Summer Stubble Turnip Sowing

Forage crops such as stubble turnips or forage rape can offer a useful crop to bridge the forage gap over summer.  Sowing date is key to establishing a high yielding crop.

The flexible sowing dates of these crops mean that they can fit in with most rotations. An early sowing of May/June will produce a crop for summer feeding, and a later sowing will be suitable for that autumn/ winter grazing.

For the maximum yield, a crop of stubble turnips would need to be drilled at the end of July, this maximises the bulb and leaf yield. Sowing later that this in, heading into August or September, will produce less yield through a leafier crop and smaller bulbs.

Trials have shown that the later sown the crop, the higher the leaf to bulb ratio. While this won’t affect the nutritional value, the yield will be reduced, and a larger area will be needed to meet requirements.

Growing costs would be the same for an early sown crop compared to  a later sown crop – maximising yield will only be beneficial.

Despite this, a crop sown in September can still provide a useful forage option! Choosing a winter hardy option will still provide a feed into the winter months.