I will look forward to hearing an answer. The worm holes, with the little white worms in them, are precisely why I only grew Hakurei Turnips one time. I grew straight in the ground.

I don't grow turnips at all in spring because they only stand for a week before bolting, and one or two hot days lowers the quality of the leaves, which get well chewed by flea beetles. Hakurei is a great salad turnip for fall, though. Plant again in August.

Splitting I would guess fluctuating water and/or temperatures. And not sweet I would guess maybe age or heat? But considering the spring we've had so far... I haven't grown them in the fall yet, which may answer the little worm question, or barring that a floating row cover would help prevent a lot of insect damage if the wormy things are actually fly larva.

Your extension agent may be able to tell you when the cabbage root fly is active in your area. Covering with floating row cover, in soil which was free from plants in the cabbage family the year before, may be the best protection in spring.

I have better luck with turnips in the fall here (though I haven't seen maggots). Hakurei and Oasis are similar, and I think Oasis has a little more vigor and crack resistance in cold or rainy weather.

White Lady comes close to these in flavor and texture, and may be earlier (thus avoiding the cabbage maggot in some instances). Pinetree notes that Tokyo Cross often escapes the maggot because grows so fast that you can pick it before the worms are a problem. I think White Lady could be tried this way, too. Tokyo Cross is as mild as the varieties above, but not as sweet or flavorful.

Near here, commercial turnips are sown in September while it is still quite warm (or hot) and harvested as the weather cools down (if all goes according to plan). As noted above, August would likely be a good time for you to plant.

Henry Field is selling a variety that looks similar to the "summer turnips" above called "Frosty Sweet". It is supposed to resist bursting and bolting, but I haven't tried it.

I also like a variety called "Just Right" for fall. This variety is rather late in forming a substantial root (though tops grow quickly). When the root finally forms, it remains tender and tasty to a large size. "Just Right" is more cold-tolerant and weather-tolerant than Hakurei or Oasis, and is only recommended for fall. I plant them just after the others, and harvest them into quite cold weather. I get them from Twilley's, a commercial catalog with no on-line catalog. I think you could call and order seeds even if you didn't want to bother with a print catalog. They also sell "White Lady", as does Park.

All of the varieties above (with the possible exception of Frosty Sweet) have tops which are far sweeter and less "turnipy" than standard turnip greens, and without the hairs. Makes me wonder if they are a cross between turnips and something else. The tough midrib should be removed from larger leaves.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cabbage Maggot

This post was edited by carolync1 on Tue, May 28, 13 at 15:24

Thank you! Love this website... everyone is so helpful!