Growing Your Own Vegetables by Carla Emery

Author:Carla Emery
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sasquatch Books
Published: 2010-08-15T16:00:00+00:00

Rat-tail radish is grown for its long seed pods—wide at one end, dwindling to a tip at the other, thus “rat-tailed”—which develop late in the season. Harvest the bean-like pods when they are young and tender. Moderately spicy, they can be prepared like snap peas or pickled.

Wasabi is a very hot, green Japanese radish that is dried and powdered once harvested. Mix the powder with enough water to get a smooth paste and use sparingly.

Turnips and rutabagas

Turnips (Brassica rapa) are easy to grow and a good crop for high altitudes and chilly climates. In the South, turnips are an excellent cool-season vegetable, good for both the root and the nutritious greens.

The rutabaga (Brassica napobrassica), called Swede or Swedish turnip in England, is a cross between a turnip and a wild cabbage, first grown in the Middle Ages. Rutabagas thrive in cool climates and do well across the northern United States and even into the cooler parts of Canada. Grow them as you would turnips, although they get bigger and take about a month longer to mature.

PLANTING: Like any root vegetable, turnips and rutabagas like a well-tilled, fertile soil. Both dislike hot weather. Turnips may be sown 1 month before the last spring frost date for an early crop or planted in July or August for a late crop. Turnips that are grown through a hot summer will be stringy and strong tasting. In the Deep South, plant in the fall for a winter harvest. 35 to 70 days to maturity depending on variety.

In mild climates rutabagas may be planted in early spring to mature in late summer. In hot summer areas plant in June to mid-July to mature in cool fall weather; hot weather during the later part of their growth causes big tops but small, tough roots. 90 days to maturity.

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