Plant library · Vegetables
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Turnip is a cool-weather annual grown for roots and greens, with a harvest window in spring and fall. Its roughly 50-day maturity makes it useful for filling a bed between longer-season crops or for keeping a productive area in use at the shoulders of the season. The low, 18-inch-tall foliage belongs in an open vegetable bed rather than where it will be hidden behind taller crops.
Place turnips in full sun where a path or bed edge makes early thinning and repeated harvest easy. A short, dedicated strip works well, or tuck a block into a larger cool-season bed beside beans, peas, onions, lettuce, spinach, or chamomile. Keep the planting away from strawberries and tomatoes. Because the crop clears relatively quickly, reserve the same space for a later planting once the spring or fall harvest is finished.
Thin or sow to 4 inches center to center, making a dense, efficient grid for root production. Although an individual plant can carry foliage about 1 foot wide, close in-row spacing keeps the crop functioning as a continuous bed rather than as isolated specimens. Leave a reachable bed width or add a path alongside; thinning crowded seedlings is part of establishing the final layout, not an optional cleanup task.
Give turnips full sun and regular water, especially while seedlings are being thinned and roots are sizing up. Use a deeply loosened, rich, well-drained bed so roots have an even planting zone. Keep the surface weeded rather than assigning the crop to a difficult-to-reach back corner; weeds compete directly within its tight spacing, and steady moisture helps avoid drought-stressed roots.[1][2]
Plan turnips as a spring or fall crop, since quality is strongest in cool weather and can decline in heat or when roots become oversized. Seed directly in the prepared bed, then thin while plants are small. Light frosts need not end the fall planting immediately, so an accessible late-season row can remain useful after more tender crops have been removed.[1][2]
This is a short-lived annual planting, not a permanent bed occupant. Mark the row clearly if it shares space with slower crops, and plan enough open soil around it for direct seeding and thinning rather than transplanting through established roots. Harvest roots on time to free the area for the next crop and to keep the planting from lingering into unsuitable warm conditions.[1][2]
Editorial content updated 2026-07-20.