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Growing Turnip

(brassica rapa var.)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
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(Best months for planting Turnip in New Zealand - cool/mountain regions)


  • Easy to grow.
  • Harvest in 45-65 days
  • Sow in garden. Sow seed at a depth approximately three times the diameter of the seed.
  • Best planted at soil temperatures between 12°C and 30°C.
  • Space plants: 12-20cm

Round, root vegetable. The flesh is white . Turnips take about 6 to 10 weeks to reach a useable size.

Sow every three or four weeks for a continuous supply.

Water regularly.

Culinary hints - cooking and eating Turnip

Grate young turnips and use raw in salads.
Use older turnips in casseroles and stews.

Your comments and tips

31 Jul 10 Kay Pantelides (New Zealand - temperate climate)
In the past I have grown white stone turnips from seed, which I then ate raw in salads. They were sweet, crisp, tender and delicious. In recent times I have endeavoured to discover these same seeds at various popular seed distributors but have been unsuccessful. Do you have any suggestion as to where I may locate these seeds, or it is possible they now go by another name. Kindest regards, Kay
01 Aug 10 Liz (New Zealand - temperate climate)
Have you tried Kaiwakaorganics.co.nz or Kings Seeds. They both have rare and unusual seeds.
22 Oct 10 Wayne Jacobsen (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)
Turnips: Try Yates "Hakurei" or Japanese turnip. These are small white turnip, about 5 - 8 cm in diameter when mature. Easy to grow. Mature in 60 days. Very sweet. Great in a salad.

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See planting calendar for these climate zones

New Zealand - cool/mountain,   New Zealand - sub-tropical,   New Zealand - temperate  

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