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Vegetables · biennial grown as an annual
Turnip from seed
Brassica rapa
- Germination temperature
- 60 to 95°F (16 to 35°C)
- Minimum soil temperature
- 40°F (4°C)
- Sowing depth
- ½ in (12 mm)
- Days to germinate
- 3 to 10 days
- Light
- Either; light is not critical
- Before sowing
- Nothing needed
- Sow outdoors
- 4 to 0 weeks before the last frost
- Spacing
- 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
Your dates from your last frost Seed not coming up?
Sowing
Sow direct in early spring or late summer; seed comes up in 3 to 10 days and roots are ready in about 50 days.
Care and transplanting
Thin early, keep moist and harvest young for the sweetest roots.
Problems
Woody, bitter roots come from heat or drought. Flea beetles and root maggots are the usual pests.
Saving seed
Turnips flower in the second year and cross with other Brassica rapa such as Chinese cabbage.