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| 1. I thought my rutabaga (Marian) would stand in the garden through moderate frost, but they didn't, - froze & rotted. My wife thinks her Dad's were harvestable through Scottish winters (long ago!) 2. My wife also thinks it weird that my rutabaga grow - "bulb" - mostly above ground level; says her Dad's grew under the soil and had to be dug up at harvest. I suggested maybe he covered them for frost protection but she says no, they grew that way. Comments? |
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| Some varieties tend to grow out of the ground more than others. This fall we covered a 50' row of 3 or 4 different varieties with a thin row cover, I think it was 19, and they survived temps down to -8 degrees. We were shocked that just a thin row cover would make that much difference. We had them freeze at above zero temps without the row cover. There was a light layer of snow on top of the row cover at the coldest temps but many nights in single digits without the snow. |
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| They need to be underground in order to be protected from freezing and rotting, so the difference in growing habit between your rutabagas and your father-in-laws' is the explanation for the difference in freeze tolerance. I normally hill mine before frost, and also cover with hay. |
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- Posted by gardenman101 Z6 Spingfield, Ma (gardenman101@aol.com) on Sun, Mar 16, 14 at 18:41
| Stupid question, but whats the diffrence between Rutabaga's and Turnips? is it just size and Maturity dates? |
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| No, they are different species, which you can easily see in the leaves. Rutabaga leaves have thick midribs and look kind of cabbagey. They have a different taste and texture compared to turnips. Both wonderful in their way. All the rutabaga varieties I have grown produce their bulbs above the ground. I bring in the last of them when hard freezes begin. |
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