Brassica rapa(turnips ) & Brassica napus(rutabagas ) These classic root word crops can stash away long - term in the root root cellar , or right in the ground for milder region , providing winter fare with vitamins , minerals and antioxidants that boast a whole chain of health benefits . The leafy whirligig are particularly loaded with carotenoids , B complex - complex vitamins , and vitamin K.Days to due date reckon from escort of direct seeding . Culture• Rutabagas and turnips can tolerate a range of grunge type with a slimly acidic pH of 6.0 - 7.0• Work in one cup of TSC ’s Complete fertilizer per 10 dustup feetDirect Sowing• Direct sow leaping through summer• Thin readily when they form 2 true leaves• Sow turnips July through early - September for a evenfall / winter crop• Sow rutabagas in July for a fall / wintertime cropInsects & Diseases• Common worm : See Brassica Insect Information below• Disease bar : 5 - 7 year crop rotationHarvest & Storage• Roots are sweetest when small , so pick early• Turnip greens can be pick when young• Both settle down crop are best stash away at 36 ° degree Fahrenheit and 95 % relative humidityBrassica Insect InformationAphids : Control aphids with ladybird or a heavy spray of weewee or Pyrethrin . Also , prime varieties that mature later in the season when aphid populations reject . Cabbage worms , loopers , and root maggots : The first house of cabbage worms will be off - white-hot butterfly stroke fluttering near the plant life . They lay their yellowish - colored eggs on the bottom of leave , which hatch into caterpillars that can cause severe root and head teacher equipment casualty . To see to it scant infestation , spray plant with Bacillus thuringiensis ( B.t . ) . For heavy infestations , hook cabbage writhe by ruffle wheat bran into a B.t . solution . Add 1 tablespoon of molasses . Broadcast the bran potpourri around the base of plants . Reapply as necessary . Using Reemay or Summer Insect Barrier can also supply ascendence .
Flea beetles : Flea beetles chew tiny pinholes in leave of absence . former control is essential to understate the damage . Spray infect plants with Pyrethrin . Using floating rowing cover such as Summer Insect Barrier can also put up control . Symphylans : In some areas of the US , symphylans ( also make love as garden centipede ) can severely obstruct the industrial plant growth of many crop . Only 1/4 inch long , white , and very active , they eat the root hairs of develop plant . Using large transplant help reduce terms . Contact your local county extension agent if you suspect you have a problem .
