates.
The seeds are sown in rows spaced 25 cm apart.
In a furrow 1 cm deep, place one every centimeter.
When the plants have two true leaves,
thin out the rows
, keeping only one every 10 cm.
Tip: add mature compost to the beds intended to receive the turnips.
What maintenance for turnips?
Turnips need cool soil for their roots to develop.
Water them frequently and install
a layer of mulch.
During periods of drought, watch for attacks by flea beetles, which puncture the leaves of your turnips.
In case of invasion, water them twice a day;
they will eventually leave.
How to cook turnip?
Spring turnips have juicy, soft and sweet flesh.
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No use without permission.
Harvested young and tender, spring turnips have juicy, soft and sweet flesh.
They will keep for a week in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
You can then eat them
raw, grated or as a carpaccio.
No need to peel early or young turnips: their skin is thin and full of nutrients.
Winter turnips, with a stronger flavor, are storage varieties.
They can be kept for several months in a cellar or silo.
These turnips are excellent cooked, in a stew, in a vegetable pot, in puree, steamed...