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How to Grow Turnips: Planting, Growing & Harvesting Tips for Bigger Roots

Turnips are a cool-weather root vegetable that germinate in only a few days.

Photo Credit
Elena Koromyslova/Shutterstock
Botanical Name
Brassica rapa (Rapifera Group)
Plant Type
Vegetables
Sun Exposure
Full Sun
Soil pH
Slightly Acidic to Neutral

Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Turnips

Written By: Catherine Boeckmann Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Turn up the turnip love! These fast-growing root veggies are as underrated as they are easy to grow. Whether you’re after the tender greens or those tasty globe-shaped roots, turnips are a two-for-one deal in the garden. Cool weather? Perfect. Quick payoff? Absolutely. Let’s dig into how to plant, grow, and harvest turnips like a pro—your soil (and your taste buds) will thank you!

About Turnips

Turnips will grow in spring or fall weather but do not like the hot summer months. (Note that an autumn crop seeded in late summer is usually sweeter and more tender than a spring crop, and pests are less of a problem.)

Turnips are seeded directly into the garden; they do not transplant well. Plus, they germinate in only a few days. Within a month, their greens are ready to harvest, and within a second month, the swollen roots are ready to be taken up.

How do you cook turnips? Turnips can be eaten raw, baked, boiled, roasted, or mashed. Prepare turnips as you would carrots. Or, try them as an alternative to potatoes; we enjoy a turnip gratin or a turnip soufflé.

Read Next

Planting

Turnips grow best in full sun when temperatures range from 40° to 75°F. As soon as the garden can be worked, loosen the soil to a depth of 12 to 15 inches. Mix in 2 to 4 inches of aged manure and/or compost. Add more to heavy, clay soil to improve drainage.

When to Plant Turnips

How to Plant Turnips

  • Before planting, mix in a nice low organic fertilizer (such as a 5-5-5) about 12 inches into the soil. Avoid over-fertilizing with nitrogen, or you’ll get leafy greens at the expense of a big root. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers.
  • Sow seeds directly in the soil ¼ to ½ of an inch deep, 1 inch apart, in rows 12 to 18 inches apart.
  • You can also scatter turnip seeds and thin the seedlings later.
  • Cover seeds with not more than ½ an inch of soil.
  • Water well and consistently.
  • Protect spring crops from pests with row covers at planting.

Growing

  • Once seedlings are 4 inches high, thin them to 4 to 6 inches apart. Crowding can result in small or malformed roots. If you grow them any closer than 4 inches, they’re not going to grow.
  • Keep the beds weed-free, but be careful of disturbing the roots of young turnips.
  • Mulch heavily to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
  • Turnips do not need much care, but consistent soil moisture is important. Water regularly to keep the soil lightly moist; one inch per week should prevent roots from becoming tough and bitter.

How to Avoid Bolting

Turnips are hardy biennials, even though we treat them as annuals. They naturally flower and go to seed in the second year. In the first year, they sometimes may bolt (flower and go to seed early) due to stress caused by extreme temperatures (cold or hot) or lack of nutrients or water. Such stresses can also result in little or no root growth, a root that forms above ground, or greens only.

Be sure to pick turnips before temperatures get into the 80s (F) to avoid bolting.

Types

Many turnips are grown not for the root itself but for the turnip greens, which can be cooked or used raw in salads. Younger turnip greens will not be as bitter as mature leaves. If you are growing turnips primarily for their greens, almost any turnip variety will do.

For roots, try these …

  • ‘Gold Ball’: yellow skin, soft, yellow flesh; harvest at 3 inches in diameter for maximum sweetness (will grow to 4 to 5 inches)
  • ‘Just Right’: pure white roots, delicious greens; extremely cold-tolerant; stores well; not recommended for a spring crop, as it tends to bolt early
  • ‘Purple Top White Globe’: delectable leaves; great for an extended production of greens; roots have purple shoulders; heirloom
  • ‘Golden Globe’: roots with amber skin; firm, crisp, sweet flesh; tasty tops.

Harvesting

  • Harvest greens when turnips are small; the leaves taste best when young and tender. Cut leaves 2 inches above the base; they may grow back. Harvest just a few at a time if also growing for roots.
  • Harvest roots at any time; however, small, young turnips are more tender. Often early types are harvested after about 5 weeks. Main crop types after 6 to 10 weeks.
  • For fall turnips, consider harvesting after one or two light frosts (but before a hard freeze) for a sweeter taste.
  • Mulch to harvest later in the season and to protect from a hard freeze.

How to Store Turnips

  • Store for up to 3 or 4 months in a cool (32° to 38°F), dark place such as a root cellar, or store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
  • If storing in the refrigerator, keep turnips in a perforated plastic bag. It’s important that the turnips do not dry out but also that they do not become moldy from too much moisture.
  • To freeze: Peel, wash, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, blanch for 3 minutes, cool immediately in cold water, and drain. Pack into containers, label, and freeze.

