Question! Please Help!!

So this is my second year gardening. Last year we had wonderful success with root veggies, so I planted some of my favorites this year- carrots, rutabagas and turnips. I was planning to make lovely clay garden labels with my two daughters, but we got caught up doing different crafts instead. Now I've forgotten which row the joan rutabagas are in and which row the gold ball turnips are in. I planted them both on April 18. One row has very tall leaves- probably 12-15 inches long, the other row has leaves that are much shorter- maybe 5 inches long. Rutabagas take longer to mature (95-100 days) compared to the turnips (45-65 days). Should I just assume the the longer-leaved veggies are the turnips? That seems like the correct assumption, because those should be just about done- any ideas?? I really don't want to pull the wrong thing- my garden is pretty small.

Thank you so much!!

Hi jenniferk - I don't grow either so I'm not much help there - lol... If you could post a picture there are a lot of folks here that can for sure tell you what you're growing!

Welcome to Dave's!

Kelly

You are probably correct. In any event you should no trouble differentiating at harvest time. The turnips will be finished before the rutabagas get going. The Joan Rutabaga is a purple top. ( Two toned root) The Gold Ball turnip is a uniform light tannish yellow. If you thinking greens, both are quite usable. The rutabaga has a bit stronger flavor.

When we are picking greens, we just mix them up. Rutabaga, turnip and mustard all in the same pot. Tried beet greens this year for the first time and they are great.

Thank you so much! Should I wait until the tops are sticking out of the soil before I pull them up? You guys are great!! So helpful. Next year we'll have the clay garden markers for sure :).

Bro. Jim!
I discovered beet greens for the first time last fall when my 94-yr-old Aunt Beatrix cooked my harvest. She pickled the roots and I thought they were great. But, when I tasted the GREENS! OMGoodness!

Now, I grow beets more for the tops than the bottoms!

And, I hear there's a special TURNIP variety that makes HUGE greens and very negligible bottoms, for us turnip GREENS lovers!

The turnips are best at about baseball size, The Rutabagas at softball size. Both will grow with exposed tops, I f you cant see the top, you probably don't have sized up root.
Gymgirl, there are quite a few greens only turnips. I don't find the greens any better and in most cases not as good as regular turnips. The tough woody roots are resistant to cabbage root maggots, so they are great when you are confronted with those things. Seven Top, Top Star, Southern Green, All Top, Topper....

Farmerdill,
I don't quite understand, "The tough woody roots are resistant to cabbage root maggots, so they are great when you are confronted with those things"...

Please explain above.

I grew Seven Top this past season, and the leaves were really nice size. Loopers dessimated my crop before I could get to any...shoot!

Linda

Cabbage root maggots decimate regular turnips. They tunnel all through the turnip, and in doing so stunt the plant so that leaves are small, colored and distorted. Seven Top and its sisters have a hard woody root and while the plant may be slowed by the root maggot, they are not able to take it out like a regular turnip. The root may not appeal to them. A t any rate when you cannot grow regular turnips because of root maggots, Seven Top and its sisters usually fill the bill for greens. Of if you don't like turnips in the first place than they are for you. My best tasting turnip green to this point, Shogoin altho the old Purple Top/White Globe is hard to beat.

Ok. Now I've got it! Thanks!

I like the roots of turnips occasionally, but the greens are what I plant them for. Being a true Southerner, I eat anything thing green cooked with fat back.

I like my greens with a side of HAM HOCK!

Even though they add sooooooooooo much flavor to food, ya'll do know we shouldn't eat ham hocks too often 'cause of the high fat content, right?

Once, I was cooking and had this extra ham hock. So, I'm wondering what to do with ONE ham hock, and I happened to spy my trusty cast iron skillet on the stove. So, since all the necessary elements happened to be in place, I conducted an experiment.

I put the hock in the skillet and turned the heat on low. Just let it sit there and render down. When it finished, I poured off one full measuring cup of PURE GREASE...I let it harden into pure white lard....and stopped eating ham hocks for the next two years...

Now, I use them for seasoning only, but rarely eat the fatty part anymore. Or, limit myself to maybe ONE (or two) a year. Not nearly what I was doing before the experiment...

Regards.

A Louisiana girl like you needs her daily quotient of grease. We can't function correctly without it. Northern folks can't handle it because they don't sweat enough. We southerners sweat that grease right out and keeps the pores of our skin lubricated.

You know, Brother Jim, I have to agree with you on that lubrication thing. I'm 53 and don't have any wrinkles. People comment on my complexion daily. Yep. Bacon grease and good genes.

You are still just a child girl. I've got shirts as old as you.