How to Grow Turnips From Seeds

Turnip roots take only a month or two from seed to harvest.

Turnips tolerate cold and frost but become woody and tough in the heat of summer. They take only a month or two to mature, so you can produce a crop of turnips before planting summer vegetables. Plant them in spring four to six weeks before your last expected frost date or in fall six to eight weeks before your first expected frost. A 4-foot by 4-foot bed yields about 30 turnips and plenty of greens for a family of four. They need a sunny location and a loose, soft soil.

Things You'll Need

• Shovel or garden fork
• Compost (optional)
• Hoe
• Turnip seeds
• Scissors

Instructions

Planting

1. Use a shovel or garden fork to loosen the soil to a depth of 7 inches. Break up clumps of soil and remove stones.

2. Spread 2 inches of compost over the top of the soil, if desired. Work it into the soil with a shovel or garden fork.

3. Moisten the soil with water.

4. Draw a line in the soil to form a shallow trench. The seeds are planted only 1/4 inch deep, so keep it very shallow.

5. Place the seeds in the trench about an inch apart and cover them with about 1/4 inch of dry soil.

6. When the seedlings are about 5 inches tall, thin them to 3 inches apart. Save the plants you remove to use as baby greens.

Care

1. Water deeply at least once a week when rainfall is less than an inch. Apply the water slowly over a long period of time and stop when it begins to run off.

2. Keep the turnip bed weed-free. Mulch helps prevent weeds from germinating. Hand pull any weeds that emerge and cultivate with a hoe when weeds are excessive.

3. Avoid using high-nitrogen fertilizers unless you plan to harvest only the greens. You don't need to add any fertilizer if your soil is reasonably fertile or if you added compost at planting time.

Harvest

1. Harvest the greens any time after the plants are 5 inches tall. For baby greens, use scissors to clip the outer leaves, leaving those in the center to mature with the root. Greens taste best when harvested a month or less after planting. Leave a few leaves on the plants if you plan to harvest the roots.

2. Dig up the roots when they are 2 to 3 inches in diameter. Cut off the leaves and remove as much soil as possible by hand and then rinse and dry them.

3. Store turnip roots in a cool location with temperatures above 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tips & Warnings

• Compost adds nutrients to the soil and helps keep it loose. If you have a loose soil that doesn't compact easily, you may not need to add compost at planting time.

References

• "Rodale's Garden Problem Solver"; Jeff Ball; 1988
• "The Garden Primer"; Barbara Damrosch; 2008
• "The All You Can Eat Gardening Handbook"; Cam Mather; 2010