Turnips (Forage)

Purple Top is the old standby forage turnip, and it still earns its spot in fall food plots and pasture rotations. Sow in late summer, roughly 60 days before your first hard freeze, and the plants build leafy tops and fat roots before cold weather stops growth. Deer, cattle, and sheep graze the greens first and dig for the roots later in winter, often right through light snow. Roots left in the ground loosen compacted soil as they rot. For winter feeding, you can also pull and store the roots in a cool cellar.