Cool-season produce

Turnip

Brassica rapa Rapifera Group

Also known as Turnips · Turnip greens

Harvest tender young roots and greens. Larger roots can turn fibrous as weather warms.

EdibleCool-season crop

Growing spaceVegetable bed

Climate fitUrban core · USDA 9b–10a · Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b · Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b

Crop familyBrassicaceae (mustard)

Life cycleAnnual crop

Phoenix planting windowSeptember–February.

How to plantDirect sow and thin.

Plant spacing4–6 in

FrostTolerates light frost once established; cover during a hard freeze.

Time to harvestAbout 75–120 days in the Maricopa calendar; baby roots sooner

SuccessionSow every 2–3 weeks in fall.

Special categoriesEDIBLE

Typical harvestWinter roots and leafy tops.

Right plant, right place

Will Turnip grow at your Arizona property?

Harvest tender young roots and greens. Larger roots can turn fibrous as weather warms.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a, Valley suburbs · USDA 9a–9b, Desert outskirts · USDA 8b–9b.

Light

Full winter sun; give leafy crops afternoon protection during warm fall and spring weather.

Water

Keep the vegetable root zone evenly moist with regular irrigation; adjust to rain, soil, and temperature rather than using a fixed summer schedule.

Planting & stewardship

1
Prepare a fertile, well-drained bed and keep seed or transplants evenly moist through establishment.
2
Thin to the final spacing; crowding reduces harvest quality.
3
Watch for aphids and caterpillars and protect sensitive growth from a hard freeze.
4
Harvest before sustained spring heat causes bolting or poor quality.

Read the growing reference ↗ Planting dates can shift with cultivar, weather, and your yard’s microclimate.