Well... you may get some root growth, and then again you may not. And you may get some top growth, and then again you may not. But you won't get a new rutabaga.

Because Rutabagas are biennials, if you plant the Rutabaga, ultimately you will get a big bushy plant and a flower stalk, and possibly seeds so that you can grow even more rutabagas.

Your MIL's rutabaga is beginning its second season of growth. The entire rutabaga can be planted in your garden. If it has not been trimmed too severely around the base it will develop roots and grow. If it grows it will develop leaves, then a large mass of yellow flowers which will later form seed pods. When the pods mature you will have an enormous quantity of seed.

So far as using that year old plant as starters for this year's crop, I don't know. I doubt it would work.

Jim

Good thing I didn't read the comments or I wouldn't have my rutabaga growing in a container. It's doing fine so far and I enjoy seeing different things grow. So,to the negative Nellie's I say bah-humbug....to those of you with a curiosity about growing things(like me) I say...GO FOR IT!!!

No one was being negative 12 years ago, just honest. Growing out a top or reburying a whole rutabaga won't result in another rutabaga root for eating. But it can result in the natural second year of growth with foliage and booms before going to seed and then the plant is spent. Several roots can be treated the same way as well as many other plants.