When are turnips ready?

[holmancentral]

I have a two fold question...First, how do you know when you turnips are ready to be harvested? also, I just ready that you can eat the greens? However, it said if you eat the green part you need to eat it early, then there will not be a big enough root. any information will help. I can't seem to find specifics about turnips that covers these questions. Thanks for the help!

[jal_ut]

Turnip roots can be harvested any time you have something big enough to eat. Walnut sized roots are so tender and sweet. I can never wait for them to get bigger before sampling. I am told the greens can be steamed, but have never done that. The darn bugs love them and they always look like thay have been shot with a shotgun with very small shot. IOW they never look too apealing.

Turnips will get quite large, but the large ones are not as tender as the smaller ones. 2 inches diameter or smaller is about right for very tender roots..

Also, I will mention that if your turnips are not too crowded they will make good roots sooner. This is pretty much the case for all the root crops. If you want a 2 inch root, you need at least 2 inches between plants. 3 inches would be better. Thin them and use the greens.

[holmancentral]

My turnip greens are about 4 inches high....can you judge by the size of the plant above ground to know about when to dig them up?

[jal_ut]

They will be 8 to 12 inches tall when you get some good roots. You can run a finger alongside the root at ground level and move a bit of soil to get a look at the root to see how big it is. Yes, you can judge by the size of the cluster of leaves at ground level just how large the root may be. I never dig them up, just pull a few large ones as needed.

Now would be a good time to thin them if you want to use some greens.

[holmancentral]

Thank you so much!