Turnip

Brassica rapa (Rapifera Group)

About it

Kind: Vegetables · Annual
Family: Brassicaceae
Frost: Hardy — takes a hard frost
Sun: Full sun
Spacing: 2 in apart
Soil depth in a pot: At least 8 in
Water: About every 7 days

ⓘ We don't know this plant's soil pH, feeding needs and mature size yet.

When to plant

Sow outdoors: Sow 4 weeks before the last frost
Window: Open for about 3 weeks
Soil temperature: Germinates from 40°F
Ready: About 55 days from sowing

Based on your last frost date. Outside the US, check local advice.

Planting partners

What has been claimed about growing Turnip near other plants, grouped by how well it has been tested. Most companion planting advice has never been tested; the notes say which is which.

Tested in field trials

With Chinese Cabbage Napa cabbage grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗
With Mustard Greens Mustard grown as a trap crop beside other brassicas draws flea beetles away from them; in trials only a mix of three trap-crop species improved the protected broccoli's yield. UMN Extension ↗Europe PMC ↗

Mixed evidence

With Green Onion Green onions are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗
With Marigold Marigolds are often planted to keep flea beetles off brassicas, but little research supports it and some contradicts it. UMN Extension ↗

Safety for pets and children

Cats No information in our sources
Dogs No information in our sources
Horses Listed as a problem for horses (NC State Extension)
Children No information in our sources

If a pet or child eats part of this plant, call your vet or poison control.

Read from NC State Extension ↗.

"No information" means our sources do not say, not that the plant is harmless. A non-toxic listing is not a reason to let anyone eat a plant.

Pests and diseases

No pest or disease notes for Turnip yet.

Check the label and your local extension service before using any product.

Where this comes from

category NC State Extension ↗ Listed in Table 16-4, "Garden Planting Calendar for Annual Vegetables, Fruits, and Herbs"
climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Ch. 16 lists turnips among the cool-season annuals, which it defines as cold-hardy; the Toolbox says they taste best after a frost. No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
climate requirement NC State Extension ↗ Ch. 16 lists turnips among the cool-season annuals, which it defines as cold-hardy; the Toolbox says they taste best after a frost. No zones: an annual has no winter to survive (see the header)
days to maturity NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4: Turnips 55-60; low end
direct sow weeks rel last frost cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: turnip direct seed 2-4 weeks before last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class gives the same 2-4. Agree
direct sow weeks rel last frost extension.unh.edu ↗ UNH (New Hampshire) table: turnip direct seed 2-4 weeks before last frost; CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class gives the same 2-4. Agree
family npgsweb.ars-grin.gov ↗ GRIN page: Brassica rapa L. subsp. rapa (the catalogue row is the Rapifera Group)
frost hardiness cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) hardy class lists turnips
life cycle NC State Extension ↗
life cycle NC State Extension ↗
maturity counted from cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ Direct-seeded crop; the 0069 row took NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 55-60 (from seed); CSU #720 (Colorado) 50 unmarked
maturity counted from NC State Extension ↗ Direct-seeded crop; the 0069 row took NC State (North Carolina) Table 16-4's 55-60 (from seed); CSU #720 (Colorado) 50 unmarked
min soil depth in NC State Extension ↗ Not in Table 18-1; 8 in as beets (8), the other small root in that table. Derived. A group figure, as every ch. 18 depth is
min soil temp f cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ CSU #720 (Colorado) Table 1: turnips germination minimum 40°F
sow window weeks cmg.extension.colostate.edu ↗ 2-4 weeks before last frost (UNH New Hampshire, CSU Colorado): weeks -4 to -2
sow window weeks extension.unh.edu ↗ 2-4 weeks before last frost (UNH New Hampshire, CSU Colorado): weeks -4 to -2
space requirement NC State Extension ↗ Table 16-4 distance between plants: 2 in. The table publishes no row distance, so rows equal plants -- the square spacing of an intensive bed
species NC State Extension ↗
sunlight NC State Extension ↗ Toolbox Light: Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
toxicity NC State Extension ↗ toxic for horse from the page's "Problem for" listing.
water frequency days NC State Extension ↗ NC State Gardener Handbook ch. 16, "Watering": "On average, vegetable gardens need 1 inch of water per week; provide only what is not supplied by rain." This is the handbook's general guidance for a vegetable garden, not a figure published for this crop.