When to Plant Turnips
Turnips are a hardy cool-season vegetable. They can take a hard frost.
Sow them outdoors 1 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost. For a fall crop, sow 6 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost. The first harvest comes about 40 to 60 days after sowing.
Example dates
The same rules in dates for three climates, using typical frost dates. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
| Task | Last frost Mar 15first Nov 15 | Last frost Apr 15first Oct 25 | Last frost May 15first Sep 30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sow outdoors | Feb 8 – Mar 8 | Mar 11 – Apr 8 | Apr 10 – May 8 |
| Harvest | Mar 20 – Apr 10 | Apr 20 – May 11 | May 20 – Jun 10 |
| Fall: Sow outdoors | Sep 6 – Oct 4 | Aug 16 – Sep 13 | Jul 22 – Aug 19 |
| Fall: Harvest | Oct 16 – Nov 6 | Sep 25 – Oct 16 | Aug 31 – Sep 21 |
Growing turnips
Pull turnips at 2-3 inches across for the best texture; the tops can be cooked as greens.
- Spacing: 4 in apart, in rows 15 in apart. In a raised bed, 9 per sq ft at square-foot spacing.
- Days to harvest: 40 to 60 from sowing, then about 3 weeks of picking.
- Successions: sow again every 21 days for a steady supply. See succession planting.
- Rotation: turnips are in the cabbage family. Plant them where nothing from that family grew in the last two years. See crop rotation.
- Traditional companions: edamame, fava bean, pea (shelling/snap/snow). See companion plants for turnips.
- Usually kept apart from: potato.
Plan your beds with these dates
Draw your beds, tap squares to plant turnips and everything else, and get every crop's dates for your ZIP code in one calendar. Free, in your browser.
Open the garden plannerQuestions
Can turnips go in before the last frost?
Yes. Turnips are hardy: sow them 1 to 5 weeks before the last spring frost.
How long do turnips take to grow?
About 40 to 60 days from sowing to the first harvest, which then lasts about 3 weeks. Varieties differ: check the seed packet.
Can I grow turnips in fall?
Yes. Sow 6 to 10 weeks before the first fall frost. Enter your ZIP code above for the dates where you live.
How often should I sow turnips?
Every 21 days or so for a steady harvest, until the last sowing that still ripens before your first fall frost. The planner works that date out for your ZIP code.
More planting dates
Sources
- NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020 (annual/seasonal, by station: freeze dates at 32 °F)
- Colorado State University Extension: Vegetable Planting Guide (CMG GardenNotes #720)
- Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech: Virginia's Home Garden Vegetable Planting Guide: Recommended Planting Dates and Amounts to Plant (426-331 / SPES-673P, 2025)
- University of Maryland Extension: Vegetable Planting Calendar for central Maryland
- UNH Cooperative Extension: Growing Vegetables: When to Plant your Vegetable Garden (2016)
- NC State Extension: Extension Gardener Handbook, Chapter 16: Vegetable Gardening
- WSU Extension: Pacific Northwest Gardener's Handbook, Chapter 7: Vegetable Gardening
- Iowa State: Fall Planting of Vegetables
- Iowa State: Growing Turnips and Rutabagas in the Home Garden
- Utah State University Extension: Suggested Vegetable Planting Dates for Utah
- Montana State University Extension: Can I Grow That Here? Vegetable Seed and Transplant Schedules (MontGuide MT199308AG, rev. 2018)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension HGIC: Small-Scale Gardening (square-foot planting guide)
- UC Master Gardener Program, UC ANR: Companion Planting Chart: Companion Planting for Edible Crops
- Oregon State University Extension Service: Companion Planting (Food Hero, 2021)