turnip leaves

[Strawberry delight]

I as wondering if I could take off all the leaves of my turnips and leave them in the ground as they are as big as I want them, so we could eat them at a later date? I wouldn't like them yo go woody either.
Thanks

[Capsid]

I think they will just dry up. They need the leaves to keep drawing the water into the plant from the roots. It's probably best to blanche and freeze them.

[Strawberry delight]

Thanks. hope theres room in the freezer!

[snohare]

I'd store them somewhere cool and dry. That's certainly how I plan to store mine if they grow big enough ! That's how the farmers here used to do it, pretty much the same as tatties I believe. (Although I was wondering if a drawerful of sand/peat or suchlike might work better.)

[endymion]

We're planning to store root crops in veg trays, lined with cardboard or newspaper and filled with dry compost. We're hoping to be able to use the compost for seeds in the spring.