How to Grow Brassica Rapa

Brassica rapa, more commonly called turnip, is a fast-growing garden vegetable that does best when temperatures are cool. Their tops, known as turnip greens, are flavorful and often added to salads or cooked. The plants develop rotund, purplish-white roots, which may be harvested and added to cooked dishes. Sow Brassica rapa seeds directly into the garden, two to three weeks before the last anticipated spring frost or just as temperatures cool during early fall. They grow best in a sunny or partly shaded location and fertile soil that drains quickly.

Tiller or garden fork
Well-rotted manure
Organic compost
Garden hoe
Straw
Aged compost

Instructions

- 1
  Use a tiller or garden fork to loosen the soil 10 to 12 inches deep.
- 2
  Mix 2 inches of well-rotted manure and 2 inches of organic compost with the garden soil.
- 3
  Make rows with a hoe and leave at least 1 foot of space between each.
- 4
  Sow the Brassica rapa seeds 1/2 inch deep. Leave 1 inch of space between each seed when planting.
- 5
  Water lightly right after sowing the seeds. Continue to keep the soil lightly moist at all times.
- 6
  Thin Brassica rapa seedlings when they are 2 to 3 inches high. Leave a space of 2 inches between plants that you plan to harvest for greens and at least 4 inches between plants harvested for their roots.
- 7
  Spread straw around Brassica rapa when they are approximately 4 inches tall to prevent weeds and keep the roots cool.
- 8
  Apply a 1-inch layer of aged compost next to each plant, approximately one month after planting the seeds.
- 9
  Harvest the outermost leaves of Brassica rapa when they reach the desired size. Gather the roots when they are 2 to 3 inches wide.

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