Vegetable · Brassicaceae
Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Sow it in cool weather, keep the water gentle and even, and this forgiving little root hands you greens and turnips in one short season.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
41–77°F · 5–25°C
40–60 days
Overview
Turnips belong to the cool-season brassicas, the same friendly family as cabbage and mustard. Gardeners have leaned on them for both the round root and the leafy tops for a very long time, and part of their charm is how little they ask of you. Sow a patch in spring or late summer and you can be eating greens in about a month, with roots following close behind.
On paper the turnip is a biennial, storing up energy in the root one year and flowering the next, but you will almost never see that second act. Gardeners grow it like a quick annual and harvest long before it thinks about blooming. The roots stay sweetest and most tender when they fill out in cool weather, so the only stretch to steer around is the heat of midsummer. Aim your sowings at the gentler shoulders of the season and the plant does the rest.
Nearly all of the success here comes down to timing and a little thinning, and neither is hard. Give turnips loose, even ground and steady water, and the roots come up crisp, round, and mild. Let the soil dry out and then drown it, or leave the roots sitting in warm ground too long, and you trade that sweetness for woody, sharp-flavored roots, which is really the only misstep worth guarding against.
Care
The short version: give turnips full sun and loose, rock-free soil, with about an inch of water a week so the moisture stays even. Sow the seed straight into cool ground, thin the seedlings so the roots have breathing room, and pick them young, before heat or a hard frost sets in. Nothing here is fussy, and a missed step is easy to make up on the next sowing.
Light
Turnips are happiest in full sun, though they will forgive you a little partial shade. The greens stay lovely and leafy even in some shade, while the roots fatten up faster and fuller when they get a long, steady stretch of direct light.
Water
Aim for about 1 inch (2.5 cm) of water a week and try to keep it even, which is the single kindest thing you can do for the roots. That steady moisture is what keeps them tender and mild, while a swing from bone dry to a sudden soaking is what leaves them pithy, cracked, or a bit harsh.
Soil
Plant into loose, well-drained loam that you have cleared of rocks and kept free of fresh manure, since both can fork and scar the tender roots. A pH anywhere from 6.0 to 7.5 suits turnips nicely, and keeping the ground near neutral also helps hold clubroot at bay.
Temperature
This is a cool-weather crop at heart, most content between about 41°F to 77°F (5°C to 25°C). Roots that try to fill out in real heat turn woody and sharp, so point your sowings at spring and fall and let the plants skip the peak of summer.
Humidity
Plain outdoor air is all turnips ask for, so there is no humidity to fuss over at all. Even soil moisture matters far more to the roots than anything the air is doing.
Feeding
Work a balanced granular feed like 10-10-10 into the bed before you sow, and let a soil test guide how much. Keep a light hand with nitrogen, since too much coaxes the plant into lush leafy tops instead of the roots you are hoping for.
Pruning
There is no pruning to worry about here. Just thin the seedlings to 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) apart once they are a few inches tall, and pick the outer greens at 4 to 6 inches, leaving the little growing point in place so fresh leaves keep coming.
Size & spacing
Turnip plants grow to about 12 to 18 inches (30 to 45 cm) tall and 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30 cm) across. Thin them to 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) between plants, in rows 18 to 30 inches (45 to 75 cm) apart, and the roots will have all the room they need to swell.
When to plant
Turnips love cool weather and simply idle through the heat, so timing is your best friend. Sow the seed right into the bed in early spring, the moment the ground can be worked, then sow again in late summer for a fall crop. Pull the roots while they are young, ahead of summer heat or a hard freeze, and take heart that a light fall frost does no harm at all and actually sweetens them.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Plant: direct sow in early spring as soon as soil can be worked (around mid-April in the Upper Midwest), and again in late summer (around August 1) for a fall crop
- Harvest: harvest roots at about 2-3 inches in diameter before hot weather or hard freezes; flavor sweetens after light fall frost; greens harvestable at 4-6 inches tall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 2–9
Temperature: down to -46°C
Troubleshooting
Almost every turnip worry shows up in one of two places, on the leaves or down in the root, and the brassica pests save their worst for tender young seedlings. The good news is that catching it early makes it easy: a quick row cover or a small shift in timing usually settles things. Find the picture that matches yours below and act while the plants are still little, and you will be fine.
