Root crops a good choice during fickle spring

Spring weather is always unpredictable, and this year is no different. If you think you are confused, think of your poor plants.

Many gardeners are asking the question: Should they plant or should they wait?

One group of plants that is safe to get in the ground now — even with changeable weather — are most root crops.

Lumping vegetables together as root crops is anything but scientific. Root crops are a collection of several different species that all produce an underground storage organ that we enjoy eating. Those underground portions include stems, roots, bulbs and tubers.

If you have not yet planted your onions, get them in soon. In Utah, we grow long-day onions, and they need to be growing well before the days get too long or they do not form good bulbs.

You will get bigger bulbs if you plant seeds or transplants. Good cultivars include Early Ebenezer, Utah Yellow, White Sweet Spanish or Walla Walla.

For green onions, use sets or seeds of Evergreen White bunching onions.

Leeks are another cool-season vegetable that grows well here. They have the onion taste but not the after-effects. They need a long growing season, so plant them soon.

Another onion relative is garlic, and that is usually planted in the fall and harvested the next season.

Radishes are a root crop that matures faster than any other. It is possible to harvest them in as little as 28 days. Plant them early and continue planting through Sept. 1. Keep them cool and moist during the summer to keep them from bolting or going to seed.

Easter Egg is still my favorite radish cultivar, but there are many others.

Choose by color and by heat. Red-colored ones include Champion and Cherry Beauty, while Burpee White, Snow Belle and Icicle are white in color.

Turnips are not as popular as they once were because they are prone to get root maggots. Some are double bonus plants because you can eat the tops as greens.

Plant your turnips now, but wait and plant rutabagas in midsummer so they will mature as a fall crop. Otherwise, they are tough and have a bitter flavor.

Most cultivars grow well here. For turnips, consider Tokyo Cross Hybrid, Market Express Hybrid, White Lady Hybrid, DeNancy, Purple Top, White Globe and Just Right Hybrid. Suitable rutabagas include American Purple Top and Marian.