turnips/brassicas from a deer plot good to eat?

[greybeard]

I helped my brother plant a deer plot a couple months ago right next to my place. The label said "brassica, crimson clover, annual ryegrass, and Australian peas".

I think every single turnip seed came up and grew, and now the turnips themselves are 2-3" in diameter. They look just like a garden turnip--are these from the food plot stuff good to eat too?

(I have no idea what kind they are, and if it matters, yes we have had a freeze already. 27F is the lowest I saw)

 

[Hunter]

I would say yes but can't say that with 100% assurance.

 

[M.Magis]

Yes, they're just regular puprle top turnips.

 

[greybeard]

Yes, they're just regular puprle top turnips.

That's sure what they look like.

I need to go pull some before the feral hogs find them.

 

[skyhightree1]

Yes, they're just regular puprle top turnips.

Correct.. That's all they are. They are no special turnips ive ate a few myself when I found some nice ones. They just take various seeds and make a wildlife mix. If you read the label most of the time it says purple top turnips since there fairly easy to grow.

 

[Stocker Steve]

I eat some out of the cover crop pasture each fall. They can be a bit strong.
There are a lot of different forage turnips - - some with no blubs, some hybrids with other brassicas, some with big bulbs... Traditional Purple Top may be the cheapest seed.

 

[M.Magis]

Most of those mixes contain more than one type of brassica, usually rape seed and maybe even some sugar beats. But the turnips that look like purple top are just that, regular purple top. They're easy to grow, the deer love them, and even easier for food plot seed companies to buy cheap and mark up the price by 400%.

 

[callmefence]

Not only are they good to eat, they can get pretty big

 

[jedstivers]

Here people just plant turnips in the food plot. Also rape and kale.
Not many buy the mixes. Just get the garden seed.

 

[pdfangus]

My guess is that the peas were Austrian Winter Peas. sounds like a good mix and should make a good food plot as well as a good cover crop....

I planted a similar mix of my own concotion on most of my grazing paddocks thru the month of November. I have not planted the lots used for grazing or sacrifice in December but intend to hit them with an early spring mix in mid march...

I have some turnips about the size of the one pictured above....

such a fall planted mix makes for good grazing in the early spring as well....if left alone it is great for pollinators as well....

in a food plot sow it to summer annuals in late may and then resow a fall mix around labor day.

 

[Caustic Burno]

I helped my brother plant a deer plot a couple months ago right next to my place. The label said "brassica, crimson clover, annual ryegrass, and Australian peas".

I think every single turnip seed came up and grew, and now the turnips themselves are 2-3" in diameter. They look just like a garden turnip--are these from the food plot stuff good to eat too?

(I have no idea what kind they are, and if it matters, yes we have had a freeze already. 27F is the lowest I saw)

I used to plant turnips as deer food plot all the time, deer love them and will even dig up the turnip.

And then came the hordes of hogs they like them much better

 

[greybeard]

Not only are they good to eat, they can get pretty big

Dang, that one would be a full meal by itself here in my little household, but I know from past experience, that growing kids don't actually have stomachs--they're just bottomless pits.
Turnips and greens are by far my favorite!!