Tops grow large but roots stay small

Too much nitrogen or overcrowding. Go easy on nitrogen and thin seedlings early so roots can size up.

Tiny shot holes across the leaves

Flea beetles, especially on seedlings. Cover with row fabric from sowing and keep plants growing quickly.

Cabbage root maggots. Use collars or netting, rotate brassicas, and avoid planting in the same bed yearly.

Heat, age, or drought stress. Harvest young at 2–3 in, grow in cool weather, and keep moisture even.

Gardening

A two-for-one root: tender greens up top and a crisp, peppery root below. Fast, cold-hardy, and ideal for spring and fall sowings.

The free tool tailors timing to your climate and lets you save this plant.

Sun

Full sun

Hardiness zones

Zones 3–10

Spacing

3–4 in apart, 12 in between rows. Thin early so roots have room to swell.

Soil

Loose, well-draining soil free of rocks; pH 6.0–6.8. Skip fresh manure, which forks and hairs the roots.

Watering

Steady 1 in/week. Even moisture keeps roots mild and crisp; dry spells make them woody and sharp, and uneven water cracks them.

Plant / sow (typical)

Mar – Apr

Harvest (typical)

May – Jun

Starting

Direct-sow 1/2 in deep; turnips resent transplanting. Sow in early spring and again in late summer for a sweet, frost-kissed fall crop.

Companions

Good with Pea, Onion, Mint, Bean, Nasturtium. Keep apart from Potato, Mustard, Brassicas (cabbage, broccoli).

Tops grow large but roots stay small. Too much nitrogen or overcrowding. Go easy on nitrogen and thin seedlings early so roots can size up.
Tiny shot holes across the leaves. Flea beetles, especially on seedlings. Cover with row fabric from sowing and keep plants growing quickly.
Tunnels and rot inside the root. Cabbage root maggots. Use collars or netting, rotate brassicas, and avoid planting in the same bed yearly.
Woody, sharply pungent roots. Heat, age, or drought stress. Harvest young at 2–3 in, grow in cool weather, and keep moisture even.