Gardening Products

Pests/Diseases

Turnip Pests and Diseases
Pest/DiseaseTypeSymptomsControl/Prevention
AphidsInsectMisshapen/yellow leaves; sticky “honeydew” (excrement); sooty, black moldGrow companion plants; knock off with water spray; apply insecticidal soap; put banana or orange peels around plants; wipe leaves with a 1 to 2 percent solution of dish soap (no additives) and water every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Black rotInsectYellow, V-shape areas on leaf edges that brown and progress toward leaf center; leaves eventually collapse; stem cross sections reveal blackened veinsDestroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; provide good drainage; remove plant debris; rotate crops
Cabbage root maggotsInsectWilted/stunted plants; off-color leaves; larvae feeding on rootsUse collars around seedling stems; monitor adults with yellow sticky traps; use row covers; destroy crop residue; till soil in fall; rotate crops
ClubrootFungusWilted/stunted plants; yellow leaves; roots appear swollen/distortedDestroy infected plants; solarize soil; maintain soil pH of around 7.2; disinfect tools; rotate crops
Downy mildewFungusYellow, angular spots on upper leaf surfaces that turn brown; white/purple/gray cottony growth on leaf undersides only; defoliationRemove plant debris; choose resistant varieties; ensure good air circulation; avoid overhead watering
Flea beetlesInsectNumerous tiny holes in leavesUse row covers; mulch heavily; add native plants to invite beneficial insects
Powdery mildewFungusWhite spots on upper leaf surfaces expand to flour-like coating over entire leaves; foliage may yellow/die; distortion/stunting of leavesDestroy infected leaves or plants; choose resistant varieties; plant in full sun, if possible; ensure good air circulation; spray plants with 1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 quart water; destroy crop residue
StinkbugsInsectYellow/white blotches on leaves; shriveled seeds; eggs, often keg-shape, in clusters on leaf undersidesDestroy crop residue; handpick (bugs emit odor, wear gloves); destroy eggs; spray nymphs with insecticidal soap; use row covers; weed; till soil in fall
White rustFungusChalk-white blisters mainly on leaf undersides; small, yellow-green spots or blisters, sometimes in circular arrangement, on upper leaf surfaces; possible distortion or galls; stems may also be infectedDestroy infected plants; choose resistant varieties; weed; destroy crop residue; rotate crops

Wit and Wisdom

  • “Turnips like a dry bed but a wet head.”
  • Turnips are often confused with rutabagas because they are similar, and people like to plant them together. The two root vegetables grow well under the same conditions, but rutabagas take about four weeks longer to mature.
  • In 19th-century Ireland, Halloween jack-o’-lanterns were carved from turnips, not pumpkins. Lit by a candle inside, the grotesque faces were intended to scare away demons and evil spirits. Learn more about the origins of Halloween traditions.

Recipes
Beet and Pink Turnip Salad
Turnip Souffle
Turnip Soup
Eastham Turnip Pie
Turnip Creme Brulee
Turnip Soufflé

Cooking Notes

If you’re wondering how to cook turnips, you’re not alone. Both the turnip greens and roots are very nutritious. Turnip roots generally should be peeled and sliced before using them. Both turnip roots and turnip greens are usually cooked, though they can be eaten raw if young and tender.

Vegetables
About The Author
Catherine Boeckmann

Catherine Boeckmann

Executive Digital Editor and Master Gardener

Catherine Boeckmann is the Executive Digital Editor of Almanac.com, the website companion of The Old Farmer's Almanac. She covers gardening, plants, pest control, soil composition, seasonal and moon c...
Read More from Catherine Boeckmann

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Comments

<span>Eileen Atkinson</span> Fri, 05/24/2019 - 19:42
Perhaps it means not to keep the roots too wet or they could rot but the leaves like to be watered ... like a decent watering but not drowning so they stand in water for awhile? That's what it sounds like to me. Doesn't seem any one else answered.
<span>Paula Pierce</span> Wed, 09/02/2015 - 07:17
I didn't see mustard greens in the list of vegetables, do I follow the same instructions as turnips and if not when do I plant them? I live in south Louisiana
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 09/03/2015 - 09:49

Hi, Paula: Your instincts are absolutely correct! Mustard and turnip have many of the same growing requirements... and you can plant your greens right now! Thanks for asking!

 <span>Ginny Gibson</span> Mon, 06/01/2015 - 16:16
How do I harvest and store the seedlings?
<span>Becca_Mahoney</span> Mon, 09/14/2015 - 15:17
Just to make sure I'm understanding, do you mean to store the very young green plant? If so I have no experience there. How ever if you are storing the root. Wipe dry and store in a cool dry place or in frige for months. The greens, store unwashed and loosely bagged in fridge for up to a week.
<span>Guru Prasad M R</span> Wed, 05/27/2015 - 10:43
I tried growing turnips in plastic bags but the leaves were growing very healthily and I was thinking I will get good turnips but I was disappointed to see very small bulbs. What is the reason? Regards,
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Thu, 05/28/2015 - 14:29

One possibility is that the variety grown was one developed specifically for harvesting the tops for turnip greens. Some of these types, such as 'Alltop', grow a small bulb.

 

Some varieties that are grown for their root are intended to be harvested when they are quite small, such as 1 or 2 inches in diameter. Check the recommended harvesting size for your variety.

 

Be careful about spacing. If turnip roots are overcrowded, they will be small or malformed.

 <span>Eileen Atkinson</span> Fri, 05/24/2019 - 19:45
I have to ask often which is which ... and it seem the purple top makes bulbs the other one just makes leaves.
<span>Gary Hutchins</span> Sat, 05/02/2015 - 13:11
what if anything do you put in the seeds to keep them from being planted to thick?
<a title="View user profile." href="/author/editors">The Editors</a> Mon, 05/04/2015 - 09:53

Yes, the turnip seeds are very small!

It's best to plant thickly in a straight, narrow line. Cover the seeds about ½ inch deep. Then you'll need to "thin" the seedlings once they emerge. Water lightly and frequently for good germination.