Leaf turnip

Choose by flavour, shape and use

Bladmoes: Also called Namenia in the range. Fine leaves are harvested young and form no closed cabbage head. Use a handful raw among other salad leaves. Larger leaves suit brief cooking like spinach.

The source emphasises tender leaves but gives no distinctive variety aroma. Judge mainly by young harvesting and preparation.

Leaf cabbage without a head

This offering of leaf greens is also called Namenia and belongs to Brassica rapa. De Bolster sells Namenia as turnip greens with tender leaves and crisp stems. It is a cutting crop, not a cabbage judged by a closed head. Compare supplier names carefully so leaf greens and Namenia are not counted as two new species.

Plan mainly for cool growing conditions

Spring or autumn suits this leaf crop. Turnip greens bolt more readily in warm summers. Use sunny, manageable small beds and reserve space for another short sowing. Choose by weather and kitchen portions, not filling large beds for months at once.

Short rows keep things clear

Sow about half to one centimetre deep. The producer uses about twenty-five centimetres between cutting rows with dense plants within. This is for young harvests, not close mature cabbages. Label a short row and keep moist until emergence.

Prepare for a quick harvest

Flat seedbeds ease even cutting later. Remove large weeds first and break coarse surface clods. Containers need bottom drainage and watering margins. Keep trials small to observe how much leaf one kitchen portion actually requires.

Watch for feeding damage and bolting

Young plants can suffer from flea beetles; fleece can protect the start. Inspect the leaves and also check whether flower stalks are already appearing. A rapidly bolting row signals that the next sowing time should change. The solution is often different planning rather than leaving the same tough harvest standing longer.

Rows or a leaf crop container

Beds of short rows display successive sowings; leaf containers give small harvests near home. Compare similar stages: young container leaves versus mature bed stalks confuse the picture. Leave enough walking or reaching room for neat cutting.

Cut while the leaves are tender

De Bolster specifies young harvests from about four weeks and larger turnip greens at around six weeks, depending on conditions. Mainly assess tenderness. Cut above the growing point if you want to try regrowth. Then check whether the row reshoots well; its own response determines whether a second cut is useful in your plans.

Use leaves and stalks together

Turnip greens suit fresh mashed potato or quick stir-frying. Reserve a leaf and stem piece to compare textures first. Namenia's described crisp stems also depend on young harvesting. Late rows need different assessment from freshly cut young greens.