Yellow turnip Brassica napus (Napobrassica Group)
Other Common Name(s):
- Phonetic Spelling
- BRAS-sick-ah NAY-pus NAH-po-BRAS-sick-ah Group
- Description
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The Napobrassica Group is referred to as rutabaga in the United States and is in the Brassicaceae family. The genus name Brassica is Latin for cabbage. Rutabaga is a cross between turnips and cabbage.
This cool-weather biennial is grown as an annual. Sow seeds in your garden 4 to 6 weeks before the last frost date. It can also be sown after the summer heat has dissipated for a fall or early winter harvest. Ensure that your plants receive 1" of water per week. Drought conditions can make the plant woody and bitter-tasting. It can take 3 to 4 months to reach maturity, whereas its cousin plant, the turnip, can be grown in approximately half the time. However, rutabaga tends to be larger, denser and sweeter than a turnip. Frost helps to improve the flavor.
The edible bulb is at its best when harvested when 3-5" in diameter. Bulbs exceeding 5" can tend to be tough. The greens or foliage can be harvested once they reach a height of 4". Providing the top of the bulb is not damaged when harvesting the greens, the bulb will continue to form new growth.
Use rutabaga in the fall edible garden. The plants are also used as food for livestock.
Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: Clubroot is a soil-born disease. Should clubroot make a presence, avoid planting rutabaga in that location for at least 6 years. Slugs, aphids, cutworms, looper caterpillars, and flea beetles will eat the foliage. Providing a row cover can help protect the greens and help prevent moths from laying eggs on the leaves.
- See this plant in the following landscape:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Altasweet
Milder flavor than other varieties. They can take 90 to 100 days to maturity. - American Purple Top
A popular variety. Large bulbs and maturity ranges from 90 to 100 days. - Laurentian
Sweet tasting Heirloom. Maturity 90 to 120 days. - Pike
Very similar to Laurentian, somewhat hardier. 100 to 120 days to maturity.
- Altasweet
- Altasweet, American Purple Top, Laurentian, Pike
- Tags:
- Cultivars / Varieties:
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- Altasweet
Milder flavor than other varieties. They can take 90 to 100 days to maturity. - American Purple Top
A popular variety. Large bulbs and maturity ranges from 90 to 100 days. - Laurentian
Sweet tasting Heirloom. Maturity 90 to 120 days. - Pike
Very similar to Laurentian, somewhat hardier. 100 to 120 days to maturity.
- Altasweet
- Altasweet, American Purple Top, Laurentian, Pike
- Tags:
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Attributes:
- Genus:
- Brassica
- Species:
- napus
- Family:
- Brassicaceae
- Life Cycle:
- Annual
- Biennial
- Country Or Region Of Origin:
- Scandinavia, Finland
- Play Value:
- Easy to Grow
- Edible fruit
- Edibility:
- The roots/bulb and leaves are edible.
- Dimensions:
- Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 2 ft. 0 in.
- Width: 0 ft. 8 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
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Whole Plant Traits:
- Plant Type:
- Cool Season Vegetable
- Vegetable
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Habit/Form:
- Spreading
- Growth Rate:
- Slow
- Maintenance:
- Medium
- Texture:
- Medium
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Cultural Conditions:
- Light:
- Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
- Soil Texture:
- Loam (Silt)
- Sand
- Soil pH:
- Acid (<6.0)
- Neutral (6.0-8.0)
- Soil Drainage:
- Good Drainage
- Available Space To Plant:
- Less than 12 inches
- NC Region:
- Coastal
- Mountains
- Piedmont
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Fruit:
- Fruit Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Purple/Lavender
- White
- Fruit Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Display/Harvest Time:
- Fall
- Summer
- Fruit Type:
- Siliqua
- Fruit Length:
- > 3 inches
- Fruit Width:
- 1-3 inches
- Fruit Description:
- The fruits dry and split when ripe. They can range in color from yellow to purple to white. They are covered with a yellow flesh.
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Flowers:
- Flower Color:
- Gold/Yellow
- Flower Inflorescence:
- Raceme
- Flower Shape:
- Cross
- Flower Petals:
- 4-5 petals/rays
- Flower Size:
- < 1 inch
- Flower Description:
- The light yellow flowers each have 4 petals. They are not raised above the unopened buds on the raceme.
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Leaves:
- Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
- Deciduous
- Leaf Color:
- Green
- Leaf Feel:
- Smooth
- Waxy
- Leaf Value To Gardener:
- Edible
- Leaf Type:
- Simple
- Leaf Arrangement:
- Alternate
- Leaf Margin:
- Lobed
- Hairs Present:
- No
- Leaf Length:
- > 6 inches
- Leaf Description:
- The deep green leaves have a bluish hue, are deeply lobed and grow from the swollen root. They grow close to the ground.
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Stem:
- Stem Is Aromatic:
- No
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Landscape:
- Landscape Theme:
- Edible Garden