How to Grow Turnips From Seed

Turnips are a fast, cool-season root that grows best in the mild weather of spring and fall. Direct-sow seeds in early spring, about 2 to 3 weeks before your last frost, for an early summer crop, then sow again in late summer, roughly 8 to 10 weeks before your first fall frost, for a fall harvest. The fall crop is usually the sweetest, because cool nights bring out the flavor. Sow every two to three weeks for a steady supply, and skip the hot midsummer window when turnips turn woody and sharp.

Turnips are one of the easiest crops to direct-sow, and they do not transplant well, so sow them where they will grow. Scatter or drill the small seeds about half an inch deep in loose, stone-free soil in full sun, then keep the bed moist. Seedlings appear in 5 to 10 days, and once they have a few true leaves, thin them to stand 3 to 4 inches apart so each root has room to swell. Do not skip the thinning, because crowded turnips make plenty of leaves but only small, twisted roots.

Turnips are low-maintenance and quick, so the main job is steady moisture. Give them about an inch of water a week, since uneven watering makes the roots crack or turn woody. They do not need rich feeding; too much nitrogen just grows leaves at the expense of the root. Watch for flea beetles, which pepper the young leaves with tiny holes, and use row cover early to keep them off. In warm regions like the South, grow turnips as a fall and winter crop, and in cold-winter areas a fall sowing sweetened by light frost gives the best roots of the year.

Turnips are brassicas, so they grow well beside plants that lure away flea beetles and aphids or draw in helpful insects. These three make good neighbors for a turnip bed, and you can add any of them in one click:

Turnips give you two harvests: the greens and the root. Snip a few outer leaves for cooking while the plant grows, then pull the roots young, when they are about 2 to 3 inches across, for the sweetest, crispest flavor. Left too long, especially in warm weather, the roots turn woody and hot. Loosen the soil and lift them gently, twist off the tops, and store the roots in the fridge, where they keep for weeks.

Turnips are a two-in-one crop. The roots are good raw and crisp in slaws and salads, or roasted, mashed, and simmered into soups and stews where they soak up flavor. The peppery greens cook down like other braising greens and are a classic in a Southern pot of greens. Small, tender turnips need no peeling, and a light frost in fall makes the roots noticeably sweeter.

• All leaves and no root: crowded plants or too much nitrogen. Thin seedlings to 3 to 4 inches apart and go easy on rich feeding.
• Woody, bitter roots: heat or letting them oversize. Grow turnips in cool weather and pull them young at 2 to 3 inches across.
• Tiny holes in the leaves: flea beetles. Cover young plants with row cover and keep the bed watered so they grow through the damage.
• Cracked or split roots: uneven watering. Keep the soil evenly moist rather than letting it swing between dry and soaked.