Turnips probably aren't the first vegetable you'd think of including in the fall garden. But the Kelly green leaves add interesting foliage when scattered in a flower bed or containers of colorful fall blooms. While you wait for the turnip roots to develop, you also have a supply of tender young greens for the table.

Purple Top White Globe is an old standby in the South, grown for the sweet, mild flavor of both the greens and the roots. Tokyo Cross Hybrid has a sweet, pure-white root that is ready for harvest earlier than most varieties. Two other all-white varieties for the Southern garden are Just Right and White Egg. All Top is strictly for greens lovers -- it produces puny-to-nada turnips.

All of these varieties can be grown from seed between now and frost. Harvest can begin as early as 60 days after seeds germinate. Turnips don't transplant well, so choose an area that gets full sun and sow seed directly into the soil, an inch or two apart, where the plants will remain.

It's best to use a light, loose soil high in organic matter that's well-drained, but able to hold moisture for good root development. In the garden, break up clay soils and amend with organic soil conditioner or loose compost.

If you're using containers, they should have drain holes. Anything from a quart-size container on up will do. The larger the surface area, the larger the crop. Hold off on fertilizers until you decide if you want to harvest the greens or wait for the turnips to develop.

If you just want the greens, when the seedlings are two inches tall, thin the plants to about two inches apart. Add a balanced organic fertilizer (10-10-10) to encourage the foliage to develop good color.

If you're mainly interested in the roots, thin the plants to about four inches apart. In order to direct energy into the developing roots rather than the leaves, apply a slow-release fertilizer formulated for vegetables about three weeks after seedlings appear. Provide regular watering; don't let the soil dry out completely.

Check the leaves regularly for cabbage worms, loopers or aphids. Pick off large insects or spray the leaves with horticultural oil or insecticidal soap whenever you notice chewed leaves.

Turnips taste best when they're harvested before they get large and pithy. Pick them when they're between two and four inches in diameter.

I'm looking forward to the fall harvest already, when I can satisfy my potato pancake cravings with Debbie's low-carb latkes.

Cook it

Hoary turnips the size of bowling balls are rather frightening. However, small, tender turnips are friendly, inviting little roots. They likely would not break a toe if you dropped one on your foot.

Thanks to a new outlook by cooks, turnips are part of the roots redemption that has returned such things as beets to tables across America. And good news for low-carb diet fans: turnips have a fraction of the carbohydrates of white potatoes, but can be used in ways that satisfy some of those 'tater longings.

Once, turnips were served only boiled and mashed. But roasting brings out the sweetness of the root. Shredded into matchsticks, turnips are even good raw in salads.

Turnips are great keepers. You can refrigerate them, wrapped well, for up to two weeks, but they really have longevity in a cool (50 to 55 degrees), well-ventilated storage area, such as the old-fashioned root cellar.

Stick to small turnips -- no larger than a tennis ball -- for that sweet flavor and soft texture.

As turnips get larger and older, they develop a strong flavor and the texture can become woody. Larger turnips should always be peeled before cooking. Smaller ones, scrubbed well, may not need it. If the skin is rough or thick, by all means peel.

If the greens are still attached, they should be fresh-looking and crisp, not limp -- that's a sign that the turnips aren't fresh. If you're going to store the turnips for a while, trim off the greens and either cook or discard them.

This version of potato pancakes substitutes turnips for most of the spuds. Besides lending a great flavor, turnips do not gush liquid and turn brown after grating, like potatoes do. Try replacing some or all of the potatoes with grated carrot for another root experience.

Recipes

Crispy Root Cakes with Blue Cheese Sauce

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