Thinking of adding some Turnips to your garden this season, but aren't sure where to start? Turnips can be a great addition to any harvest, and make great companion plants for certain vegetables. In this article, organic gardening expert Logan Hailey walks through every step you'll need to follow in order to plant, grow, and care for turnips. Traditionally, turnips haven’t been the most elegant or romanticized of garden vegetables. But in foodie and gardener circles, turnips are finally enjoying a stylish comeback. New cultivars with delicious flavors and textures, coupled with an impressive nutritional profile, are redeeming qualities for this humble root. Grown and eaten for at least the last 4,000 years, turnips are a root vegetable closely related to radishes and cabbage. They have been grown for both livestock feed and human consumption. For some, turnips seem to insight memories of their grandmother’s mashed or boiled turnip dishes. For others, modern turnips are a culinary delicacy so crisp, sweet, and tender that they can be enjoyed as a snack straight from the garden. These brassica-family roots are easy to grow and tolerant of spring or fall frosts. While most people are only familiar with the strong-flavored, purple-topped winter turnip, there are in fact dozens of varieties of turnips that give even the tastiest radish or sweetest apple a run for their money. From buttery white ‘Tokyo’ turnips to mild fuchsia salad turnips, there is a vast array of untapped potential for garden-fresh meals. If you’ve been wanting to try a new spring or fall crop in your garden, turnips are the perfect root for beginners. They are easy to grow, quick to mature, and far more delicious than their reputation may have led you to believe. Let’s dig into how to grow the tastiest turnips you’ve ever tried! History and Cultivation Humans have been cultivating turnips since ancient Roman times. In fact, they are one of the oldest known vegetables. But the humble root was not very highly regarded by upper class Europeans for many centuries. Historically, only the rural country peasants ate turnips, or they were fed to cows and pigs during the winter months. Ironically, the qualities that made turnips important to these populations of country folk are in fact what make this vegetable such an excellent addition to the garden. Turnips could withstand cold, damp winters and hold for a long time in storage. They were easy to grow and yielded prolifically without much fertility or tending. The roots and greens are also nutrient-dense and widely adapted to a diversity of uses in the kitchen. While turnips were reserved for the rural poor in Europe, they became highly regarded in Asia as a delicate, nearly fruit-flavored snack. Today, specialty varieties of salad turnips (specifically the Asian types) are all the rage amongst locavore chefs and “foodie” circles throughout America. What Are Turnips? Turnips (Brassica rapa) are a hardy cool-weather, biennial root crop in the Brassicaceae family. They are closely related to mustards, radishes, broccoli, cabbage, and kale. Turnips are mostly grown in spring or fall. They can be as sweet as carrots or as starchy as potatoes. The greens are also edible and loaded with nutrition. Best of all, turnips thrive in gardens in almost any region. Turnip plants send most of their energy down to their roots to yield the healthy, fibrous, carbohydrate-rich bulbs loved by ancient farmers. But the bulbous rounded base of the turnip is botanically considered a swollen hypocotyl (not technically root tissue). This is basically an edible storage organ of the plant that is a medley of root, stem, and tuber. All scientific jargon aside, turnips look a lot like their radish cousins. They average 2-4” in diameter with mustard-like greens that can grow up to 18” tall. Turnips have a more mild, unique flavor than radishes and take longer to mature. However, both radishes and turnips are cultivated in a similar way. As I’ll explain below, there are many shapes, textures, and colors of turnips, each with their own unique flavor profiles.They can be globe-shaped, elongated, or flat and long. They can be tender and crisp for raw eating or firm and crunchy for winter roasts. The skins can be purple, red, green, white, or mottled. And turnips range in flavor from mild to pungent to slightly bitter to spicy and even sweet. Needless to say, you can’t judge a turnip by its cover! Where Do Turnips Originate? Turnips likely originated in temperate parts of central Asia and western Europe. Wild forms of Brassica rapa (wild mustards, wild radishes, and cousins) are also the common ancestors of modern radish, mustard, rutabaga, and Chinese cabbage. The ancient Romans and Greeks both cultivated turnips in some form, though they were mostly reserved for rural peasants or for use as livestock fodder. As agriculture evolved, turnips spread far and wide throughout the Mediterranean to Asia and beyond. Turnips are so easy to grow that they readily adapted to most every region farmers tried to grow them. Turnips made their way to the Americas in the late 1500s and early 1600s when explorer Jacques Cartier brought them to Canada and Virginia colonists planted them around the same time in Virginia. Settlers quickly realized how dependable the humble turnip was amidst brutally cold winters when they really needed storage vegetables. Turnips vs. Rutabagas While they share a common ancestor, there is a lot of confusion about the difference between turnips and rutabagas. Turnip (Brassica Rapa) is a different species than rutabaga (Brassica napobrassica), but similar in both culture and cooking uses. Turnips mature faster and have thinner skins than their waxy rutabaga cousins. While