brassica family

Turnips

Brassica rapa Rapifera Group · Easy

A fast root crop sown little and often, with edible tops as well as roots.

Sow

Early varieties March–June; maincrops July to mid-August.

Direct sow and thin promptly.

May to early winter, often 6–10 weeks after sowing.

Practical growing notes

Two edible harvests and a short occupancy window.

Roots become woody when oversized and late crops need protection from hard frost.

Keep the bed moving

A succession-friendly salad crop, especially useful as loose-leaf or cut-and-come-again types.

A robust cut-and-come-again leaf crop that can bridge summer, autumn and the following spring.

A quick cool-season leaf crop for spring and autumn, with repeat pickings from small sowings.

A low-maintenance overwintering crop planted as named, disease-free cloves.