Description

Discover the versatile and flavorful 'American Purple Top' rutabaga, a root vegetable prized for its sweet, mellow taste and vibrant purple-topped, yellowish roots. Grown best in cool weather, rutabagas are perfect for fall harvests and can be enjoyed in a variety of dishes like mashed, baked, or added to soups and stews. The tender greens are also edible and make a delicious sautéed side. With excellent storage potential, this frost-tolerant biennial is an ideal addition to your cool-weather garden.

Botanical Name: Brassica napus (Napobrassica group)
Days to Maturity: 80–120 days
Family: Brassicaceae
Native: Unknown
Hardiness: Frost-tolerant biennial
Plant Dimensions: Leafy tops grow 16″–20″ tall
Variety Information: Best harvested at 4″–6″ diameter; root is yellowish with purple shoulders.

When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. Cold Climates: 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, as soon as soil can be worked for early summer harvest, or 3 to 4 months before your first fall frost date for fall harvest. Mild Climates: Sow in fall for late winter for spring harvest. Optimal soil temperature for germination is 60°–80°F
When to Start Inside: Not recommended; root crops do not transplant well.
Days to Emerge: 7–14 days
Seed Depth: ¼”
Seed Spacing: A group of 3 seeds every 6″
Row Spacing: 18″–24″
Thinning: When 4″ tall, thin to 1 every 6″

Harvesting: Harvest in early summer before consistently high temperatures start or in fall after a few light frosts. Do not allow roots to freeze. The foliage may also be harvested for greens. Harvest only about 25% of the plant's leaves at a time so as not to affect the plant's ability to produce large roots.

This packet sows up to 80 feet. 480 seeds in packet.