Melinda Myers

Turnip

Botanical Name

Brassica rapa var. rapa

Light

Full sun to part shade

Soil

Moist, well-drained, fertile, well prepared and loose (free of stones and clumps)

Planting & Care

• Seed germinates when soil temperature are between 45-85°F, will germinate in temperatures as low as 40°
• For summer crops, plant as early in spring as possible
• For fall harvest, plant turnips 70 to 80 days before the first average fall frost
• Fall turnips can also be broadcast after cabbage, beets, early potatoes and peas have been harvested or between rows of corn
• Plant every 2 weeks for continuous harvest
• Seeds will germinate in 4 to 7 days
• Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, 1 inch apart in rows 12 to 18 inches apart
• Thin plants to 4 to 6 inch spacing
• Quality and flavor is best if harvested when temperatures are cool
• Use a floating row cover to protect plants from pests
• To reduce disease, avoid planting turnips or other cole crops in the same location more than once every 3 to 4 years
• Turnips are of best quality when they are 2 to 3 inches in diameter and have grown quickly and without interruption
• Roots become sweeter with frost and cool fall weather
• Mulch the soil with a thick layer of straw to prolong the harvest throughout the winter
• Turnip greens can be used either raw or cooked

Problems

Flea beetles, cutworms, root maggots, cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, aphids, slugs and snails, nematodes

Varieties

• Just Right - All-America Selections winner, smooth white slightly flattened roots, good for fall and winter crops
• Tokyo Cross - All-America Selections winner, rapid maturing, mild white flesh, 20-25 days for greens
• Golden Globe - golden fleshed roots
• Hakurei - white flat to round roots, best up to 2 inches
• Purple Top White Globe - purple shoulders, 4 to 5 inches