How to grow turnips

This compact and fast-growing root vegetable is best sown little and often for harvesting from late spring until early winter. The young roots are delicious raw, roasted or added to stews, and the young leaves are edible too.

Turnips are quick and easy to grow, especially if harvested while small and sweet

Turnip varieties can be divided into two main types, according to sowing and harvesting times: 

• Early turnips – sow March to June, for harvesting throughout summer. Some early varieties, such as ‘Atlantic’ and ‘Purple Top Milan’, can also be sown under cloches in February 

• Maincrops – sow July to mid-August, for harvesting in autumn  

Turnip roots vary in size, shape and colour. Most varieties produce rounded or flat-topped roots, either entirely white or yellow, or white with purple or green tops. With many varieties the leaves are tasty too, making a useful additional harvest. Varieties with an RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM) always make a good choice, as they performed well in our trials – see our list of AGM fruit and veg (135kB pdf) and our Recommended Varieties below. For more veg-growing inspiration, visit the RHS gardens, which all grow a wide range of vegetables, including turnips and other root crops.

Choose from turnip varieties with white, purple, red or yellow roots

Turnips grow best in a sunny spot and like rich, well-drained soil, so dig in plenty of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, ideally the autumn before sowing.

Weed the area and rake the soil to a fine crumbly texture. Alternatively, if you're practicing no-dig, mulch the soil with organic matter ahead of sowing or planting directly into the mulch.

The main sowing season is from March to mid-August, although you can sow in February under cloches or in a greenhouse. Choose early varieties for sowing up to June, and check seed packets for recommended latest sowing times. Turnips prefer cool conditions, so spring sowings usually germinate quickly and well, but in hot, dry weather germination may be less successful. 

Like most root crops, they’re best sown direct outdoors, where they are to grow, either in the ground or in a large container. But they can also be sown indoors in modules in late winter, for planting out before their roots start to develop, for an early harvest. 

As they grow so rapidly, turnips are great for filling gaps after harvesting other crops, or for sowing between slower-growing crops, such as parsnips, for harvesting before the slower crop needs the space. If you make regular small sowings, you avoid large gluts and can have harvests from late spring to autumn and beyond.

Young plants from early indoor sowings will be ready for planting outside from March onwards. Prepare them for outdoor conditions by hardening off, so they don’t suffer a check in growth. Then plant out with minimal root disturbance, spacing them 15–23cm (6–9in) apart. If sown as a clump, don’t split up the seedlings.

Water in and protect the seedlings from slugs and snails, especially in damp weather. If birds are a problem, cover with netting or biodegradable fleece.

Baby turnips are tender, sweet and tasty, ideal for eating raw in salads, sliced or grated

The roots are not completely hardy, so it’s safest to harvest late-sown turnips before the weather turns really harsh and frosty. In mild regions, you can leave them in the ground, protected with cloches or plastic-free fleece, and lift roots as needed through winter. Autumn-harvested roots can also be stored for several weeks in trays of moist coir or sand, in a cool, frost-free place – see our guide to storing root veg.

The leaves, or turnip tops, can be harvested too – either at the same time as the roots, or when small and tender, as a cut-and-come-again crop, providing several pickings. Young leaves have a peppery flavour and can be eaten raw, while larger leaves up to 15cm (6in) can be cooked like spinach. If you’re growing mainly for the roots, don’t harvest too many leaves from each plant, otherwise root growth may be reduced. But you can also grow turnips entirely for their leafy greens, making repeated harvests. 

The main harvesting seasons are as follows: 

• Early turnips: harvest from May to September when the size of a golf ball for eating raw, or the size of a tennis ball for cooking 

• Maincrops: harvest from October onwards 

• Turnip tops: harvest the leaves from spring onwards. Leaves will re-sprout, so you can make several pickings

Once established, turnips are generally healthy and robust plants, although seedlings usually need protection from slugs. Still, as members of the cabbage family, they can be affected by the same insects and diseases as cabbages, including cabbage root fly and club root. Birds sometimes eat the leaves, in which case you can cover the crop with netting. For more on how to tackle these issues, see Common problems below.