Direct Seeding Turnips

I decided I would get a row of turnips planted a couple of weeks ago. The weather here has been warmer than average and we had rain in the forecast. Turnips are not my favorite food, but they are easy to grow and one of the earliest foods you can plant. They are also nutritious as a great source of minerals, antioxidants, fiber, and Vitamin C.

This row had become flattened out quite a bit so I had to use the plow to knock some dirt back on top. Then I began tilling to mix what was left of a cover crop from last fall. There is a lot of bermuda grass still here from last summer when I first made this bed. It is very difficult to get out completely. Any small piece can regrow into a new plant.

To get as much of the bermuda grass out as possible, I use a wide 30" prepping rake which glides through the top layers and grabs out chunks of grass and debris. It gets out some of it, but small pieces will still be left to weed out later this year. Thankfully it doesn't become very active until later in the spring.

After the bed is prepped, I used my glaser seeder to plant the turnip seed. I'm not really a fan of this seeder for the price I paid. It may work better in other soil types, but it is not good in sandy soil. Maybe when I try planting in the lower part of my land where there is more clay it will work better.

It has been 2 weeks since I planted now and I can see some little sprouts coming up. There are some clumps of seedlings from where the glaser bogged down though. If I need to thin them out later I can.

Hopefully things go well and I can have some fresh turnips here before long. I'll try to share more pics of progress. Thanks for reading.