Life

Gardening: Top turnip tips – a quick guide to growing your own 'neeps'

Turnips – as opposed to swedes, which are often called turnips – are ready to pick when about the size of a golf ball
Turnips – as opposed to swedes, which are often called turnips – are ready to pick when about the size of a golf ball Turnips – as opposed to swedes, which are often called turnips – are ready to pick when about the size of a golf ball

IF YOU'RE planning your vegetable plot, consider giving some space to turnips, which are easy to grow and which you can leave in the ground through the winter until you need them. They prefer cool, moist conditions, so are ideally suited to cultivating in winter, but the maincrop varieties those of you who celebrate Burns Night in January will be eating with your haggis in the form of 'neeps and tatties' (potatoes and turnips) are sown in mid-summer.

1 On the allotment: Turnips are brassicas, the group with includes includes all cabbages, cauliflowers, kale, Brussels sprouts and broccoli, as well as swede, turnips, radish and winter salad crops, such as rocket and the oriental mustards. If you have an allotment or designated vegetable patch, use crop rotation and grow turnips after legumes such as broad beans, peas or French beans. The turnips will absorb the nitrogen the previous crops have left in the soil.

2 Prepare the soil: Add a surface mulch of well-rotted compost to the soil before planting. For early varieties, soil should ideally be prepared in autumn before planting. If your soil is pH6 or below, a dressing of lime a week or two before planting will help. Sow early varieties including 'Milan Purple Top' under cloches, ideally in their final growing places in February, sowing thinly and spacing between rows 23-30cm (9-12in) apart. After preparing the soil, firm it down before you plant them, because as they grow they will become top heavy and can loosen if they're not well secured.

3 Give maincrop types more space: Maincrop varieties, which can be harvested from mid-October, will need more space to develop a deeper root, and should be sown between July and August. They need a firm, non-acid soil with reasonable drainage in a sunny spot. Rows should be sown very thinly about 30cm apart and thinned out as soon as the seedlings are large enough to handle.

4 Weed and water: Keep weeds at bay by hoeing regularly. Water them regularly during dry, hot summers. Don't let the soil dry out because the turnips will become woody and tough. They should be ready for lifting in October, when they are large enough to use although in most areas you can leave them in the ground and lift as required.