Turnip

DESCRIPTION	Turnips were once the most popular choice for home gardens, and for good reason. They’re easy to grow, and once you start using them in your cooking, you’ll never look back. These cabbage relatives grown for their spicy greens and mild tasting roots. The roots are a good addition to salads, pickled, or cooked in soups, stews, and side dishes. Or try them boiled and mashed in with potatoes. They add a sweet note to whatever dish they’re included in. The greens are a classic cooked with ham or bacon in Southern dishes. Or add them fresh to salads or toss a few handfuls, chopped, into a stirfy.Turnips grow best in cool conditions, so plant them early in spring or in late summer for a fall crop.
GENUS NAME	Brassica rapa
COMMON NAME	Turnip
PLANT TYPE	Vegetable
LIGHT	Part Sun, Sun
HEIGHT	6 to 12 inches
WIDTH	4 to 6 inches
PROPAGATION	Seed
HARVEST TIPS	Harvest turnip greens when they reach 4 to 6 inches tall. Remove only the outer leaves so the plant will continue to produce more greens and roots. Begin harvesting roots when the reach 2 inches in diameter for use fresh in salads. For cooking and winter storage, allow the roots to mature to 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Roots become sweeter if exposed to a light frost, but don’t let them grow too large, or they will become bitter and woody.