Turnip `Golden Ball´

Here´s what´s ahead:

• Getting started

• Sowing

• Location

• Care

• Harvest & Storage

• Enjoy

Getting started

This rare and very old variety has almost been forgotten. Yet the yellow, round turnip tastes very delicious, for example in salads or as a raw vegetable with dip. The mild flavour is similar to that of radishes and is easy to grow.

The most important information at a glance:

• Germination depth: 1 - 2 cm

• Germination temperature: 12 - 18 °C

• Germination period: 7 -10 days

• Indoor sowing: not recommended

• Direct sowing outdoors: March-August

• Harvest turnip/seed: May - September/in 2nd year

• Plant spacing: 30 cm

• Root depth: 20 cm

• Habitat: sunny - semi-shady

• Nutrient requirements: low

Sowing

• We do not recommend pre-planting and sowing indoors.

• Instead, sow directly outdoors from March to August.

• Remove the seed paper from your calendar and tear it into small snippets.

• Make 1 to 2 cm deep grooves 30 cm apart and spread the snippets 30 cm apart.

• Cover the seeds with soil and keep them moist until germination.

• If the plants grow too close together, you should separate them later, i.e. remove weaker plants.

Location

• Sunny to semi-shady

• Soil: well-drained, rich in humus and loose.

• Turnips belong to the family of cruciferous plants and are self-intolerant. This means that you should not grow turnips and other cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli or radish in the same spot. The soil needs a cultivation break of 3 years.

• Good neighbours: pea, dill, lettuce, chard, parsley, celery, spinach, tomato.

• Bad neighbours: cauliflower, broccoli, kale, kohlrabi, head cabbage, Brussels sprouts.

Care

• Water regularly, but avoid waterlogging.

• Loosen the soil from time to time.

• Remove weeds.

• Fertilising is not necessary.

Pests

• Ground fleas: Look out for small holes in the leaves. Ground fleas like dryness, so to prevent them, water regularly and cover plants with a protective net. In case of infestation, cut onions or garlic and place them between the plants.

• Cabbage flies: Look out for wilted leaves and small white larvae on roots and root base. Remove the affected plant from your bed as soon as possible to protect others. As a preventive measure, you can cover your plants with a close-meshed protective net. In case of a light infestation, you can collect the larvae from the root area and replant the plant. Otherwise, the plant must be disposed of (do not throw it on the compost, the conditions there are perfect for the flies).

Harvest & Storage

• Harvest the turnips 6 to 8 weeks after sowing.

• The earlier you harvest them, the more tender they taste.

• Loosen the soil, grab the green leaves and pull the turnips out of the soil.

• Storage: Remove the leaves, place the turnip in a box with slightly damp sand and put it in a cool place (for example in your cellar).

Enjoy

• Both the turnip and the leaves are edible.

• Turnips can be eaten raw, for example in a salad. Cooked, they can be used in soups or stews.

• The leaves can also be eaten raw or cooked. Use them to make a pesto, for example.