Turnips

[Stacey]

So far this has been my most successful crop. The first to appear,the first to need thinning,the first to get true leaves and fill its space in the veg bed. However some of the leaves seem to be turning yellow,what does this mean? I am really worried,about 1/3 of my turnips are affected. Everything else in the same bed is growing beautifully -peas,radish,lettuce,purple sprouting broccoli (I know its as bit of a mix!). Please help!

[Vegmonkey]

Could be yellow mosaic virus, i know brassicas can be affected! Not sure what the cure is

[terrier]

I've not grown turnips before either and I've not thinned them out when I should have, so now I've got loads of top growth. Are the leaves good to eat or are they just green manure????

Stacey, I've noticed that the turnip leaves are a much lighter green than adjacent plants. I think the wind and rain may have taken their toll on your plants. If it's just loss of colour and they are still growing well,. I'd just let them grow on.

[Flummery]

You can eat turnip tops as cooked greens terrier. I like them stir-fried in a drop of ground nut or sunflower oil and then sprinkled with toasted sesame oil before serving. I like lots of greens this way - last night we had spinach and pak choi cooked like this with some sprouted mung beans. Grand!

[Stacey]

but the tops sting!

[Flummery]

Not when you've cooked them! Trust me (and I'm not even a doctor!)

[Stacey]

oh right,I take it you need to wait until you actually harvest the turnips first, I am the sort of numpty that,if not told,will go and remove a few turnip leaves and steam them for dinner. What other veggie "tops" can you eat then? Ive heard you can eat beetroot (raw and cooked) and thats all I can think of at the moment.

[Flummery]

Broad bean - assuming that they aren't liberally doused in blackfly! You could actually pick a few leaves from the growing turnips but bear in mind that they are there for the benefit of the growing plant so it'll do much better if you don't. Sprout tops (wait till the sprouts are just about ready though - same reason as above) are often sold as 'spring greens' in the shops.

There's no end of stuff you can scoff! Don't try spud and tom greens though as they are toxic.