Rutabaga American Purple Top (Heirloom)
Brassica napus
Days to maturity: 90. What's a rutabaga? A 5" - 6" long, easy to grow, delicious root vegetable with a multitude of culinary uses. Makes a great complement to pork dishes. Mash just like potatoes, add chunks to soups and stews or sautéed greens, bake in savory casseroles with eggs, butter and spices, or in sweet casseroles with apples, brown sugar and cinnamon. The yellow flesh turns orange when cooked! Rutabaga is a great winter storage crop.
This packet plants six 10 foot rows.
Days to Emerge: 7 - 14
Seed Depth: 1/4"
Seed Spacing: A group of 4 seeds every 6" - 8"
Row Spacing: 12" - 18"
Thinning: When 1/2" tall thin to 1 every 6" - 8"
When to sow outside: RECOMMENDED. 1 to 2 weeks before average last frost and when soil temperatures reach 50 degrees F.
When to start inside: Not recommended.
Special sowing instructions: Do not sow seed too early. Rutabaga needs to mature in the cool weather of fall.
Harvesting: Harvest roots in the early fall, after a few light frosts, but before the ground freezes. The foliage may also be harvested for greens. Harvesting no more than 25% of the plant's leaves at a time will not affect the plant's ability to produce large roots.
Artist: Carolyn Crawford