TOP 25 best turnip varieties for open ground and winter storage, description and properties

Planted for centuries and loved by the people, the vegetable is now practically forgotten: it is known only from a folk tale, and even then not everyone knows it. Various varieties of turnips traditionally grown in Russia gradually ceased to be cultivated after the targeted introduction of foreign potatoes. And previously, turnips in steamed, boiled and raw forms formed the basis of the diet of peasants in different provinces, remaining a nutritious and healthy product.

Turnip and its features

The turnip, a truly magical vegetable, contains vitamins, macro- and microelements. And it is also very tasty in any version:

• raw;
• boiled;
• salty;
• pickled;
• in porridges and roasts.

The rhizomes contain sugar, which is why they are so sweet. There are vitamins B, C, E, PP, beta-carotene, compounds of potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, and phytoncides. Protein is negligible, so the product is ideal for dietary nutrition.

Turnip will be useful for people experiencing problems with peristalsis; it has urinary, wound healing and antiseptic effects. In terms of the content of natural dissolved sugar, turnips can successfully compete with apples, even the sweetest ones. Sometimes there is a slight bitterness, as in radish, this is not considered a deviation from the norm.

Important. Turnips require almost no special care when growing. In the first year, basal leaves and the future fruit develop, and in the second year, the stem with inflorescences stretches out and the seeds ripen.

According to the growing season, the crop is clearly divided into early, middle and late varieties. They differ in yield, susceptibility to frost or suitability for storing fruits, but almost all retain a characteristic, sometimes slightly bitter, sweet taste. Any type of turnip is juicy, with a moderately hard core and a not very thick top layer (skin).

Some are grown exclusively for greens (tops), others - as a filling for salads, vegetable stews, and meat dishes.

Medicinal and beneficial properties of turnips

Turnip is truly a royal root, Russian ginseng, endowed with excellent taste and dozens of beneficial properties. Not everyone knows that this root vegetable is successfully used to treat diseases and ailments:

• restores and normalizes metabolism;
• cleanses blood cells of “garbage” accumulated in them;
• helps get rid of joint pain;
• stabilizes the activity of the stomach and intestines;
• copes with intoxication of the body, removes toxins;
• strengthens damaged bone tissue;
• improves the functioning of the respiratory system (including asthmatic disease);
• eliminates stones and sand in the genitourinary system;
• treats dermatitis and rashes;
• relieves acute attacks of toothache, bleeding gums and prevents the destruction of enamel;
• Great for preventing colds and flu.

Turnip is a supplier of useful substances in the production of medicines; it is used in folk medicine. The juice is a natural facial tonic and replaces any patented product produced by cosmetic concerns. For dry skin in need of care, you cannot find a better product.

Turnip is not just a vegetable

Turnips are part of the cruciferous family, being a relative of cabbage, mustard, and wasabi, but they are not at all similar in taste. The development period is divided into 2 parts: the first year and the second year. In the initial stage, the formation of rhizomes and leaves (rosettes) occurs; in the final stage, a stem with flower stalks grows and seeds ripen.

Turnips have always been valued for their unpretentiousness to growing conditions: they grew on a variety of soils, from sandy loam and loam to black soil, bringing strong and juicy fruits to humans.In Russia, many varieties are grown simultaneously, with different yields, ripening speed, and fruit shape.

There are no two turnips of the same color: there are yellow, white, purple, reddish, black. Most often, the lower part does not sink into the ground too deeply - about two-thirds. The weight of a ripe root ranges from 10 grams to half a kilogram; special large-fruited varieties have been bred that consistently produce juicy and strong turnips.

The bitter taste is not explained by a defect in the species, but by a lack of watering: this is how the plant reacts to a lack of moisture. Turnips have no equal in terms of sugar content; they also contain vitamins and trace element compounds that are beneficial to humans. If in Russia this vegetable was traditionally grown “for its roots,” then exotic species that came from Asia are used as a supplier of crispy, vitamin C-rich green foliage.

