Spring planting doesn’t start when the air feels warm, It...Read More
Purple Top Turnip is a delicious heirloom root vegetable that is a low maintenance and container friendly option for any home gardener. The round roots have a light purple top and a white bottom with a fine-grained, pure white inner flesh. The flavor is tender, mild and peppery with a delightful crunch. The foliage up top is edible as well and tastes delicious sauteed alongside other greens like Lacinato Kale. Purple Top Turnips prefer cold weather so it is recommended to plant them during the early spring and fall for best results.
NAME: Turnip (Brassica rapa subsp. rapa)
VARIETY: Purple Top White Globe
DAYS TO MATURITY: 45 – 55 days
POLLINATION: Open Pollinated
TYPE: biennial
HARDINESS ZONE: Zones 3 – 12
SUNLIGHT: Full Sun
SOIL: Fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 – 7.5
PLANT HEIGHT: 6 – 12 inches
SPACING: 2 – 4 inches apart
TEMP: 45 – 85°F
These seeds do not required stratification.
To learn more about Stratification, click here!
It is not recommended to start turnips indoors due to their sensitive root systems that can be disturbed during transplanting.
If you choose to start your seeds indoors, sow approximately 4-6 weeks before the last frost date in your area.
Plant the seeds in trays or containers filled with seed-starting mix, sowing them about 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.
Keep the soil consistently moist and provide adequate light for germination.
Transplant the seedlings outdoors once they have developed a few sets of true leaves and the soil has warmed up.
Directly sow into your prepared beds immediately after your last local frost in the Spring.
If sowing in the fall, plant 2 months before your first fall frost.
Sow seeds in rich, deeply worked soil, 1/2 inch deep and spaced 1 inch apart.
Once the seedlings are 2 inches tall, thin them out so they are 3 to 4 inches apart.
Plant another round of seeds every 15 days or so while the weather is still cool for continuous harvest of turnips in the late spring and end of summer, leading into fall.
Before sowing, be sure the soil bed you are planting in is fertile, well aerated, and tilled; compacted or infertile soil will not allow the turnip bulbs to fully develop.
Turnips need plenty of sun, so grow them in an area where they can get 6 to 8 hours of direct sunlight.
Turnips do well with consistently moist soil and the addition of organic matter such as compost; do not allow the soil to dry out, but also avoid overwatering as this can cause splitting.
Turnips do not tolerate high temperatures, which will cause them to bolt and get tough.
Turnips have the best taste when harvested at 3 to 4 inches in diameter, which is generally 45 to 55 days after sowing.
To harvest, gently pull upward on the greens when the soil is damp.
Cut off the tops and store wrapped in a damp cloth in the fridge.
