When to sow Turnip in the UK
Turnip is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Turnip is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant’s timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow indoors | Sow outdoors | Plant out | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| South Coast and Channel | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| South East and Home Counties | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| East Anglia | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Wales and West Coast | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Northern England | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Northern Ireland | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | late January to late February | early March to mid August | early March to late April | late May to late December |
Growing notes
Sow early varieties March to June and maincrops July to mid-August, in small batches every few weeks; roots are best eaten young, in as little as six weeks. Like swede it is a brassica for rotation purposes despite being browsed as a root.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 30
- Days to maturity
- 50 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.15 kg
- Sun
- Full
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 25 cm
- Balcony rating
- 3 out of 5
Succession sowing
Worth sowing in batches. Sow again every 21 days, up to about 6 sowings in a season, for a longer picking window rather than one glut.
What usually goes wrong
- flea beetle
- club root
- cabbage root fly
- bolting in hot dry weather
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for turnip.