Not only for food, but also for treatment

Turnips are eaten raw, baked, boiled, fried. They are combined with fish and meat, as well as salted and pickled. Folk connoisseurs consider the vegetable a ready source of medicines for a wide range of diseases. It is recommended for chronic problems with the gastrointestinal tract, excess weight, joint inflammation, asthma, urolithiasis and others. Turnip juice makes a natural tonic for the skin; it also nourishes hair, making it healthy, shiny and silky.

Sweet varieties

Varieties with a high sugar content are healthy and productive. A special diet made up of sweet root vegetables will allow you to quickly and effectively overcome excess kilograms and centimeters, because the pulp is well absorbed by the body without adding “extra” calories.

Golden ball

The variety got its name from its yellowish, spherical rhizomes.The flavor range is soft, delicate, with pronounced sweetish notes. In terms of ripening time it is considered average. Widely used in alternative methods of treatment.

Snow White

The exotic Snow White comes from Japan and is an early variety. The growing season is about one and a half months. Root vegetables are characteristically round and snow-white, juicy and dense inside. Consumed fresh, used for cooking. Leafy greens are used for salad cutting and snacks. The variety stands out for its resistance to cold and immunity to low light.

White ball

It belongs to the mid-season varieties, produces turnips weighing up to half a kilogram, white, very juicy and soft, completely devoid of bitterness. The leaves contain ascorbic acid, so they are used to make salads. Like other species, it is grown from seeds, germination is normal.

Productive

There are separate, high-yielding varieties, characterized by a stable yield of large masses of fruits and a guaranteed quantity. Sometimes they have additional protection from low temperatures or specific taste qualities.

Snow Maiden

It belongs to the typical salad varieties, ripens early and bears small, strong white turnips. The only drawback is poor storage: the fruits need to be eaten as quickly as possible. It is grown in open ground, under glass or film (in a greenhouse). Sowing is allowed in several separate stages, from spring to mid-summer.

Burnt sugar

An unusual variety that has nothing to do with burnt sugar. It brings together seasoned quality, fast ripening and undoubted benefits from a medical point of view. The root crop is specifically elongated, oblong, covered with black skin on the outside. The pulp is dense and crispy, juicy. Well kept.

Grandma

When breeding the species, breeders wisely combined high yields and a short growing season. Unpretentious, can be grown on different soil mixtures. Produces root vegetables with golden flesh and a rich, sweet taste. Turnips are rich in microelements, can be stored well after harvest, and can be used raw or processed.

Tokyo

A non-standard, “leafy” variety, one of the fastest ripening. The rosette is formed from round-oval leaves. Rich in vitamins, the greens are juicy and slightly sour. It is characterized by increased moisture consumption and resistance to low temperatures.

Petrovskaya 1

An ancient species, previously widespread in Russia. It will sing within 2 months after sowing. The fruits are round, with a pale green tip. Allows long-term storage. The variety is distinguished by high yield and excellent taste.

Large-fruited

These species are distinguished by strong, fairly large fruits of different colors, with good storage during the harvest period.

White Night

A variety of turnip native to the Czech Republic. In terms of growing season, it is mid-season. The fruits are white, sunk about two-thirds into the ground, and weigh about 0.5 kilograms. The pulp inside is juicy, without characteristic hard inclusions, somewhat similar to garden radishes.

Golden ball

Another mid-early species, the fruit color is bright yellow, with a shiny skin. The weight of one turnip is up to 400 grams, the taste is delicately sweet, with a juicy core.

Russian size

The variety seems to have come straight out of the pages of a collection of Russian fairy tales: massive, heavy fruits weigh up to 2 kilograms. At the same time, they retain all the beneficial properties of ordinary turnips - sweetness, moderate hardness, juiciness, and characteristic “turnip” taste.

Snowball

An early variety with round, white roots. The weight of one turnip ranges from 90 to 200 grams, the taste characteristics are at the level of the best specimens. Turnips are usually found shallow in the ground, they are easy to pull out, and they store well after collection.

Early ripening

This category contains early ripening varieties that remain the most popular among gardeners.

