Turnips

[ERNIBIGB]

My dad always wants to put a few turnip seed in with the grass seed. Might have over done it this time. 2 lbs on 15 acres. Every seed must have come up.

 

[runningr]

What variety of turnip and when did you plant.

 

[kenny thomas]

I have always heard that turnips were good for the soil. It breaks up the ground and adds a little organic matter.

 

[ERNIBIGB]

Purple top and Seven top. No plans for grazing but may have to if they get too thick and the ground is dry enough.Probably just cut this field for hay early and wrap it for haylage. The turnip greens will ensile along with the rest of it. Planted around Oct 1.

 

[runningr]

Turnips are high in protien and tdn. Protien in 20% range. Also they are a good scavenger for nutrients and tolerate low temps.

 

[tnwalkingred]

My uncle has been trying to talk me into over seeding some into the pastures. I put rye grass out this year and am really happy with it. I may try a few turnips next year. Will the cattle eat them good?

 

[Chris H]

Purple top and Seven top. No plans for grazing but may have to if they get too thick and the ground is dry enough.Probably just cut this field for hay early and wrap it for haylage. The turnip greens will ensile along with the rest of it. Planted around Oct 1.

I doubt they'll overwinter in your area. They'll be gone by spring.

 

[Chris H]

My uncle has been trying to talk me into over seeding some into the pastures. I put rye grass out this year and am really happy with it. I may try a few turnips next year. Will the cattle eat them good?

We only planted them one year. We strip grazed them and fed corn stalk bales for roughage. It took a week for all of the cows to develop a taste for them. I think they were a good companion to low quality forage like the stalk bales. I wouldn't try overseeding them into pasture, but maybe someone else has experience with that. I think if you want to try something besides rye grass for overseeding, I'd try oats. The only reason we only grew them 1 year is because we haven't had crop ground available to do that.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Deer seem to really love turnips.

 

[dun]

Deer seem to really love turnips.

Last year we planted them at the recommended time and the deer ate them down pretty well once they had a frost. This year we had volunteers come up really early, 2 months ago they were already bigger then my fist (grazing type turnips). The deer haven;t touched them yet even though we've had a couple of hard freezes.

 

[M.Magis]

The deer won't mess with mine much until late in the winter. But once they do, they'll wipe them out in a few days.

 

[greybeard]

My brother lightly disked, then broadcast a mix of wheat, ryegrass, oats and turnips on about a 4 acres strip down a long fenceline next to me last fall. The deer and hogs hit those turnips in January like they were starving. Got quite a few volunteers showing up already this fall.

 

[Jogeephus]

Never planted turnips for grazing but I have had good results using rape. Cattle don't particular care for them at first but once they get a taste for them they love them and will even go to eating wild turnips.

 

[Commercialfarmer]

The turnips will help to break up the hard pan, but the thinner, longer root rape will do a better job of it. There is something like a 30% increase in production of wheat ground the year following canola- which I believed was renamed because someone didn't like the term dwarf rape. Part of it is due to decreased weeds, but I think a significant part of it is due to break up of the hard pan.

Cattle will eat turnips like has been mentioned over winter, but they will also pull or dig them up and can leave the ground a little tore up. Some around here will add them into wheat or rye on sandy ground to provide a quick anchor.

Got some dwarf rape... I mean canola, planted on two of our best deer spots this year for the first time. I haven't seen much deer sign while driving around, but haven't even been archery hunting once and missed muzzle loading season completely. But, I planned to hit the archery stands hard at the peak of the rut this year, which should be in about a week or 2 so hopefully they'll be interested in it by then.

 

[greybeard]

I always understood the name change came about because of the canola/rape seed oil industry. Marketing move for the benefit of houswives doing the shopping. Seeing "Rape Oil" on the grocer's shelf didn't seem like such a good idea I suppose--can't blame them.

 

[Jogeephus]

Learned something new! Sure didn't know that about canola.

 

[Lucky_P]

Yeah, but "Canola-unzel, Canola-unzel, let down your hair" just doesn't have the same ring to it...

 

[Stocker Steve]

I can grow turnips well, but for some reason I do not get te big tillage radishes they show in the photos.

What kind of soil and drainage does rape prefer?

 

[Commercialfarmer]

I always understood the name change came about because of the canola/rape seed oil industry. Marketing move for the benefit of houswives doing the shopping. Seeing "Rape Oil" on the grocer's shelf didn't seem like such a good idea I suppose--can't blame them.

Probably, the guy telling me said "dwarf rape" and "dwarf rape oil", but it wouldn't surprise me if he decided to do a little creative licensing. I did check out the dwarf part of the common name and that appeared to be legit.

I can grow turnips well, but for some reason I do not get te big tillage radishes they show in the photos.

What kind of soil and drainage does rape prefer?

pH of 6 to 7 I believe and well draining soil is my understanding. It will do okay in sand if you get rain, I can attest to that. But, the better ground makes a difference just like everything else. I think most rotate it with small winter grain, at least around here. You can't plant it but once every three years, or disease will get it they say.

 

[Jogeephus]

Apparently disease will get it along about the third year. I would plant it with oats and it was great but the third year I had a shaky stand of it. I blamed it on the new and improved variety I used but it was probably disease and I was too dumb to identify it.

One thing I did learn about it is its very drought tolerant and much more heat tolerant than one might expect. It sure saved me during a bad drought and when I didn't have anything else to graze I had rape till the first week of July.

Here is a mix of oats and rape. I drilled the oats and had the rape just fall from the small seed box directly on the ground and the chains tossed dirt on them. This was one of the best winter plantings I think I ever grew.