Known since ancient agriculture, turnip is probably the most Russian vegetable, replacing our ancestors of grain in the famine.
The appearance of potatoes has replaced turnips from the pedestal, but Russian plant growers still grow this popular crop, which has established itself as a delicious dietary and healing product, valued for its rich vitamin composition and unpretentiousness. When planting turnips, what conditions to create for better root growth, as well as other issues related to the agricultural technology of this crop, will be considered in the article.
Soil preparation
Before figuring out when to plant turnips, we’ll figure out where to plant it. Light and fertile sandy loamy well-moistened soils with acidity at a pH of 6.0-7.0 are optimal for unpretentious turnips. Since clay soils can cause keel infection and significantly reduce the taste properties of the root crop, it is unprofitable to cultivate turnips in such areas.
When deciding when to plant turnips and radishes, vegetable growers carry out pre-sowing treatment of the beds. They dig the soil, introducing 3-5 kg of humus or rotted manure, 200 g of ash and 15 g of urea, superphosphate and potash fertilizers per square meter. It is important to remember that fresh manure must not be applied immediately before planting. Its use is possible only with autumn processing. You should not plant turnips in areas where other representatives of cruciferous crops were previously cultivated - cabbage, watercress, etc. Predecessors such as peas, beans, beans, tomatoes, or zucchini are preferred.
When to plant turnips in open ground
Turnip is a cold-resistant crop that perfectly ripens even in shaded areas, which allows growers to harvest two crops a season, even in temperate climatic latitudes. When to plant turnips?
The first time the seeds are sown, as soon as the snow melts. Root crops, planted in the spring and intended for summer use, are not suitable for laying for storage in the winter. Vegetables of the second (summer) planting have good keeping quality. When to plant turnips again, they are determined by the weather conditions in the region, but they do this no later than in early July. The main rule of the second sowing is that the seeds are sown 70-80 days before the establishment of resistant frosts. Root crops will have time to ripen and gain enough qualities that increase their safety.
Cultivation agricultural
Having decided on the time when to plant turnips in open ground, the seeds are subjected to processing - they are heated for half an hour, soaking in hot water (50-52 ° C). After this procedure, the seeds are slightly dried. Since they are small enough, for the convenience of planting, they are mixed with sand or sifted wood ash. In the prepared area, the root crop is sown in rows at intervals of 20 cm. Sow the seeds in the grooves, deepening them by 1-2 cm, and then carefully close and water, trying not to erode the soil.
Caring manipulations for turnip plantings are common: regular weeding, cultivation and watering. With the appearance of 3-5 leaves, the rows are thinned out, leaving 6-8 cm between the sprouts. Mulching peat crops will greatly facilitate the care of the vegetable grower: the need for loosening and removing weeds will disappear, a good moisture level and an optimal microclimate around the sprouts will remain.
Watering and pest control
A prerequisite for the quality growth of the plant and the formation of the root crop is to provide it with sufficient water. With its lack of turnip grows tough and bitter. The bed with this moisture-loving crop should not dry out. Root crops should be watered often - both during the initial growth period, and during its full formation. The irrigation rate is 10 liters per square meter.
Unfortunately, turnip plantings are very attractive to many dangerous pests, the most common of which are cabbage bugs and flies, wavy fleas that can destroy seedlings in the shortest time. You can prevent their attack during the digging of the soil by adding ash or tobacco dust to it. The beds with planted turnips are periodically “dusted” with mustard powder or pepper.
Thus, having dealt with the question of when it is possible to plant turnips, we learned effective agricultural practices that allow us to grow a double crop of excellent medicinal root crops.