Geisha

An exceptional salad variety, characterized by resistance to stem formation, with white and round fruits weighing up to 200 grams. The whole plant tolerates cold and lack of light well. The foliage is devoid of any pubescence and is an excellent option for spring vitamin salads. After the roots ripen, the turnip bears a tasty fruit with a slightly noticeable bitterness. It is poorly stored: the early turnip variety is intended for the summer period, and not for harvesting for winter storage.

Milanese pink

A fast-ripening species, it is also very productive. The fruits are flat, with a smooth skin and pleasant-tasting pulp. Considered resistant to garden diseases and pests. Seeds with good germination - sprouts hatch within 3-5 days. The plant easily tolerates light frosts; the optimal temperature for its development is determined to be 15-18 ° C. It is a little picky about light and watering, but it tolerates poor (sandy and loamy) soils.

Dedka

One of the early varieties: it ripens completely in 50 days. The shape is spherical, with a peel of 2 colors - purple and white. Turnips are suitable for eating raw, the taste is emphasized and sweet. Cooking and even salting are allowed; the fruits contain many vitamins and minerals. Grown in open ground (not in a greenhouse).

Glasha

It ripens early - within a month and a half, bearing flattened white roots weighing no more than 100 grams.Thanks to this shape, turnips can be easily pulled out during harvesting. The taste is excellent, the flesh is sweet and juicy. It is used in salads, for homemade pickles, boiled, steamed and stewed. Can be stored for a long time (in winter).

May yellow

An early species with a total growing season of 75 days. The color of the inner core fully corresponds to the name - bright yellow. At the point where the corolla is attached, the leaves are slightly greenish, the rest of the fruit is white. It ripens quickly, the taste is soft, sweetish-delicate.

Granddaughter

This species also belongs to the fast-ripening species - 2 months after sowing, round, light-weight turnips appear. The skin is yellowish, smooth. Eat raw, in salads. Saving in a cellar or basement is allowed in winter.

Mid-season

Mid-season varieties occupy an intermediate position between early and late varieties. They do not have a very long, but also not particularly fast ripening period, which allows them to harvest fruits with good taste and presentation.

Dunyasha

Dunyasha produces tasty and vitamin-rich root vegetables that are successfully used for dietary nutrition. The period to achieve full ripeness is 70 days, the turnips are exactly the same size, weighing up to 200 grams each. When cut, it is yellowish in color, the taste is sweet and mild. There are no coarse and hard plant fibers. The variety is not afraid of shade and frost, and is resistant to premature flowering.

Moon

In this species, the ripening time rarely exceeds 80 days, the fruits are roundish, with a soft and thin skin. Turnips, as chosen, are juicy and sweet, and store well in winter and autumn.

Suitable for eating raw, especially in winter. Cold resistant.

Nurse

Another solid “average” plant that produces a harvest after 3 months from the moment the seeds are planted. The fruits ripen, weighing up to 250 grams each, tender, with a large amount of vitamins and microelements. Excellent as a salad topping supplier. Boiled, fried, stewed, baked in different forms. It is successfully combined in dishes with other vegetables, fish and meat.

Gribovskaya

Turnips of the Gribovsky variety ripen within 60 days, bringing gardeners large, yellowish root crops with a dark purple rim at the point where the top is attached. It is also very tasty, preserves well, and is not afraid of frost.

Late

Late species include those whose ripening period is usually 90 days or more. Many of them are not inferior in taste to the early ones, even superior to them.

Comet

The name was inspired by the specific elongated shape of the rhizome with a thickened part at the bottom. In addition, Comet has excellent characteristics that match from fruit to fruit: weight, size and taste. The average ripening period is 80 days, the weight of one turnip is up to 120 grams.

Orbit

This variety can be recognized by its regularly spherical root vegetables that ripen in 4 months. The turnip is large, white, the weight of one fruit reaches 500 grams. Very tasty appearance, which partly compensates for the duration of ripening. It tolerates storage well in a cellar or basement during the winter.

