Planting Guide – Starting Turnips from Seed

I love to start a round of turnips in late summer so that I have a harvest right around Thanksgiving.  There is something really self-reliant and satisfying about digging up your own Thanksgiving veggies.  Because they are slow to germinate and grow fairly slowly, it’s best to start them now, to ensure they will be ready.

I plant Purple Top White Globe Turnips.

How to Grow Turnip from Seed:

Choose a sunny, well-drained space.  While turnips will tolerate cold temperatures, they do like some sun to get going.  Since they are a root veggie, having them sit in standing water for any length of time will promote disease.  For a fall harvest, plant the seeds about 2 months before the average first frost.  Plant the seeds 1/4″ deep about every 3″.  Keep the soil evenly moist throughout their growing cycle.  When the cool weather sets it, mulch them well.

When are Turnips Ready to Harvest?

You can harvest the greens as desired.  For the actual turnip root, harvest them when they are about 2-3″ in diameter.  It can be hard to see them underground, so it’s best to make a note of the length of days til maturity on the seed packet and follow that general plan.  To harvest, loosen the soil around them, being careful not to stab the root, and then gently lift it out of the ground.  Wait to wash it until you are ready to eat it, it will last significantly longer that way.

Random Facts That Will Impress No One:

During WWI when meat and potatoes were scarce, Germans began eating turnips in bulk.  They even used turnip flour to make bread.

Turnip greens are a nutritional powerhouse.  They give kale a run for their money.  They will provide you with a whopping 588% of your daily vitamin K, and nearly half of your daily recommendations of vitamin A and C.

Turnips have a healthy dose of vitamin C–one medium turnip will provide  you with almost half of your daily dose.

~Mavis

P.S. If you are looking for recipe ideas for your turnips {or any of your garden veggies for that matter}, I HIGHLY recommend Tender by Nigel Slater.  It has over 400 recipes that use straight-from-the-garden veggies and all of the ones I have tried so far are delicious!