Right then. It's fodder rape time. :(

[exmoor dave]

just started eating a piece ,am pleased so far with it coping fairly well with half dozen or minus 1 or 2 nights frost, and also i want ted to trim the hedge
a decent sized run off field means you can start with a small strip
View attachment 932661

Just fenced mine to start tomorrow

 

[Devon James]

Sown at the beginning of August. Can't tell you how pleased I am to see this crop growing through what was an old rank, thick mat field of grass. Tapped into all that fertility in the soil. Wouldn't mind doing a weigh test to see what yield we have.

 

[cotswoldcs]

Wow. Way better than ours which went in much earlier!

What's the mix of varieties?

 

[Devon James]

Wow. Way better than ours which went in much earlier!

What's the mix of varieties?

I will have to check on the forage rape buy the turnips are vollenda I'm sure

 

[Great In Grass]

I will have to check on the forage rape buy the turnips are vollenda I'm sure

Emerald.

 

[Andyt880]

What are the thoughts on going back into the same ground with a brassica for a second year in a row? It grew redstart last year, was thinking of maybe a turnip crop or something like that this year.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What are the thoughts on going back into the same ground with a brassica for a second year in a row? It grew redstart last year, was thinking of maybe a turnip crop or something like that this year.

Thinking with my farmer hat on i would be going with Red Clover and a touch of ryegrass . But depends when you want to feed . Red clover will kick spots off brasicas for fattening and save you money as it will last a good 3 years if you look after it . Maybe add a bit of Chicory . Other that that there are new Hybrid Kales out half the price of Redstart.
Best yielding stubble turnip I've seen is Frisia . Very winter Hardy as well . Others will have their own view i know. We sell all varietys so no axe to grind

 

[sidjon]

What are the thoughts on going back into the same ground with a brassica for a second year in a row? It grew redstart last year, was thinking of maybe a turnip crop or something like that this year.

have grown turnip and rape in the same feild for 4 years in a row, last cropping was not that flash but was ok.

 

[serf]

Thinking with my farmer hat on i would be going with Red Clover and a touch of ryegrass . But depends when you want to feed . Red clover will kick spots off brasicas for fattening and save you money as it will last a good 3 years if you look after it . Maybe add a bit of Chicory . Other that that there are new Hybrid Kales out half the price of Redstart.
Best yielding stubble turnip I've seen is Frisia . Very winter Hardy as well . Others will have their own view i know. We sell all varietys so no axe to grind

How do you find the Frisia for bolting/seeding in spring , do they last till April?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

How do you find the Frisia for bolting/seeding in spring , do they last till April?

Will send you a picture later
We fatten a lot of lambs here so I'm looking for a crop that will last a few years and I can graze in the spring and summer. Turnips are not cheap to grow unless yiu have a lot of arable ground that is

 

[Derrick Hughes]

How do you find the Frisia for bolting/seeding in spring , do they last till April?

Not much sign of bolting yet but they be eaten by end of the month

 

[serf]

Not much sign of bolting yet but they be eaten by end of the month View attachment 945123View attachment 945125View attachment 945126

When were they put in - late June?
What rate -1.5 kg ac?

 

[neilo]

My Frisia turnips aren’t bolting yet.

 

[neilo]

What are the thoughts on going back into the same ground with a brassica for a second year in a row? It grew redstart last year, was thinking of maybe a turnip crop or something like that this year.

Go for it, assuming you’re not making a habit of it and it gets a decent break after.

 

[Great In Grass]

My Frisia turnips aren’t bolting yet.

View attachment 945139

They are still growing by the look of it or is that it?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

When were they put in - late June?
What rate -1.5 kg ac?

Will have to check but August i think . That mix has some rape in but if you sow turnips early the 1.5 yes and I like to feed mine well to get the root

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Was a strange year for brasicas . I put 40 acres of rape in with grass. Not sure of the veriaty but came from the local coop . Not one survived and just spoke to a farmer in Cornwall had the same thing . They don't like constant wet weather
Its easy to poke cheap fun at things when they don't go right but thats not my style . I've farmed long enough so seen it before

 

[Derrick Hughes]

When were they put in - late June?
What rate -1.5 kg ac?

Turnips sown end of July Middle of August and end of August . Harvested by hand in December. The earlier drilled yielded double the later drilled . You can not aways predict the weather so results can vary but does show if you want a stong bulb then its important to drill early and feed well

 

[serf]

Yes definitely need to be early for big bulb and a bit of look with weather .

 

[neilo]

They are still growing by the look of it or is that it?

They’re growing leaf well since it warmed up a bit, as all turnips do about now.
They’ll be trying hard to put a flowering stem up in a week or so, if they’ve not been finished by then.