The best varieties of turnips

Among the variety of types of useful root vegetables, experts identify the best ones in terms of taste, frost resistance, endurance, fruit size and yield, and ripening time.It is also important to choose a species for the region in which it is planned to be cultivated: this will affect the specific variety and the properties required for normal cultivation (shade tolerance, need for fertilized or poor soil).

The concept of “best variety” obviously refers to a subjective assessment, because in one specific form it is impossible to take into account all the parameters of a garden crop, which are sometimes contradictory. For example, early turnips are inferior to middle (and late) turnips in taste, but they will provide a set of vitamins to the table in the shortest possible time. And it is incorrect to compare a special species grown “to the top” (for spring salads) with root vegetables.

Important. The best variety will be the one that, under specific conditions, will allow you to obtain a guaranteed, stable harvest.

For the Urals

In the Ural region, the following varieties are cultivated without problems: Burnt sugar, Petrovskaya 1, Gribovskaya local, Mayskaya yellow green-headed, Milanskaya white red-headed. Type Burnt sugar is easy to distinguish by its specific elongated shape (resembles a plump black sausage). The outside of the turnip is covered with a dark skin, inside there is a white and sweet, deliciously crunchy core.

The variety is characterized by high yield and good shelf life. You can prepare delicious salads from its pulp and use it for baking. The sown seeds germinate in 3-5 days, the plant itself easily tolerates short-term cold snaps down to +4 °C. Loves light, withers in the shade. Susceptible to soils - dense clay is not suitable at all, but on sandy loams and loams it gives a good harvest.

To describe Petrovskaya 1, 2 definitions are briefly used: pleasant in appearance, tasty inside. It is one of the oldest currently grown types of Russian turnips.Prefers light soils, sun, moisture-loving, emerges on the 3rd day after planting.

Gribovskaya local refers to a modification of an ancient variety with purple fruit color. Adapted to the conditions of the Urals, produces a stable harvest. The May yellow greenhead ripens quickly, does not bring very much, but in sufficient quantities, flatish, round turnips. Its main advantage remains its taste: bitterness is completely absent.

The Milanese white redhead is a species of foreign origin; The fruits are flattened, with a white top. Unsuitable for long-term storage, not resistant to garden diseases.

For Siberia

Siberia's climatic conditions are close to the Urals, so the same varieties can be grown there. Forget about the early species right away: only specially adapted modifications that are not susceptible to frost and low average annual temperatures.

For the Moscow region

It is not for nothing that turnip is considered an unpretentious plant, perfectly suited for growing in the harsh realities of Mother Russia. Our ancestors knew about this, preferring juicy and nutritious root vegetables to poorly established overseas potatoes.

In the Moscow region, Milan white red-headed, Petrovskaya-1, May yellow green-headed, Snegurochka, Geisha, Yubileynaya-85 grow well. All these varieties are known to gardeners; they have long been cultivated in gardens and summer cottages, bringing a stable harvest.

For other regions

For cultivation in other climatic zones, the Federation selects species that have passed the test of cold and drought, poor soils and pests. In this sense, preference is given to Russian varieties that are optimally adapted to local specifics.

When to sow turnips

When determining specific sowing dates, they are guided by their own needs - when the vegetable is expected on the table in the form of a salad or baked snack. To pamper yourself with the sweet and juicy pulp of turnips in the summer, they begin to sow in early spring, as soon as the soil is exposed and warm weather sets in. If you do not follow this simple rule, then hastily planted seeds will soon die, unable to withstand night frosts.

The procedure for winter harvesting is completely different: for them, the seeds are immersed in the soil in July, at the beginning of the month. In cold regions, the growing season is chosen according to the laws of nature, so that 85-90 days pass from sowing to harvest.

When choosing between early and late (middle) varieties, it is better to choose the latter, then the root vegetables will not have time to outgrow and lose their delicate taste and sweetness of the pulp.

Important. Early ripening varieties usually do not store well - a kind of payment for urgency, but late varieties tolerate winter harvesting and subsequent storage very well.

The renewed interest in the crop, which has not been grown en masse for a long time, its unique properties make it possible to recommend turnips as the main seed plant in the garden, along with potatoes, cabbage or tomatoes.