turnips are usually harvested at 2-4” in diameter, rutabagas tend to be harvested at 4-6” and need to be cooked a bit longer due to their tougher texture. Rutabagas are often called “suedes” or “swedes” in Europe and Canada. This European “swede” (the same as the American rutabaga) was developed by crossing a cabbage and a turnip. Swedes remain very popular in England, Sweden, and Scandinavia to this day. Whether you prefer turnips or swedes, both species are grown and cooked in very similar ways. They can even be used interchangeably in many recipes. Propagation and Planting Like most brassicas, turnips are propagated by seed and easy to sow. Seeds tend to be on the larger size of mustard-seed, making them great for beginners. They germinate rapidly in 7-10 days and grow fast in consistently moist soil. Turnips are usually directly sown in the garden because their roots don’t particularly like disturbance. They are also moderately frost tolerant even as seedlings in the spring garden. However, if you prefer, they can be transplanted. But I’ve found that transplanting turnips or radishes just adds another unnecessary step. They like to grow in place. How to Direct Seed Turnips Turnips can be seeded in the spring approximately 2 to 3 weeks before your region’s last frost date. They can be sown in succession every few weeks for a continuous harvest through spring. In warmer climates, turnips usually have a harder time growing in the hottest months of June through August. For a fall harvest, you can begin seeding turnips again in late summer or early autumn. First, prepare a fertile well-drained garden bed with a thin loamy surface layer. Rake it flat and then use the handle of a garden tool to draw furrows in the soil about ½” deep with rows 12-18” apart. Sprinkle the turnip seeds about 1” apart for smaller turnips or 2” apart for larger turnips. You can always thin later if needed. Keep the seeds consistently moist until germination. I prefer to cover with a light floating row cover directly after seeding to keep the turnips safe from insects and hold in that moisture. For more tender turnips, use overhead or drip irrigation to keep seedlings consistently hydrated. Don’t let the soil dry out, but never let it get soggy either. How to Grow Turnips Turnips are a beginner gardener’s dream. When it comes to ease of care and quick maturity (fast gratification anyone?), they are only beaten by their radish cousins in growing speed. On average, turnips take 30-50 days to mature, depending on how big you’d like them to grow. They are super easy to care for and not very finicky about their growing conditions. With a few simple steps, your turnips will take off in no time and you’ll be enjoying their nutritious roots and greens before you know it! Maintenance These roots are notoriously easygoing and hands-off once they are planted and irrigated. The only important maintenance you will need to do is thinning. To yield nicely sized bulbs, be sure that turnip seedlings are at least 1-2” apart. The more even your seeding and thinning, the more uniform your turnips will be for preparing in the kitchen.

Do you have a moist garden plot with enough space for a spectacular perennial wildflower? Great blue lobelia is an eye-catching plant that appeals to gardeners, hummingbirds, and a multitude of pollinators. In this article, gardening expert Liessa Bowen will discuss the proper care and maintenance of these brilliant blue-flowering plants. Great blue lobelia (Lobelia siphilitica) gets less attention than it deserves. This plant is a member of the bellflower family (Campanulaceae). This family of flowering plants contains well over two thousand species, many of which are familiar garden plants. This native species provides a dramatic splash of late-season color to your moisture-rich garden plot. While its natural habitat includes woodland stream-sides and wetland borders, you can enjoy a vibrant patch in your native plant garden, woodland garden, or naturalized rain garden. You’ll definitely want this flower if you want to attract hummingbirds and pollinators to your garden. It will also help increase curb appeal, especially in late summer as your spring and summer-blooming plants are fading, helping extend the growing season or acting as a transition between your summer and fall-blooming blooms. If you’ve got a bit of space and a moist garden plot, let’s dig right in and get to know the great blue lobelia and everything you need to successfully grow your own. Plant Natural History Great blue lobelia is a wildflower native to central and eastern North America, from Canada south to Texas and east to the Atlantic coast. It loves wet environments. You’ll find it growing along streams sides and around swampy edges. It grows near cool springs and in moist meadows. It isn’t too picky about sun or shade as long as it enjoys organically rich, consistently moist soil conditions. This wildflower inhabits not only wetland borders but can also be found in both woodlands and grasslands. It’s widespread, although not particularly common within its range. This is a valuable wildlife plant, favored by a variety of insect pollinators and hummingbirds. All parts of this plant are mildly poisonous to humans, however, and should not be consumed in any way. Characteristics This native wildflower is an herbaceous perennial. It grows up to four feet tall and up to one-and-a-half feet wide. In ideal conditions, lobelia spreads by self-seeding and root rhizomes, creating attractive colonies without becoming aggressive. These plants develop several sturdy, upright stems. Each stem is lined with alternate, finely-toothed, lance-shaped leaves of a uniformly green color. They grow vigorously during the