Turnip Growing Guide: from seed to kitchen

How to Grow Turnip

 

The essential guide to growing turnip (Brassica rapa var. rapa) from seed; with notes on germination, cultivation, harvest and even kitchen uses.

Know your Turnips at a Glance:

• Traditional purple-top globe – white roots with a violet shoulder, earthy-sweet flavour that mellows to nutty when roasted or mashed; the classic for stews and mash.
• Japanese salad types – small, pure-white, crisp and juicy with peppery sweetness; delicious raw in salads, quick pickles or lightly stir-fried.
• Flat or Milan turnips – squat white roots that cook rapidly; ideal for gratins or whole-roasted as a speedy side.
• Golden or yellow-flesh – buttery colour and mild, carrot-like sweetness; great mashed with herbs or diced into curries.

Tender green tops from all types add mustardy zest to stir-fries, soups and pesto.

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Ave. seeds per gram: 300 – 400 seeds

Germination temperature: 7 – 25 °C; seedlings emerge in 7 – 12 days.

Feed requirements:

• Moderate.
• Spread 2-3 cm of compost into the bed plus a light dusting of blood-and-bone (low-nitrogen, high-phosphorus).
• Too much N = giant tops, skinny roots.

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Growing Notes:

Climate & timing

• Early-spring sowings: direct-seed as soon as soil can be worked and harvest before hot weather to avoid woody roots.
• Late-summer/early-autumn sowings: provide tender roots and greens right through winter in most Australian regions.

Sowing & spacing

• Sow 1 cm deep, thinning to 20 cm between plants in rows 30 – 40 cm apart.
• Prompt thinning gives plump, uniform bulbs; eat the thinnings as baby salad turnips.

Soil & water

• Loose, well-drained soil with pH 6–7.
• Keep moisture even – dry spells followed by heavy watering cause splits.
• Mulch helps steady hydration and suppress weeds.

Care

• Net seedlings against cabbage white butterflies; spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Dipel) if green caterpillars appear.
• Remove yellowing lower leaves to improve airflow and reduce fungal risk.

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Common Problems & Fixes:

• Cabbage moth & loopers – Net against cabbage white butterflies; spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Dipel) if green caterpillars appear.
• Aphids / whitefly – hose off, then apply potassium soap or encourage ladybirds.
• Bolting in heat – sow after midsummer heat or provide shade cloth; water deeply during warm snaps.
• Woody or strong-flavoured roots – harvest young (5-8 cm diameter) and maintain steady growth.
• Split roots – keep soil moisture consistent with mulch and regular watering schedule.

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Harvesting & Storage Notes:

• Roots - Lift when bulbs reach golf- to tennis-ball size for the best texture and mild flavour. Gently grasp foliage at the crown or ease out with a fork on heavier soils.
• Greens - Pick outer leaves anytime once 10 cm long; leave the centre to regrow for repeat harvests.
• Storage - Trim tops to 2 cm, brush off excess soil and refrigerate in a perforated bag for up to two weeks. In colder areas roots will store in the ground, harvest when needed.

Enjoy your turnips raw, roasted, mashed or pickled – and don’t forget the vitamin-packed tops for a double harvest from every seed!