Turnip
White Turnip, Purple-Top Turnip, Tokyo Turnip, Baby Turnip
Cool-season root vegetable sown directly. Spring crop has a narrow window before heat causes bitterness; fall crop is often superior. Harvest spring turnips at 2–3" for mild flavor; fall turnips can grow larger without becoming woody. Greens are edible and highly nutritious. Frost improves flavor. Thin to 4–6" for full-size roots.
- Germination
- 4–7 days
- Soil temperature
- 7–24 °C
- Harvest after sowing
- 40–60 days
- Spacing
- 10–15 cm
When to plant turnip
Sow outdoors 1–3 weeks before your last spring frost.
Dashed line: typical last spring frost in zone 7 (Apr 5). Zone dates are averages; most of the UK is zone 8–9, central Europe 6–7 and the Baltics and Scandinavia 4–6. In the app, Tomatograph uses your garden's own frost dates.
How to grow turnip
- 1
Sow
Sow 6 mm deep 2–3 weeks before the last frost. An autumn sowing 6–8 weeks before the first frost often gives the sweetest roots.
- 2
Thin
Thin to 10–15 cm apart.
- 3
Grow quickly
Turnips need steady water and cool weather; heat and drought make them bitter.
- 4
Harvest
Pull spring turnips at 5–8 cm across, from about 40 days. Autumn roots can grow larger without turning woody, and frost improves their flavour. The greens are edible.
Growing conditions
Light
Full sun
Water
Medium water
Temperature
4–24 °C
Frost tolerance
Frost-hardy — tolerates frost
Days to maturity
35–60 days
Ideal soil pH
5–8
How Tomatograph watches your turnip
Tomatograph checks your local forecast every morning and only speaks up when one of these applies to your garden.
- First frost within 14 daysReminder to mulch the roots before winter.
- 3 days at 35 °C or aboveHeat-wave alert while plants are flowering or fruiting: shade and water early.
- Humidity above 80% for 48 hoursCheck for clubroot, which thrives in those conditions.
- Within a week of maturityHarvest-window reminder based on when you planted.
Turnip questions
- When should I plant turnip?
- Sow outdoors 1–3 weeks before your last spring frost.
- How long do turnip seeds take to germinate?
- Usually 4–7 days at a soil temperature of 7–24 °C.
- How long until I can harvest turnip?
- About 40–60 days after sowing, depending on variety and weather.
- How far apart should I plant turnip?
- Allow 10–15 cm between plants.
- What grows well with turnip?
- Good neighbours include pea, lettuce, garlic.
Growing guide written by Tomatograph. Planting figures from openplantdb (CC0 1.0). Zone frost dates are averages from openplantdb (CC0 1.0).