growing season and the above-ground foliage dies back completely after the first frost. Plants begin blooming in mid-to-late summer and continue into early fall, especially in cooler climates. The flower spikes are very showy and dramatic, typically reaching over six inches long. Numerous purplish-blue flowers line the flowering stems, opening from the bottom to the top. Each tubular flower has three prominent lower lobes and two upper lobes that are significantly less pronounced. Propagation Propagate by seed or division of mature clusters. If you’re just getting started, you might be able to find great blue lobelia at a nursery specializing in native plants. If you can’t find potted plants, starting from seed is a good way to introduce these plants to your landscape. If you already have lobelia growing in your yard, division is a great way to quickly start new patches of vegetation. Seed Direct sow seeds in the fall and allow them to overwinter on site. You won’t need to bury the seeds because they need light to germinate, but don’t expect to see any tiny seedlings until after your seeds have overwintered. It’s important to sow the seeds in a location where they will stay fairly moist, particularly in late winter and early spring. Not all the seeds you sow will germinate, but all you need are a few successful seedlings to start a beautiful colony of lobelia plants. After your seeds germinate in the spring, keep them consistently moist because the young plants are especially sensitive to drying out. Once the seedlings are several inches tall and have developed a few sets of true leaves, you can thin them to one plant per 12 inches or dig and transplant them to the desired location. Division The quickest and most direct method of propagation is division. The best times to divide your perennials are spring and fall when the weather is a bit cooler, and your plants aren’t in the middle of their peak growing season. All you need is a spade for digging and some comfortable garden gloves to protect your hands. Either dig out the entire cluster of plants you want to divide or dig around half of the cluster of plants you wish to divide. Using the garden spade, make a clean cut through the center of the cluster so that each half contains both healthy roots and stems. Re-plant half of the cluster in the same location (if desired) and transplant the other half into a new location. After getting each half settled and surrounded with fresh soil, water each cluster of plants well to help them overcome transplant shock. Transplanting Before transplanting to a new location, first prepare the site. Remove any weeds and other competing vegetation to remove competition. Next, enrich your soil and add any soil amendments, as needed, to ensure that your plants have excellent quality soil in which to grow. Do your transplanting on a cool day during the spring or fall, avoiding days that are hot, dry, and sunny. Dig a hole slightly larger than the root cluster of your plant. If you are transplanting a potted plant, carefully remove your plant from its pot and immediately place it in the prepared hole. Fill in around the roots with fresh soil and tamp it down. Finally, water your plant well and keep it well-watered for the first week or so after transplanting to help it settle into its new home. How to Grow If you can provide the right growing conditions, this native species is a joy to have in your garden. The most important thing to provide for these plants is rich, moist soil. They are less picky about sunlight; you can grow them in full or partial sun conditions. With ideal growing conditions, you’ll find this lobelia to be easy to grow and virtually trouble-free. Sunlight This wildflower performs well in full sun, dappled sun, and fairly heavy shade. In hotter climates, it prefers some afternoon shade, although in cooler climates, it performs very well in full sun. Water Lobelia siphilitica is a plant that loves constant soil moisture. Ideally, you’ll want to grow it in a location that is either very close to water, such as at the edge of a wetland, or in a low spot that stays moist throughout the year. Be prepared to offer some regular supplemental watering if the soil dries out. Soil Plant in a location with organically rich, moist soil. If your soil is naturally sandy, gritty, or other poor quality, add plenty of organic compost to help enrich the soil before planting. Climate and Temperature These plants are well adapted to the warm summers and cool winters of the eastern United States and Canada. The species is hardy in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 4 – 9. Plants go dormant for the winter months and perform well during humid summers. This is not a desert plant and it would not perform well in arid climates. Fertilizing If you have plenty of organic matter in your soil, you shouldn’t need to worry about supplemental fertilizing. If, however, your plants appear weak and the leaves are starting to turn yellow, this may be a sign that your plants need a nutrient boost. Ideally, add a side dressing or organic compost during the growing season to help improve the overall soil quality. In a pinch, you can add a balanced flower fertilizer. If you use prepared fertilizer products, always follow the instructions on the product label for application and usage. Maintenance This is a low-maintenance plant. At the end of the growing season, cut back the dead growth and mulch around your plants to protect the roots for the winter. During the growing season, keep the weeds pulled around your plants to minimize competition. Any time your plants become overcrowded and outgrow their allotted space, you can divide larger clumps and transplant the divisions to new areas.

