"driller" turnips and or radishes

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HeatherY Kensington, NY Mar 29, 2014

Help! I am having a middle aged moment!
I wonder if anyone has heard of turnips or perhaps radishes that break hard dry soil and
grow a taproot about a foot or more?

I was reading about such a plant in a catalog, have misplaced or recycled that catalog,
and can't remember the plant! It would be just right to plant in the tree pit outside, so as to
make that soil friable, and then plant some hardy short perennial in the holes it leaves behind.
But I can't recall the plant!

Heather Y.

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Doug9345 Durhamville, NY(Zone 5b) Mar 29, 2014

I think you may be talking about daikon radishes.

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CountryGardens Lewisville, MN(Zone 4a) Mar 29, 2014

Defiantly Daikons.
South of here they had a freak snowstorm in May. So a lot of crops were not planted. They sowed Daikons as a cover crop.
Seed is widely available.
April Cross is a good variety.

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RickCorey_WA Everett, WA(Zone 8a) Mar 31, 2014

Also Google "tillage radish", which I thought was a generic term, like forage or oilseed or Daikon radishes.
http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs142p2_022940.pdf

However, this website seems to claim that they own the name, and I see the "circle R" that means registered trademark.
http://www.tillageradish.com/

This is a Daikon variety:
Daikon Radish Minowase (OP)
Raphanus sativus
sow summer or fall


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Post #9802213
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CountryGardens Lewisville, MN(Zone 4a) Mar 31, 2014

I bought some fertilizer today. They also sell every seed imaginable.
I took one of their catalogs. The radish they sell is the Tillageradish.
Same as your link.

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drthor Irving, TX(Zone 8a) Apr 01, 2014

Then you need to try this SWEET PICKLED DAIKON RADISHES
http://www.seriouseats.com/2011/11/in-a-pickle-sweet-pickled-daikon-radish.html

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) Apr 01, 2014

Early 20th century lots of folks used the Cowhorn turnip to break plowpan. Of course they did not know about Daikon radishes which work a lot better. The old Cowhorn is probably a part of history, but Baker Creek sells something similar as Navet des Vertus Marteau turnip. Evergreen seeds has good selection of Daikon types.

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HeatherY Kensington, NY Apr 03, 2014

Thanks Rick, for the links. Thanks, everyone, for the comments

Yes this seems to be the one I am looking for, I remember the traits
were a long taproot that could break up soil or make holes for other plants
, a soil enrichment if planted in Fall and let to rot, and though they did not
list it, it occurred to me that it could bio-remediate very effectively.

Thanks
HeatherY


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