Turnip (Purple Top White Globe)

📖 About This Plant

Turnip (Purple Top White Globe) is the quintessential American heirloom turnip — a biennial grown as an annual that produces round, 3–4 inch roots with characteristically split coloring: vivid purple above the soil line fading to creamy white below. The flavor depends entirely on when you harvest: young turnips (2 inches) are surprisingly sweet and mild, excellent raw in salads or roasted; mature turnips develop the more assertive, peppery character that features in traditional Southern cooking, Scottish neeps and tatties, French navets, and British pease pudding. The greens are equally valuable — rich in vitamins A, C, and K — and better-tasting than many dedicated salad greens when harvested young. Purple Top White Globe has been grown in North America since colonial times and remains the most widely sold turnip variety on the continent.

📊 Quick Facts

📅 When to Plant in Your Area

🌱 Care Tips

Turnips are a fast, forgiving cool-season root vegetable. Direct sow seeds 3–5 weeks before last frost in spring, or 8–10 weeks before first frost for the superior fall crop. Sow 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart; thin to 4 inches once established. Like carrots, turnips need loose, well-drained soil free of rocks for well-formed roots — add compost but avoid fresh manure, which causes forked roots. Water evenly; drought causes hot, woody roots while waterlogging causes rot. Side-dress with a balanced fertilizer when plants are 4–6 inches tall. Harvest spring turnips at 2–3 inches for the sweetest, mildest flavor. Fall turnips can be left somewhat larger (3–4 inches) as cool weather slows fibering. One of the unique joys of fall turnip growing: roots can remain in the ground through multiple frosts and actually improve in sweetness as temperatures drop below 40°F. In zones 6–9, mulch heavily and harvest through winter as needed. Turnip greens are a separate harvest opportunity: thin seedlings can be used as salad greens, and the tops of mature plants are excellent sautéed with garlic and olive oil or cooked low-and-slow with smoked pork in the Southern tradition. Harvest greens when they are 4–6 inches tall for the most tender, mildest flavor.

🤝 Companion Plants

These plants grow well alongside Turnip:

🌿 Related Vegetable

More vegetable that grow in similar conditions:

❓ Frequently Asked Questions