When can I sow turnips in the UK?

March under cloches in southern England; April onwards direct outdoors across the UK. Successional sowings every 3 weeks until early August give continuous picking. July–August sowings are for autumn–winter storage crops. Avoid sowing in mid-summer heat — turnips bolt fast above 25°C.

How do I stop flea beetles on turnips?

Cover young plants with fleece or enviromesh for the first 4 weeks after sowing — the flea beetles can't reach the leaves. Yellow sticky traps placed near the row catch adults. Established plants (after 4–5 leaves) tolerate the damage and grow through it. Sowing in cooler weather (early spring, late summer) bypasses peak flea-beetle activity.

How big should I let turnips grow?

Golf-ball to tennis-ball (5–7 cm across) is the sweet spot for flavour and texture. Beyond that they get coarse, woody, and bitter. Pull alternate plants from a row first — gives the remaining plants more room to keep growing. Early types are bred to be eaten small; main-crop types can grow a bit larger.

What's the difference between turnips and swedes?

Different species. Turnip (Brassica rapa): white-fleshed root, fast-growing (6–12 weeks), eaten young, more tender. Swede (Brassica napus): yellow-fleshed root, slow-growing (24+ weeks), bigger, hardier, more robust flavour. Swede is the neeps in Scottish neeps and tatties. Different sowing dates and care — they're not interchangeable in the garden even if they're occasionally swapped in recipes.

Can I eat turnip tops?

Yes — the leaves are excellent as spring greens, steamed or wilted like chard. Pick young leaves regularly from your thinnings, or sow turnip specifically for tops (without thinning to one per station). Italian cuisine uses cima di rapa (essentially turnip-top broccoli) extensively.

How do I store turnips through winter?

Main-crop varieties (Golden Ball, Manchester Market) lift in October–November before the first hard frost. Cut tops 2 cm above the root; layer roots in damp sand in a wooden box; store in a frost-free shed. Keep firm until March. Smaller early-variety turnips don't store as well — use fresh.

Steckrübe

Brassica rapa subsp. rapa

Sow turnip seed direct from March to August in successional batches every three weeks. Turnips are hardy (RHS H5–H6) and one of the quickest UK vegetables — early varieties (Snowball, Tokyo Cross) crop in 6–8 weeks; main-crop types (Golden Ball, Manchester Market) take 10–12 weeks and store through winter. Pull young (golf-ball sized) for the best flavour; older turnips get coarse and woody. Different species from swede (Brassica napus) despite the kitchen overlap. Flea beetle is the main pest on young leaves — fleece protection or a quick crop window dodges the worst of it. Late-summer sowings (July–August) crop into late autumn and store well in damp sand.

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