Maincrop Turnips

[Derrick Hughes]

Green Globe or Massif ??
Straight easy question
Thanks for any feedback

 

[Pistonbroke]

What you want is Massive Green globe turnips

 

[Mr Mackay]

Swedes?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Swedes?

I used to grow 40 acres of swedes every year, they were the king of crops imo
But they are a lot harder to grow than Maincrop Turnips and a lot more expensive
A Swede will germinate and just sit there for a while and let weeds get the better hand ,Turnips are up and away and outgrow weeds

 

[Mr Mackay]

I used to grow 40 acres of swedes every year, they were the king of crops imo
But they are a lot harder to grow than Maincrop Turnips and a lot more expensive
A Swede will germinate and just sit there for a while and let weeds get the better hand ,Turnips are up and away and outgrow weeds

Yes indeed
. My old Dad used to grow 2 or 3 acres, on the ridge. Hand hoed and scuffled.
Still have the old turnip drill with the curved bodies and an old David Brown 2 row ridger
More money in netting up Swedes out of the tump than carrots
Those were the days
Marian, Best of All

 

[Pistonbroke]

I used to grow 40 acres of swedes every year, they were the king of crops imo
But they are a lot harder to grow than Maincrop Turnips and a lot more expensive
A Swede will germinate and just sit there for a while and let weeds get the better hand ,Turnips are up and away and outgrow weeds

Same here but a couple of years running now the swedes have failed.I asked out seed rep about maybe 50% swedes,50% turnips to spread the risk and he said we'd just have a field of Turnips. Turnips look more reliable but less feed value. Massif a bit softer and more palatable I've been told but haven't tried yet

 

[DanM]

@Great In Grass was by far and away the most competitive supplier of Massif turnips last year

 

[Derrick Hughes]

@Great In Grass was by far and away the most competitive supplier of Massif turnips last year

No one else had any
But we've been told by a leading farmer not to buy on price so that rules him out

 

[neilo]

No one else had any
But we've been told by a leading farmer not to buy on price so that rules him out

My supplier had plenty. The shortage was the previous year.

Massif is supposed to be 14% higher yielding than Green Globe (figure from Wynnstay catalogue that came the other day), but I’d say they’d be all of that from experience. They are certainly far more palatable to sheep.

Normally as winter hardy as swedes, but mine were clobbered last December, having been an already poor crop because of the drought. For some reason, normal stubble turnips shrugged off the frost better than the Massif did, so might as well just have grown earlier drilled stubble turnips?

 

[Kevtherev]

Swedes over both if flea beetle can be dealt with
Triumph or kenmore swede.

 

[neilo]

Swedes over both if flea beetle can be dealt with
Triumph or kenmore swede.

Definitely, if it rains…

 

[Derrick Hughes]

My supplier had plenty. The shortage was the previous year.

Massif is supposed to be 14% higher yielding than Green Globe (figure from Wynnstay catalogue that came the other day), but I’d say they’d be all of that from experience. They are certainly far more palatable to sheep.

Normally as winter hardy as swedes, but mine were clobbered last December, having been an already poor crop because of the drought. For some reason, normal stubble turnips shrugged off the frost better than the Massif did, so might as well just have grown earlier drilled stubble turnips?

The Green Globe I grew the year before were sound until late March
But we did not have the same amount if frost ,but if stubble Turnips had been in that long they would have gone woody
I don't think you would have got seed last year until harvest Late July though ,

 

[Kevtherev]

Definitely, if it rains…

Yes if we have a summer like last again

 

[neilo]

The Green Globe I grew the year before were sound until late March
But we did not have the same amount if frost ,but if stubble Turnips had been in that long they would have gone woody
I don't think you would have got seed last year until harvest Late July though ,

Mine came in June, when it arrived with Field Options on a plane.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Mine came in June, when it arrived with Field Options on a plane.

Yes I remember now,thanks

 

[Old Tup]

So what do you use to control weeds…

 

[Derrick Hughes]

So what do you use to control weeds…

Nothing for Swedes
Take my advice or not no odds to me
The man said it all when he said sow turnips and swedes together you end up with a crop of turnips
Turnips are a race horse, outgrow weeds
Swedes are a snail, will get bogged down with them
If you direct drill Swedes you should be OK
But if you plough or cultivate you better make sure it's a clean field or you will have a mess

Other than that if Swedes don't get rain every week they won't crop
I used to grow 40 acres a year and got close to 40 tons acre ,but treated like an arable crop. 100 units P &K and we had pre em sprays then

 

[neilo]

So what do you use to control weeds…

I use a stale seedbed, since the effective herbicides disappeared. My maincrop turnips are mostly in an enviro scheme though, which stipulates no herbicides (& pays £200/ac). They want weeds for habitat and I want a crop for feeding. I usually win.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I use a stale seedbed, since the effective herbicides disappeared. My maincrop turnips are mostly in an enviro scheme though, which stipulates no herbicides (& pays £200/ac). They want weeds for habitat and I want a crop for feeding. I usually win.

I did that the last few times I grew swedes ,worked well But you had to have the land ripped up and prepared early , ti be honest the pre em was never much use here as we have a big Charlock/Yellow weed problem

 

[Mr Mackay]

I did that the last few times I grew swedes ,worked well But you had to have the land ripped up and prepared early , ti be honest the pre em was never much use here as we have a big Charlock/Yellow weed problem

Same here and fat hen