This unassuming root vegetable may not be the first choice that comes to mind for the home gardener, but learning how to grow turnips can be a rewarding and fun experiment, even for beginners. Available in a few colorful varieties, turnips are often mistaken for beets and assumed to be in the same family - but they are surprisingly a Brassica like broccoli or cauliflower. While the root of the turnip is typically the part that is consumed, the greens are also edible and have a strong flavor similar to radish greens or mustard.
Turnips have been consumed across different cultures for millennia and are prepared similarly to potatoes and carrots. Excellent for use in soups and stews, they can also be thinly sliced over salad, roasted or boiled and mashed. They are a source of Vitamin C, and their greens will provide nearly a third of your daily dose of Vitamin A.
Growing turnips in GardenSoxx® | Plant Family: Brassicaceae
Different Varieties of Turnip
While there aren't as many different varieties of turnips as some other garden vegetables, cold-weather growers will enjoy discovering the few unique cultivars available.
The ever-popular White Globe Purple Top Turnips are the go-to variety for most growers, large or small. This two-colored variety features a purple top (as the name suggests) that can be seen above the soil and a creamy-white base below.
For a variety that can produce delicious tender turnip greens in 30 days, the Shogoin Turnip is an all-white quick-growing cultivar. Harvest full-sized roots in 60-70 days from planting.
With excellent flavor and a unique gold-to-amber coloring, the Golden Globe turnip is an adaptable variety that produces large, uniform roots that can be harvested in as little as 55 days.
Nutritional Information For Turnips
Nutritional Facts - per 100/g
| Nutrient | Amount | % Daily Value |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 28 | - |
| Total Fat | 0.1 g | - |
| Sodium | 67 mg | - |
| Potassium | 191 mg | - |
| Dietary Fiber | 1.8 g | - |
| Sugar | 3.8 g | - |
| Protein | 0.9 g | - |
| Vitamin C | - | 35% |
| Iron | - | 1% |
| Vitamin B6 | - | 5% |
| Magnesium | - | 2% |
| Calcium | - | 3% |
How to Grow Turnips in Your GardenSoxx®
Because turnip have a relatively short seed-to-harvest time, they can be sown from seed at different intervals between early spring and late summer in order to get a continuous harvest throughout the growing season. Turnip seeds are remarkably tiny, so it is often easier to scatter them over the soil and then thin out the seedlings once they have started growing to give the root more space.
Turnip Seed to Harvest Time: Approximately 45 days
How to Harvest Turnips
Note that if you decide to harvest turnip greens while the turnips are still growing, this will slow down the maturing process for the underground root. Around 40 days after sowing seeds, pull up one of the turnips to verify the size - they are ready once they have reached about a 2.5 inch diameter. Leaving turnips in the soil until after a hard frost will result is a slightly sweeter flavour.
