How to Plant Prairie Turnips
These unique plants are sleeping now, but they will be ready to grow when the conditions are right. let’s give them a hand by planting them into their new home!
A few basics
These are incredibly hearty plants, but there’s a few things we need to get right. Timing, location, orientation and depth.
The chances are that you have received your new turnips either in late summer or early spring. If it’s spring, they can be planted as soon as the ground is thawed. If it is late summer, it might be a good idea to place them in the refrigerator until the high temps stay in the 50s (assuming you are in a northernly climate). We want to avoid having them get confused and start growing in the fall, only to have their season cut short as the cold moves in.
Prairie turnips need a site that receives full sunlight. That’s 8-6 hours per day. Turnips also do best in well draining soil. Well draining means soil that is somewhat sandy or gravely. Get as close as you can to these two conditions and you’ll be set up for success!
It may seem obvious, but we need to talk about it! Your turnips need to be planted so that the root side is down and the bud side is up. It can be a little difficult to tell sometimes which end is which, but here’s a few tips. There will usually be a spindly stem-like growth coming off of one end of the turnip. This is the root. I remove all of the stems from the first year’s growth prior to shipping, so the bud side should have no stems. Often times (but not always), the bud side will also have a small white bud that will also help with identification. So, to state the obvious: plant your turnips with roots down.
Once you’ve sorted out which end is up, it’s time to plant! The only real trick here is to plant the turnips so that the top is 1/2 to 3/4″ beneath the surface of the soil. Once you replace the soil, water the site well and mark the location. I like to use a bright colored golf tee, but to each their own. These are slow growing plants, so expect 2-3 years of growth before seeing your first blossoms.
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