Forage turnip

Today, few people pay attention to turnips. After all, there are many much more delicious, affordable and familiar vegetables. However, earlier, when people did not even know about the potatoes so beloved by everyone, fodder turnips were a real substitute for bread and a vegetable of all vegetables.

Fodder turnip in the mouth of an agronomist

As already mentioned, this two-year-old vegetable used to be extremely popular with all segments of the population.

Forage turnip is a root vegetable belonging to the Cruciferous family. In terms of its taste, this vegetable is very similar to carrots or beets. In the first year of a turnip's life, a fleshy, tasty root vegetable is formed, similar in appearance to a very large radish. However, each variety has personal external qualities. There are, for example, both round and oval and cylindrical fruits. They also differ in color: there are both extremely pale and bright pink.

Next year, seeds can be obtained from the planted mothers. After the turnip sprouts out of the ground, its short, wide cotyledons begin to appear. After appearing on the surface, they acquire a green tint. Cotyledons sprouting on the surface allow the root crop to almost completely peek out of the ground, which makes it easy to pull it out.

Due to the striking difference between turnip seedlings from any other similar vegetable, you cannot confuse it with anything. These are its characteristics:
- A lush bouquet of leaves rises above the ground. Their plates are covered with soft fluff.
-On the peduncles of seedlings, many leaves grow in the form of a triangle.
-The shape of the inflorescence is a panicle.
The shape of the fruit is a pod. Inside it, more than 20 brown spherical seeds ripen. 1000 pieces of such seeds have a mass of 2500 milligrams to 3500 milligrams.

Another name for forage turnips and cultivation features

This vegetable is great for cultivation. The advantage of turnips is that their fruits ripen extremely quickly. In just 2 months (+/- 10 days) after the appearance of the first shoots, the fruits ripen. This feature of the turnip allows it to have a very high yield: with good weather and good luck, it is quite possible to grow as many as two crops in one season.

Also, for greater fertility, it is worth picking up a good soil. Turnip is very fond of light soil that does not have excessive acidity.

It is also strictly forbidden to use fresh manure as fertilizer for the soil.However, it can be resorted to if mixed with lime or ash. This will lower the acidity of the fertilizer and make it suitable for turnips. Old organic-fed soil is also suitable.

If you can't imagine your dish without turnips, you can grow fodder turnips in two stages. In the summer, you will eat root crops planted in the spring. Due to the fact that the plant is not at all afraid of the cold, planting material can be sown even in May. Planting this early will allow you to enjoy the turnip flavor as soon as possible.

If you want to keep your vegetables for storage, fall specimens are best. If you want to take advantage of your stocks of tasty turnips in winter, you should start growing them in the middle of summer. Also, turnips take root very well in areas where other vegetable crops previously grew: potatoes, cucumbers or onions.

To sow root turnips, you need to know some simple rules: when choosing a site, you should water it well. Also, speaking about the soil, do not forget that flat ground is most suitable for turnips.Also, remember to make furrows in the ground and soak the seeds in warm water shortly before planting. Seeds should be placed in the furrows in 2-3 pieces at a distance of no more than a tenth of a meter. Sprinkle the places where the seeds were planted well with earth. When everything is done, cover the grooves with some kind of non-woven material.

Your roots will grow rapidly. When they have 3-4 leaves, you should thoroughly thin out the soil and rid it of all kinds of weeds. After that, it will not be superfluous to fertilize the planting with manure.

Turnips forage turnip care

Do not forget that the correct agricultural technique is the first thing that will help your garden to bear much more fruit every season. Here are a couple of rules to help you grow your turnips:

Turnips is very fond of abundant watering. This plant does not tolerate dryness at all: its growth begins to slow down, and the fruit becomes much less tasty. Turnips become bitter and unappetizing. If the summer is particularly hot, you may need up to 30 liters of water per square meter.

A very important part of agricultural technology is soil loosening. Some inexperienced farmers do not pay enough attention to this, but this is fundamentally wrong. Loosening the soil allows the plant to "breathe". If you don't, you will end up with a much smaller crop of much less good quality.

We must not forget that there are thousands of pests living in your garden that do not sleep and are waiting for the opportunity to feast on your harvest. One of these parasites is the earthen flea. It eats early and late shoots in a matter of days, so you need to regularly pollinate the soil with pepper or ash if you do not want to lose half of the fruit.

Although not necessary, you can use various fertilizers or special feeding at any time. However, do not forget that before using the drug, you must carefully read the instructions and follow them step by step. Wrong actions can lead to disastrous consequences.

If you are growing a winter batch of turnips, you should not wait for the frost to come to harvest. If you carefully cut off the foliage of the root vegetable, it can be stored for quite a long time. The ideal temperature for storing turnips is 5-25 degrees. Also, for better preservation when laying, turnips are covered with sand in layers.

There are many more little tricks you can find to help you grow bountiful, healthy crops. However, remember that watering and loosening is most important. Without them, no professional feeding will help you.

Conclusion

Turnip in its qualities is in no way inferior to potatoes. It can be added to dishes, salads, eaten raw, fried or boiled, and most importantly, it is easy to grow in huge quantities. So this wonderful vegetable should not be neglected. Try a turnip. You'll like it.