Young plants flop over with tunneled roots
When a seedling wilts and topples for no reason you can see, lift it gently and look at the root for winding brown tunnels and small white legless grubs. That is the cabbage root maggot, the larva of a fly that lays its eggs right at the soil line, though wireworms can leave similar damage in ground that was under sod not long ago. Take out and destroy the affected plants, re-sow beneath a row cover tucked in snug at the edges, and space your sowing dates apart so the next batch slips past the peak of egg-laying.
Fix:
- Remove and destroy infested plants and roots
- Re-sow under floating row cover sealed at the edges
- Delay or stagger sowing to miss peak fly egg-laying
Stunted, yellow plants sitting over swollen roots
Plants that stay small, yellow off, and wilt on warm days are quietly signaling trouble down below. Dig one up and you may find clubroot, a soilborne disease that twists the root into lumpy, club-like swellings instead of a clean round bulb. An infected plant cannot be saved, so lift it along with the soil around it and keep it well away from the compost. Then give that bed a rest from all brassicas for several years and sweeten the soil toward neutral with lime before you plant the family there again.
Fix:
- Remove and discard infected plants with surrounding soil (do not compost)
- Stop growing brassicas in that bed for several years
- Raise soil pH toward neutral with lime before replanting brassicas
Tiny round pinholes peppering the leaves
Those little pinholes scattered across the foliage are the calling card of flea beetles, shiny black specks that hop away the moment you brush the plant. They lean hardest on spring and fall seedlings, but you can stay ahead of them without much trouble. Tuck a floating row cover over each new sowing, keep the young plants moving with steady water so they simply outgrow the nibbling, and clear away any weedy mustards nearby that give the beetles a home.
Fix:
- Cover new sowings with floating row cover at seeding
- Keep plants growing fast with steady water so they outgrow damage
- Remove nearby weedy mustards that host the beetles
Roots come up woody, spongy, or too hot to enjoy
Slice one open and you will find spongy white pith and a stringy, fibrous texture where you wanted crisp, dense flesh. Take heart, because this is heat and timing rather than any disease: roots that size up in hot weather, linger in the ground past maturity, or ride out a swing from drought to heavy rain all turn coarse and strong. Pull whatever is left at 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) across, cook any tender tops as greens, and sow a fresh round in late summer so the next crop matures in gentle fall weather.
Fix:
- Harvest remaining roots promptly at 2-3 inches diameter
- Use affected roots' tops as cooking greens if still tender
- Re-sow in late summer so roots mature in cool fall weather
Toxicity
You can relax completely here, because turnips are food and safe for people and pets alike. Both the root and the greens are eaten with no special handling, and the plant is not listed as toxic to cats or dogs. The one small footnote is for grazing livestock, where weeks of heavy raw brassica forage can have a mild effect, which never comes up at garden scale.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats None
Turnip is perfectly safe for cats. A little nibble of cooked root or a bite of green will do no harm, though as meat lovers most cats will simply walk on by.
Dogs None
There is no toxin here for dogs at all. A little plain cooked turnip makes a fine now-and-then treat, so long as you keep the portion modest, since a big heap of any vegetable can upset a tummy.
Horses None
Both the root and the leaves are safe for horses to enjoy. Just cut larger roots into pieces so they go down easily and there is no risk of choking.
Rabbits None
Rabbits can happily nibble the leafy tops and a little of the root with nothing to worry about. Bring the greens in slowly, the way you would offer any new fresh food.