Wonderful' is one of the most popular pomegranate varieties, known for its resilience and large fruits. Gardening expert Madison Moulton explains how to plant and care for this impressive fruit tree. When you’re looking for pomegranates to plant in your garden, ‘Wonderful’ is bound to pop up a few times. This popular variety is one of the most widely grown in home gardens, with a high yield and wonderfully sweet fruits. But the fruits aren’t the only benefit. Pomegranate trees are also great ornamental plants, ideal for growing in the ground or in containers. And their resilience and adaptability means even beginners won’t have trouble growing these trees. Follow these steps to plant and care for the popular ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate in your garden. What Is It? ‘Wonderful’ is one of the most widely grown pomegranates for home gardens, and it’s easy to see why. These trees are tough and resilient, adapting to harsh environments where other fruit trees may struggle. ‘Wonderful’ is a prolific producer of large fruits, but also comes with tons of ornamental value – truly the full package. ‘Wonderful’, like other pomegranates, is usually grown as a shrub, perfect for borders, hedging, or espalier. However, its versatility means it can be shaped into a small tree, generally reaching heights of 6 to 20 feet. Its interesting bark, glossy leaves, and structural shape mean it will stand out, no matter where it’s planted. This variety thrives in warm climates and demonstrates drought tolerance once established. It’s not ideal for gardeners in cooler regions (USDA Zones 6 or below) but will thrive in hot summers and sandy soil. Whether you’re growing them for their health benefits or year-round visual interest, the ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate will not disappoint. Planting Once you’ve purchased a ‘Wonderful’ pomegranate tree, it’s time to get planting. Choosing the right location is key to a successful harvest, so it’s vital to plant in a prime spot that matches their native habitats as closely as possible. This variety, while hardy, will produce more prolifically when given the proper foundation. Choose a sunny spot that receives at least six hours of direct sunlight daily, preferably more. If the summer sun is quite intense, pick a location that provides some light afternoon shade to avoid scalding that can impact production. The site should also be well-draining in any area where water does not pool after rain, as this can lead to rot. Spring is the best time for planting, allowing the pomegranate to establish its roots before the heat of summer kicks in. Ensure the threat of frost has passed in cooler zones before getting your tree in the ground. You may want to allow it to acclimate to your garden environment for a couple of days before planting to prevent shock. When you’re ready to plant, prepare a hole a little wider than the container the tree came in. Gently remove it from its container and lightly tease the roots if they are circling around each other. Place the tree in the hole, ensuring it sits at the same depth it did in its container. Fill the hole with the soil, firming it around the base of the tree to eliminate air pockets. After planting, water the tree deeply to settle the soil around the roots and avoid transplant shock. Apply a layer of organic mulch around the base of the tree, keeping the mulch a few inches away from the trunk to prevent moisture retention, which can lead to fungal disease. Planting in Containers For those who don’t have the space to plant in the ground, live in colder climates, or want to keep the pomegranate tree compact, try growing in containers. The plants won’t grow as large as they would when left to spread, but you can still harvest plenty of fruits and save space at the same time. Select a pot large enough to accommodate the tree’s root system (start with one a few inches wider and deeper than the container or bag the tree is currently in). The pot should also have drainage holes at the bottom to allow excess moisture to leave the pot. Use a high-quality potting mix, preferably one formulated for fruit trees. As when choosing a container, drainage should be a primary consideration. If the mix is a little too dense, add some extra perlite or sand to recreate the soil conditions the trees are accustomed to. Test the drainage of the mix before you plant—you don’t want to have to repot any time soon. Remove the pomegranate tree from its current home, gently loosening any tightly bound roots at the base to encourage them to grow outwards. Place it in the container, ensuring it sits at the same level it did in its original container. Fill the gaps around the tree with potting mix, gently firming down to eliminate air pockets. After planting, water thoroughly and deeply. Place the container in a location in a sunny spot, like a south-facing patio or balcony. Check the soil’s moisture level often, watering when the top few inches feel dry. How To Grow Pomegranates are easygoing trees. Follow these care guidelines to keep them happy and productive season after season.