Purple Top Milan Turnips

[amandaandherveg]

I planted some Purple Top Milan seeds last week which are now coming through (to replace the ones my well meaning neighbour drowned when I was on holiday last month). Can these handle the frosts and be treated as overwintering?

[sewer rat]

I very much doubt that they will withstand a frost - but as they are quite quick growing, you shouldn't have to worry unless we get exceptionally early frosts this year.

[amandaandherveg]

Thanks Sewer Rat, I'll give them a try, could always pick them nice and small. It was so cold and dark here today folk were driving with their lights on this afternoon.

[lynda66]

i sowed some about 3 weeks ago, i'm amazed at how quick they have sprouted, they are about 6 inches tall already ..... the snowball ones planted the same time are just coming up now ....... i also have some in the back garden, last week they were just leaves, this week, 2 of them are bigger than a golf ball, and most of the others are getting to ping pong ball sized ...... so i wouldn't think you'll have too much of a problem.

[amandaandherveg]

Golf balls.....ping pong balls.... Lynda, I just want turnips, lol.

Good news though, I've got quite a few gaps now that I've lifted my spuds and caulis and these should do the job.

[sewer rat]

Amanda
Given ideal conditions, 6 weeks should see you able to start picking - mine have ben in about 9 weeks and I am now picking every third or fourth day depending on how busy I am - they were sown quite thick so I suppose I could call it thinning them out but as the ones I picked today had the circumference of a tennis ball......

[amandaandherveg]

Tennis ball size would do nicely SR, . I could sow some where the caulis were.

[lynda66]

but if you have too many, you could play ball games with them

[hawthorns]

do you have trouble with slugs. mine always get desemated by them

[lynda66]

nope but then i haven't got many slugs left, except in the compost bin, which is surrounded with netted slug pellets so they can't escape(it's the only place i use them, if they escaped they'd destroy my garden) the blackbirds get fed the rest, i only find the occasional one when i go out.

[sewer rat]

I do get some slug damage on my Purple Top Milans but as I have 450 metres of them, I can afford to chuck the worst in the compost
I find that it's only really the underside of the largest of the turnips where damage is worst - so pull them before they get tooooo big !

[SMS6]

nope but then i haven't got many slugs left, except in the compost bin, which is surrounded with netted slug pellets so they can't escape(it's the only place i use them, if they escaped they'd destroy my garden) the blackbirds get fed the rest, i only find the occasional one when i go out.

Lynda can you explain this approach a bit more please, what do you mean by netted slug pellets surrounding your bin. My compost bins are quite near my veg plot and I have no end of problems keeping snails and slugs off my produce

[lynda66]

I have a cage type compost bin ....... i put slug pellets round the outside of the bin, then attach a net to the top of the bin,down to the ground, covering the pellets, so the birds can't get to the dead ones, i only find the odd one that wants to escape, but it stops them getting in the garden.

any that i find during day time, get put in a bowl with vaseline and salt round the top so they cant escape, and the birds are often watching me when i'm in the garden, and come down and eat them.

i go out at night once or twice a week and search for slugs, and chuck them in the compost.