First Tokyo market turnips.

[hoodat]

My Tokyo market white turnips are about the size of golf balls. I pulled one, rinsed it off and popped it in my mouth. YUM. Nice and sweet. Before I was done I'd cleaned out half the row. I had to force myself to save some for cooking. Time to get another (longer) row in.

 

[lesa]

How funny!! I am glad they were so delicious! Were you harvesting them early- or are they meant to be that size? The turnips I am familiar with are quite large and often woody. How lucky you are to be thinking of planting another row, now! I am getting ready to plant snow, on this side of the country!

 

[wifezilla]

lesa, I am building some cold frames and getting read to plant some baby bok choy

Hay bales are cheap and you can often get free old glass doors from companies that sell the new replacements. Just sayin'

 

[hoodat]

How funny!! I am glad they were so delicious! Were you harvesting them early- or are they meant to be that size? The turnips I am familiar with are quite large and often woody. How lucky you are to be thinking of planting another row, now! I am getting ready to plant snow, on this side of the country!

I picked those a little young but they never get as big as European types. They have a nice mild taste and are never bitter. I like to steam them and mix them into some mashed potatos. They make great pickles also. I like them for sweet pickles with some hot pepper flakes mixed in.

 

[lesa]

Wife, I love my cold frames in the spring, but I've never tried to use them in the winter... Aren't you going to have to shovel snow off them? My greenhouse will be done in very early spring- hoping to try some greens then. Please let us know what you grow this winter- inquiring minds want to know!

 

[wifezilla]

I am propping up one side with stone pavers to get the glass angled. That should encourage any snow to slide off. Lose straw will fill the gaps. Plus the area I am in doesn't get a lot of snow. We get some pretty big storms, but it usually all melts in 3 or 4 days. Night temps are usually in the 20's with occasional dips in to the single digits.

 

[lesa]

I imagined you were in a winter wonderland, like I will be very shortly! So your winter sounds like my early winter and early spring. We often have a couple weeks of below zero temps. Looking forward to your progress report!

 

[wifezilla]

I imagined you were in a winter wonderland, like I will be very shortly! So your winter sounds like my early winter and early spring. We often have a couple weeks of below zero temps.

My husband is from Saranac Lake and I am originally from northern WI, so yes, I am familiar with the winter wonderland! People just think CO is a winter wonderland because of the mountains. Our snow is usually very polite and stay up at the higher altitudes where it belongs.

Looking forward to your progress report!

As soon as I get the front wall (made out of clear water containers) installed and the seeds planted I will start a new thread

Besides my cold frame, I also have some chinese cabbage, cilantro and spinach growing in a hoop house covered in plastic. That 1 degree night did singe some of the plants, but none of the plants died.

 

[April Manier]

I am delving into turnips. They really are delightful, but I am intrigued by this variety. Care to tell us a little bit about your experience with this variety vs. others?

 

[hoodat]

Tokyo market is, in my opinion, the best of the oriental turnips. They have nice mild greens and the roots are slow to go pithy or woody. They hold up to the heat better but, like all turnips do not like it really hot. They are also slow to bolt. The skins are not as tough as European turnips and I never bother to peel mine unless I am going to mash them. If you steam, boil or use them in stew you can eat skin and all. They are also mild and sweet enough to go well sliced into salads. They can take the place of radishes in a salad but are not as hot. They really deserve a place in a Fall or early Spring garden. If you have mild Winters, as I do, you can grow them all Winter long. They can take a light frost but not a hard freeze.