Turnip
Brassica rapa var. rapa
A vegetable, sown February to August. It needs 5 jobs a year.
In September: lift and store the turnip and harvest the crop.
Garden Helper, the free plan, holds up to 10 plants. You sign in with a link we email you, with no password.
Turnip, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Plant out. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Cover the turnip with a cloche or fleece. | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none |
| Pick a few turnip leaves at a time. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none |
| Sow another batch of turnips. | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Harvest the turnip. | usual | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual | usual |
| Lift and store the turnip. | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover in February, 2cm deep. Strong source: RHS.
Sow outdoors March to August, 1cm deep, 15 to 23cm apart, rows 23 to 30cm apart. Strong source: RHS.
Cover the turnip with a cloche or fleece
This protects the earliest sowings, made straight into the soil.
Usually February. Moderate source: Gardeners’ World.
Pick a few turnip leaves at a time
Gardeners call this cut-and-come-again harvesting.
Usually March to May. Thin source: RHS.
Sow another batch of turnips
Gardeners call this successional sowing.
Sow a small batch every few weeks, for steady harvests without gluts.
Usually March to August. Strong source: RHS.
Harvest the turnip
Usually May to December. Strong source: RHS.
Lift and store the turnip
Store the roots for several weeks in trays of moist coir or sand, somewhere cool and frost-free.
Usually September to November. Strong source: RHS.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.Thin: only a page that lists it.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Turnip” comes from.