turnip 'Purple Top Milan'

turnip

• Position: full sun
• Soil: humus-rich, moisture retentive soil
  
  A very elegant and ornamental variety, with flattened roots, white beneath but a sumptuous deep purple on top. Very early to mature, it's an excellent choice for colder areas, grown since Victorian times for its fine, rich flavour and pure white flesh: try it steamed and topped with melted butter and freshly-ground pepper for a delicious side dish. A heritage variety introduced in Italy before 1888.
  
  
• Growing Instructions:Choose a sheltered, sunny spot with good rich soil and sow direct where they are to grow in shallow drills, thinning seedlings to about 8cm apart. Protect earlier sowings with cloches and keep well watered through dry spells to avoid them turning woody. Sowing a small amount every three or four weeks keeps the crop coming continuously right through the season. Turnips can be grown very successfully in containers to harvest as sweet, tender baby veg. Allow 10cm between each root and harvest when just 3cm across.
  
  
• Sow: March-June
  
  
• Harvest:June-September
  
  
• Approximate quantity: 1200 seeds.