Crisp, crunchy roasted turnips a treat
WILLIAM HANSBY
Crisp and crunchy with slightly bitter and spicy flavours, the turnip is delicious roasted or mashed, and is far more versatile than most home cooks realise. It surely deserves a more prominent place in Kiwi cuisine.
SOW AND GROW
■ When to sow: September to December in warmer areas; February to March in cooler areas.
■ Position: Full sun.
■ Harvest: 7 weeks.
■ Good for pots.
GET STARTED
Turnips prefer cooler weather and are usually sown in early spring to early summer, and late summer to early autumn. This later sowing avoids the hottest months, and produces sweeter and more tender crops.
STEP BY STEP
■ Turnip seedlings do not transplant well. Sow seeds where they are to grow, at a depth of 1cm, spacing seeds 4cm apart.
■ Seeds should germinate in 7-10 days.
■ When plants are about 4cm high, thin to the strongest specimens. Space them about 12cm apart.
GROWING TIPS
Like most root vegetables, turnips appreciate soil that has been worked to a fine tilth to a depth of at least 20cm. Although turnips are brassicas, they are grown for their roots rather than their leaves, so avoid applying too much nitrogen-rich
fertiliser. Add a layer of compost or well-rotted manure to the soil well before sowing.
While turnips prefer sun, they do tolerate part shade. As root vegetables, they are protected in warmer climes from sunburn by the soil, but they prefer cooler conditions. Water regularly but avoid overwatering. Inconsistent watering can cause small, cracked and bitter crops.
Harvest your turnips when they are 5-7cm across. Or pick as babies, when their diameter is about 2.5-3.5cm, and eat the foliage as well (raw if you like).
STANDOUT VARIETIES
Go for “Golden Ball” with its golden-yellow skin and flesh, which is sweet with a slightly almond flavour. The stunning white “Tokyo Cross” is fast to grow, slow to bolt and more heat-resistant than other varieties. “Purple Top’“is popular for its rapid growth habit.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Being so speedy growing, turnips tend to outgrow any resident pests.
GARDENING BY THE MOON
March 8-11: Prepare soil for fertile period yet to come. Do odd jobs. Plan your to-do list. March 12-15: Plant leafy vegetables such as kale, kohlrabi, broccoli and spinach. Take cuttings. Nourish vege plants with liquid fertiliser. Plant fruit trees.
GARDENING BY THE MARAMATAKA
We are approaching autumn or ngahuru. The new moon was on the 10th and the windy equinoxal period (Tamatea phase) from the 16th, lasting several days. Support vulnerable plants and crops. Following the Tamatea phase, collect kākano (seeds). The winds of Tāwhirimātea will ensure they are dry enough to store.
Make early harvests of root crops such as kūmara and taewa to store. Prepare crops for the hauhake/harvest by reducing or stopping irrigation and by clearing top growth to promote skin quality. Also prepare the storage facility, whether that be dry fern or other materials in a place free of pest or disease with a settled temperature. This applies to produce and seeds. They need to see through winter without negative impacts on their quality. At this time we believe the sun (te Rā) is transitioning to his first wife, Hinetakurua, who is his wife of the cold winter months.
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