Tokyo Silk Japanese Salad Turnips

This variety is officially named “Tokyo Silky Sweet” but I have shortened the name for the sake of their tag, and think of them as "Tokyo Silk." Seed packet says they mature in about 45 days. In fall plantings, I count on 60 days as more realistic. Germinate in 4 or 5 days. Easy to grow; nothing tricky or demanding. I make a point of using loose, fluffy soil, similar to what I would use for any other root crop.

Most wind up the size of a ping-pong ball. It's easy to see when they are ready for harvest, since they work their way to the surface of the earth as they mature.

The greens are delicious, along with the root bulbs. I grow them in 20-gallon grow bags as a fall/winter crop. Today is 12 December and here in NE Texas we have had a couple of frosts but no hard, sustained freeze yet. These Tokyo Silk are still going strong, and I pulled a handful for lunch, as shown.

I also plant Hakurei Japanese Salad Turnips, and to be frank, I cannot tell them apart from Tokyo Silk. They must be closely related. Seeds for these came from Territorial Seeds. The info blurb from the seller said the latter (Tokyo Silk) fares better when the weather turns warm. In my experience, both are best as a cool/cold weather crop and neither stands up to the summer heat.

Must thin them once they come up to prevent overcrowding, and best to cover them with fine-mesh insect netting against the moths that lay eggs turning into cabbage loopers and other similar pests.  

These small salad turnips have been a delight year after year. Easy to grow; easy to eat; easy to like.