Our ancestors knew how to grow turnips several centuries ago. After all, this vegetable plant has been known to people for more than four millennia. Already at that time, a person not only knew perfectly how to grow turnips, but also used it as one of the main food products. True, with the advent of potatoes, the significance of this root crop somewhat decreased. It was brought to Russia in about the fourteenth century from Greece.
Grade selection
For most of us, this vegetable is associated with flattened root vegetables from old Russian tales. It has a golden yellow color and a hard smooth surface. This species is one of the most common in our country. In the people he was nicknamed "Voshchanka." It is important for gardeners not only to know how to grow turnips in open ground. It is equally important to choose the right variety.
In our country, far from all varieties of this root crop grow. We usually grow turnips obtained by Russian breeders. This is a variety of Petrovsky. Although the Japanese Geisha grows well in some garden areas. In addition to these two varieties recommended by the State Register, the following varieties are also cultivated in our country - May yellow green-headed, Milanese white-purple-headed, Golden Ball, Snow Maiden and others.
Optimal conditions for growing turnips
This root crop is a photophilous plant. Those who are interested in how to grow turnips should know that it is a plant that requires a long day. Good lighting is one of the main conditions for its normal development. It is it that helps to ensure that such a useful vitamin C is accumulated in the root crop. Moreover, those who know well how to grow turnips are sure that the culture places high demands on illumination primarily during the initial period of growth.
The optimum temperature for the cultivation and growth of this root crop is an interval from fifteen to twenty degrees of heat. Those who are interested in how to grow turnips in open ground, you need to know that a lower regime can trigger the development of the peaks. For normal growth, the plant also needs sufficient moisture in the soil and air. Especially demanding is the soil culture during germination and leaf formation. Experts who know well how to grow turnips in open ground, believe that timely watering at this time positively affects not only the harvest, but also taste.
Features
Turnip always needs nitrogen. It must be served to the plant throughout the entire growth period. Nitrogen helps increase protein in the fruit. However, there should be a measure in everything, since with a surplus of nitrogen in the crop, the growing season increases, and the keeping quality and quality of root crops decrease. At the first stages of cultivation and growth, the plant also needs phosphorus nutrition. This trace element stimulates the development of the root system, increases resistance to adverse conditions and increases the sugar content of the root crop. The accumulation of carbohydrates, protein and ascorbic acid in vegetables is greatly promoted by potassium. In general, for normal growth and development, any plant needs trace elements such as boron, calcium, copper, magnesium, manganese, etc. Turnip is no exception.
Where is the culture grown?
The most suitable for this crop are sandy loam or loamy soils cultivated by peat. However, turnip tolerates soil with high acidity. And varieties with flat root crops can also be planted in a shallow arable layer - up to eighteen centimeters.
Those who are interested in how to grow turnips in the country should know that the best predecessors of this crop are tomato, cucumber, corn, zucchini, legumes and potatoes, under which organic fertilizers have already been applied. You should not plant the crop in highly acidified areas, especially after cabbage.
Landing
Growing turnips in the garden is not too difficult. The main thing is to know some features. Since turnip is a precocious crop, it can be sown several times in one season. For summer use, seeds should be sown in spring. Harvest will be ready in sixty or seventy days. For autumn, sowing in July is acceptable, and for winter storage in early August.
During spring sowing, the land must be prepared already in the fall. For this purpose, an autumn digging should be carried out and the necessary fertilizers applied. With the onset of spring, deep loosening is carried out at the landing site - up to twenty centimeters. Then, the rest of the fertilizer is again applied. For summer sowing, the earth needs to be dug to a depth of up to twenty centimeters and before sowing, water abundantly at the rate of fifteen to twenty liters per square meter.
Turnip can be planted on a flat surface in the summer, and on ridges or ridges in the spring. The row spacing should be at least thirty centimeters. Turnips can be grown in the second or third crop after composting. But if organic matter was not introduced before planting, then humus should be given humus at the rate of two to three kilograms per square meter.
Phosphoric or potassium top dressing is applied in the fall and under presowing treatment. Nitrogen fertilizers need to be applied in the spring. Indicative doses are: ten to fifteen grams of urea per square meter, the same amount of sodium chloride and thirty to forty grams of superphosphate. If necessary, liming the soil.
How to grow turnips from seeds?
Planting material needs to be taken only last year. The freshest seeds are the key to a good harvest. This will tell any agronomist who knows firsthand how to grow turnips. At home, before planting, you should prepare the seeds for sowing. This process involves calibration and soaking of planting material. For convenience and uniformity of sowing, seeds are best mixed with sand or its mixture with superphosphate. Marked rows should make grooves two centimeters deep, which should be moistened as necessary.
The sowing rate of turnip seeds is as follows: approximately one gram per square meter with a seeding depth of one to two centimeters. You can place planting material in the ground and in a nesting way - two or three pieces per hole, followed by thinning.
Care
Usually seedlings appear on the fourth or seventh day after planting, depending on the temperature regime. Seedling care includes the mandatory removal of soil crust. To do this, small, by three to five centimeters, loosening is carried out. For the entire growing time, from three to five inter-row treatments are carried out. Before three true leaves form on the plant, thinning is carried out. The distance between the bushes in a row should be from six to eight centimeters, and with summer crops - up to ten.
Thinning is most often carried out in the phase of two true leaves. This occurs approximately on the twentieth day after the emergence of seedlings. Between the plants should leave a distance of five centimeters. When repeated thinning is done, it increases to ten. And with the third - up to fifteen centimeters. If sowing was carried out by the nesting method, then only the strongest plant should be left, removing all the others.
Those who know how to grow turnips well will say that weeding is very important for this crop. Weeds should not be allowed on the bed, because root crops are deformed from this, and their quality is reduced. In total, three shallow loosening should be carried out per season. In this case, the plants are better to light up. The soil on the bed should always be moist. The norm is up to twenty liters of water per square meter. Moreover, experts recommend alternating watering with loosening.
In general, the main stages in growing turnips are considered to ensure optimal plant density, sufficient moisture, soil cleanliness and pest control, especially with cabbage fly and cruciferous flea.
Harvest and storage turnips
Root crops for summer consumption should be harvested selectively when they reach a diameter of 6-8 centimeters, and for autumn and winter - at one time before frost. The plant must be pulled out of the soil and immediately cut the leaves. A yield of two to five kilograms per square meter is considered good. Turnip in winter is very well kept. The optimal temperature for storage is 0-1 degrees Celsius, and humidity is 90%. Root crops need to be sprinkled with wet sand or peat, although some store the crop in plastic bags.
Pest control
In the first stages of cultivation, up to the formation of the first two true leaves, that is, within ten days after the emergence of sprouts, the greatest danger to the culture is represented by cabbage fly and cruciferous flea.
To combat the first pest, it is recommended to introduce such drugs as Bazudin and Medvetox into the soil. And from a cruciferous flea the Spark means will well help. If you do not take appropriate measures, then in dry and hot weather this pest is able to completely destroy the sprouts. It is recommended against the cruciferous flea to always maintain the sowing area in an optimum wet state.