Turnip, a root vegetable in the cabbage family is suited for cool, moist conditions, and can tolerate mild frosts. Young turnip leaves make excellent spicy spring greens. The flesh of a turnip can be white or yellow, and the skins can be white, yellow, pink or red. Early cultivars are small and white, fast growing for spring and summer crops.

Main crop cultivars are hardier, used fresh during the summer and winter, and used for winter storage. Quick maturing cultivars are used for catch cropping. Organic cultivars are available.

Ideal Site- Turnips prefer a fertile, stone free, well-drained soil, a sunny open site, but they can tolerate some shade. Prior to planting apply a low fertility soil improver if the site has not been improved by a previous crop.

Seed to Harvest- 30 to 70 days depending on cultivar

Cultivation- The earliest sowings of quick cultivars can be made under row cover  or cloches in early March or as soon as the soil is workable. Sow thinly in rows or station sow. Sowing under row cover or fine mesh will protect flea beetle and cabbage root fly. Sow early/quick cultivars in March and April every 3 weeks for successive cropping.

May and early June sowings are possible if weather is cool and wet. Sow main crop cultivars in July and August. To ensure good root formation thin to required spacing as soon as possible.

Spacing – Quick cultivars 4 x 9 in ( 10 x 23 cm), main crop cultivars 6 x 12 in (15 x 30cm); block planting 6 in (15cm)

Plant Care- Water regularly in hot dry weather or plants may bolt. Keep well weeded when plants are young.

Problems- Turnips are vulnerable to turnip gall weevil, cabbage root fly, flea beetle (seedlings), clubroot, downy mildew, powdery mildew, root rot, and boron deficiency.

Harvesting- Pull early turnips when roots 1 ½ -2 in (4-5 cm) across. Harvest main crop turnips when tennis ball size or keep plants in the ground until the New Year. Any still growing can be used for greens by cutting tops at 4-6 in (10-15cm) high. Tops will usually crop several times.

Nutrients- Turnips are a "starch" vegetable, but provide only one third the amount of calories as an equal amount of potatoes. Turnips provide an excellent source of vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, manganese, pantothenic acid, and copper. They also offer a very good source of thiamine, potassium, niacin, and magnesium. In addition, they are a good source of vitamin B6 and E, folic acid, and riboflavin.

Turnip greens are more nutrition dense than the root. The greens provide an excellent source of vitamins A, B6, C, E, folic acid, calcium, copper, fiber, and manganese.