When should I sow turnip?

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to mid-May, and harvest mid-May to mid-December. Later in Scotland, the north and frost pockets; earlier in the south-west and near the coast.

How far apart should I plant turnip?

15 cm apart in the row, with rows 30 cm apart. In a square foot garden, that's 9 per square.

Turnip

Brassica rapa subsp. rapa

In a typical UK garden, sow outside late March to mid-May, and harvest mid-May to mid-December.

When to sow, plant and harvest

Frost dates

Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.

Sow outdoors: late March to mid-Maylate July to early September
Harvest: mid-May to mid-December

Spacing: 15 cm apart, rows 30 cm apart
Square foot: 9 per square (30 cm squares)
Sowing depth: 1 cm
Ready in: 40 to 60 days from sowing
Grows to: 30 cm
Hardiness: Hardy to about -7 °C
Sun: Full sun
Crops for: About 4 weeks

Growing tip

Pull them at golf-ball size for the sweetest roots; big turnips turn woody.

Neighbours

Grows well with

Brassicas are one crop rotation group. Try not to grow them where any of the family grew in the last two or three years. How crop rotation works

More brassicas

Where these figures come from

Every crop in VegLog was checked against published growing advice. Dates are worked out from average frost dates, so they shift with your garden. For turnip, we used:

Grow turnip with VegLog

Add turnip to a bed and VegLog reminds you when to sow, plant out and pick, timed to your own town's frost dates.