Livestock None
Turnip roots and tops make good, wholesome forage and carry no poison. The only gentle caveat is grazing, since living for weeks on heavy amounts of raw brassica greens can nudge thyroid function and bring a little bloating, something that never arises with the amounts a home garden turns out.
Birds None
Chickens and other backyard birds love to pick at turnip greens and chopped root, and every bit of it is safe for them.
People None
For people, turnip is a kitchen vegetable from root to leaf. Roast or mash the roots and cook the greens like any other cooking green, and know that no part of it needs avoiding.
No special handling needed. Like other brassicas, very large raw quantities can cause gas, and goitrogenic compounds in brassica forage are mainly a concern for livestock grazed heavily on it, not for household pets or people eating normal amounts.
Varieties
Turnips sort themselves loosely into root types, greens types, and the fast little salad turnips, and any of them is a gentle place to start. These are the ones you are most likely to meet.
Purple Top White Globe
The familiar heirloom most people picture, offering round white roots that blush purple where they peek above the soil, along with dependable greens to match.
Hakurei
A fast-maturing salad turnip whose small, smooth white roots are so mild and sweet you can slice them raw straight into a salad.
Golden Ball
A yellow-fleshed heirloom that takes about 60 days and thanks your patience with a mild, faintly sweet flavor.
Seven Top
Grown for its generous flush of greens rather than its root, which stays small and woody and is happiest left in the ground.
Just Right
A hybrid that hands you greens in about 28 days and white roots in roughly 60, so a single sowing quietly covers both.
Companions
Turnips do best next to cool-season plants that share their schedule without sharing their pests, and worst beside their own brassica cousins, which trade flea beetles, root maggots, and clubroot back and forth.
Plant near
peas: Cool-season legume sown on the same early-spring schedule; fixes nitrogen and does not compete heavily with the shallow turnip bed
onions: Alliums make compact, pest-light neighbors in the root bed and are not hosts for brassica pests
Keep apart
cabbage and other brassicas: Closely related cole crops share flea beetles, root maggots, and clubroot; clustering or rotating them in the same bed builds up these pests and diseases
How to propagate
Turnips grow straight from seed sown right where they will mature, since they would rather not be moved, and that makes them wonderfully simple to start. All you really need is a seed packet and a patch of loose soil.
SeedEasy
Direct sow in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked, and again in late summer (around August 1) for a fall crop; turnips do not transplant well and succession sowings every 10 days extend harvest · Seedlings emerge in about 10 days; greens are cuttable in about 4 weeks and roots reach harvest size in roughly 40-60 days
Turnips grow straight from seed dropped where they will mature, since they truly dislike being transplanted. Sow the seed a quarter to half an inch (0.5 to 1 cm) deep, an inch or two apart, in rows 18 to 30 inches (45 to 75 cm) apart, then thin the seedlings to 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 cm) and enjoy the thinnings as greens. Sprouts nose up in about 10 days, greens are ready to cut in roughly 4 weeks, and the roots fill out in 40 to 60 days. Slip in a fresh row every 10 days and the harvest keeps rolling in.
Myths
Turnips and rutabagas are really just two names for one vegetable.
They are two separate crops, even if they look like cousins. The turnip is Brassica rapa, with quick-growing roots that are usually white-fleshed, while the rutabaga is Brassica napus, whose larger yellow-fleshed roots want a longer season and a good deal more elbow room. When you sow and space them, treat them as the different plants they are.
Every turnip has to be out of the ground before the first frost or it is spoiled.
A light fall frost actually does the kind thing and sweetens the roots. Only a hard freeze truly harms roots left sitting in the soil, so the move that serves you best is to harvest ahead of a hard freeze, not to rush the plants in before that first gentle one.
Turnips are strictly a fall crop.
Turnips are a cool-season vegetable with two sowing windows, one in early spring the moment the soil can be worked and another in late summer for a fall harvest. The only thing to sidestep is letting the roots try to size up in the heat of midsummer.