Crops & Breeds › Vegetable Garden
Turnips
Vegetable Garden · growing reference
| Days to maturity | 40 days – 90 days, by type |
|---|---|
| Germination | 4 days |
| Spacing | 4″ in the row × 12″ between rows |
| Planted as | seed |
| Water | ~1–1.5 in a week |
When to plant
In USDA zone 6, for example: Recommended planting window around Apr 1.
| Spring | Fall | |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | May 1 | Jul 13 |
| Zone 4 | Apr 23 | Jul 18 |
| Zone 5 | Apr 12 | Jul 31 |
| Zone 6 | Apr 1 | Aug 12 |
| Zone 7 | Mar 18 | Sep 2 |
| Zone 8 | Mar 1 | Sep 17 |
| Zone 9 | Feb 6 | Oct 2 |
Dates are the typical window for each zone's average frost dates — your own last frost can differ by a couple of weeks. Zone 10 and warmer is effectively frost-free: plant to the season, not the frost. Southern Hemisphere: shift six months.
Turnip Types
- Salad · 40 days · 0.1–0.2 lbs/plant — Japanese salad turnips — mild enough to eat raw straight from the row (Hakurei is the classic).
- Greens · 45 days · 0.3–0.6 lbs/plant — Grown for the tops, not the root (Seven Top) — the southern greens patch; cut-and-come-again.
- Table · 55 days · 0.3–0.8 lbs/plant — The storage root (Purple Top White Globe) — roots and greens both eaten.
- Fodder · 90 days · 2–5 lbs/plant — Stubble turnips — broadcast after grain and grazed off; the livestock crop.
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