Turnip advice needed

[smallblueplanet]

So I bought a pkt of Turnip Purple Top White Globe seeds from Amazon, to bring my basket total over the £20 to get free delivery.

I've never grown turnips before. TBH I'm not sure I've ever eaten a turnip! So I'd appreciate some help in how to grow them. (Getting a bit ahead of myself here, but I think they're a good veggie to ferment too )

[Aberdeenplotter]

very prone to damage from flea beetle so keep the seedlings quite moist after germination. Like other root crops don't plant where there is fresh manure.

[Sweet savory]

I planted some at the allotment a while back under cloche and each pinch surrounded by plastic ring to protect against slugs etc. They are up now and still covered. No idea if that will protect against flea beetle?
I am planning to eat them roasted with other veg as eternally optimistic

[ameno]

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about flea beetle. Unless you have a proper infestation of the things, the damage they do is largely cosmetic, and won't really affect the vigour or health of the plant much. Obviously, for crops where you eat the leaves the damage would be a big issue, but for root crops like turnip, you can usually just ignore it.
It's cabbage root fly eating the roots, and caterpillars eating the leaves you want to watch out for.

[smallblueplanet]

It's cabbage root fly eating the roots, and caterpillars eating the leaves you want to watch out for.

How big do they grow? We were thinking of doing some carrots under environmesh, so maybe turnips too?

[ameno]

How big do they grow? We were thinking of doing some carrots under environmesh, so maybe turnips too?

The butterflies and moths whose caterpillars eat brassicas are all large-ish, so scaffold debris netting (which is much cheaper than enviromesh but has slightly larger holes) will keep them out.
Cabbage flies are the size of a small house fly, maybe 8-10mm long, so in theory the debris netting would also keep them out, but it may be a bit hit and miss.
Enviromesh or similar will keep them all out, as long as there are no gaps.

[smallblueplanet]

Enviromesh or similar will keep them all out, as long as there are no gaps.

Thanks @ameno. We've got some environmesh from ages back - bought enough for spare but it seems to last forever. Got some blue water pipe to use as hoops, but how tall do the turnips grow (roughly)?

[ameno]

Not very. Maybe 6 inches at most.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about flea beetle. Unless you have a proper infestation of the things, the damage they do is largely cosmetic, and won't really affect the vigour or health of the plant much. Obviously, for crops where you eat the leaves the damage would be a big issue, but for root crops like turnip, you can usually just ignore it.
It's cabbage root fly eating the roots, and caterpillars eating the leaves you want to watch out for.

https://gardening.which.co.uk/hc/en-...5-Flea-beetles

Q How do I recognise flea-beetle damage?
A The adult beetles eat small circular holes in the leaves and stems of seedlings. The affected parts become covered in tiny round scars. The attacks start when the shoot appears above the ground, and continue even when the plants mature. Larger plants usually shrug off attacks as long as they are growing well. Seedlings, however, can be severely checked or even killed.

[ameno]

Fair enough, they can do severe damage to seedlings. That does require quite large numbers of flea beetles, though, which won't be about until later in the year (probably at least May). At this time of year, numbers are still pretty low, and even seedlings will be fine unless you have a real infestation for some reason.

[PyreneesPlot]

I grow turnips a lot and right through the year, but they get hammered by flea beetles here, specially when it is mega hot. I module sow, 3-5 to a pot and plant out when they have a few sets of true leaves as they can normally survive beetle attack by then. Watering when it's hot helps, in the middle of the day as they don't seem to like getting their little feet wet!

[smallblueplanet]

I module sow, 3-5 to a pot and plant out when they have a few sets of true leaves as they can normally survive beetle attack by then.

Do you plant them out individually or 'en block' from the module? Ta.

[rary]

Just reading through this thread and noticed a reference to debris netting, ou should avoid the green coulered netting as plant don't grow as well under that colour

[veggiechicken]

Why do you say that, rary?
I always use green.

[PyreneesPlot]

Do you plant them out individually or 'en block' from the module? Ta.

I plant the whole block out so end up three or four turnips at each station and then harvest the biggest from each station for eating. I sow about every ten days, little and often!