How to Grow Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Turnips are fast-growing root vegetables prized for their crisp white bulbs and peppery greens. Gardeners cultivate them primarily for a quick harvest of nutritious foliage and crunchy roots that thrive in cooler weather.
📷 Wikipedia: TurnipStarting Turnip: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Turnip is not usually started indoors.
Turnips are best direct-sown into the garden rather than started indoors and transplanted to avoid root distortion.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, well-draining soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 to ensure healthy root development. Sow seeds directly outdoors 2-6 weeks before your last spring frost date, as they germinate quickly within 3 to 10 days. Keep the seedbed consistently moist until sprouts emerge.
Space plants 4 to 6 inches apart to prevent overcrowding and allow roots to expand freely without stunting. Provide moderate watering to keep soil evenly moist but not waterlogged, which prevents splitting. Apply a light mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds while feeding is rarely necessary due to their rapid growth cycle.
Watch for flea beetles and cabbage moths; use row covers or insecticidal soap to prevent damage before harvest. Diseases like clubroot can occur in wet soils, so ensure good drainage. Harvest roots when they reach maturity, typically within 40-60 days of sowing, by gently pulling the plant from the soil.
When to Plant Turnip
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | April – May | June – July | July – September |
| Zone 2 | April – May | May – July | June – September |
| Zone 3 | March – April | May – June | June – October |
| Zone 4 | March – April | April – June | May – October |
| Zone 5 | February – March | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 6 | February – March | April – May | May – November |
| Zone 7 | February – March | March – May | April – November |
| Zone 8 | January – February | March – April | April – December |
| Zone 9 | January | February – March | March – December |
| Zone 10 | January | January – March | February – December |
| Zone 11 | January | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 12 | January | January – February | January – December |
| Zone 13 | January | January – February | January – December |
