Takes a hard frost. Sow outdoors 2 to 4 weeks before your last frost; sow in fall 8 to 9 weeks before your first fall frost. First harvest 50 to 80 days from sowing.
Photo: “Brassica rapa turnip” by Peter Presslein, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
Full sun6–8 hours or more
2–6 in apartRows 12–30 in
50–80 daysFrom sowing
Soil 40 °F +pH 6.0–7.5
1–2 in a weekEven watering
HardyTakes a hard frost
Your dates
Put in your ZIP code to see when to start, plant and harvest turnips where you live, from your own frost dates.
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From seed to harvest
SowSeed goes inWeek 0
SproutFirst shoots showWeek 1–2
True leavesFirst real leavesWeek 2–3
ThinThin to final spacingWeek 3–4
Root swellsRoots thickenWeek 4–6
HarvestReady to pickWeek 7–11
How to plant and grow
Sow early
Sow seed 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, 2 to 4 weeks before your last spring frost, once the soil is about 40 °F. Turnips do not need to be started indoors.
Thin the row
Thin seedlings to 2 to 6 inches apart, in rows 12 to 30 inches apart. Crowded plants make leaves instead of roots.
Water evenly
Give 1 to 2 inches of water a week, more in sandy soil. Turnips grow best in cool weather, at or below 85 °F.
Sow every month
Sow a short row about every four weeks in spring for a steady supply. Stop when summer heat sets in.
Sow for fall
Sow again 8 to 9 weeks before first fall frost. Turnips take frost well, and cool fall weather gives sweet, crisp roots.
Cover young plants
Row cover over seedlings keeps flea beetles and root maggot flies off. Move cabbage-family crops to a new bed each year.
Pull at 2 to 3 inches
Harvest roots at about 2 to 3 inches across, before they turn woody. Young leaves can be picked as greens.
What you'll see: Velvety green caterpillars chew holes in leaves and bore into heads, leaving dark green droppings. White butterflies flutter over the bed.
Prevent
Cover plants with row cover from planting.
Check leaves each week and pick off caterpillars.
Organic options
Hand-pick caterpillars.
Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki) or spinosad on young caterpillars. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Same as organic: Bt and spinosad are the usual choices.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Photo: “Aphids on Kale leaf” by Sanjay Acharya, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (cropped). The cropped version is shared under the same licence.
AphidsPest
What you'll see: Clusters of small, soft-bodied green, black or gray insects on new shoots and under leaves. Leaves curl, and a sticky film may coat them.
Prevent
Check leaf undersides each week; a few aphids do little harm.
Pull nearby weeds, such as wild mustards, that feed aphids.
Grow flowers for lady beetles, lacewings and hover flies, and avoid broad sprays that kill them.
Organic options
Knock aphids off with a strong spray of water.
Insecticidal soap or horticultural oil on leaf undersides, repeated as the label allows.
Neem oil, or OMRI Listed pyrethrins (without piperonyl butoxide).
Conventional options
Malathion or permethrin, if the crop is on the label. These also kill the insects that eat aphids.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: On cabbage-family crops, yellow V-shaped patches grow in from the leaf edges and the veins turn black. On sweet potatoes, firm, dark, sunken patches form on the roots, often found in storage.
Prevent
For cabbage-family crops, use certified or hot-water-treated seed and healthy transplants.
Keep cabbage-family crops out of a bed for 2 to 3 years, and control weeds.
For sweet potatoes, grow slips only from clean roots and cure the roots before storing.
Organic options
Pull and destroy infected plants and roots.
On cabbage-family crops, copper may slow spread while disease is light. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
None. No spray cures black rot, and none helps stored sweet potatoes.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
What you'll see: Round brown, tan or purple spots on leaves, sometimes with rings or a dark edge. The centers may drop out, leaving holes.
Prevent
Rotate crops, and clear spotted leaves and debris in fall.
Water at the base and space plants for air flow.
Buy clean seed and healthy plants.
Organic options
Pick off spotted leaves; a few spots do little harm.
Copper fungicide can protect new leaves. Look for OMRI Listed products.
Conventional options
Chlorothalonil on cabbage-family crops, if labeled. Sprays are seldom needed in a home garden.
Bee caution: Don't spray open flowers. Spray in the late evening, when bees aren't flying.
Read and follow the product label: it is the law. It sets the rate, the crops it is for, and the days between spraying and picking. Products registered vary by state; for organic growing, look for products allowed under the USDA National Organic Program (OMRI Listed). We name active ingredients, not brands or rates.
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Sow
Sprout
True leaves
Thin
Root swells
Harvest
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