Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
Vegetables Difficulty: Easy
📖 About this plant
A versatile cool-season root vegetable producing round white-and-purple or pure white roots with a peppery, slightly sweet flavor. Both the roots and leafy green tops are edible and nutritious, rich in vitamin C and calcium. Turnips mature quickly (30-60 days) and can be harvested at any size from golf ball to grapefruit.
🧑🌾 Care requirements
☀️
Light
Full sun (6-8 hrs)
💧
Water
Every 2-3 days
💨
Humidity
Moderate (40-60%)
🌡️
Temperature
10-22°C
🪴
Soil
Well-draining loam with good organic matter; pH 5.5-6.8
🧪
Fertilizer
Moderate fertilizer at planting; excess nitrogen produces large tops and small roots; phosphorus and potassium important for root development
🌐 Common Names
HI
Hindi
शलजम
BN
Bengali
শালগম
MR
Marathi
शालगम
TE
Telugu
చిరుకాకడికి
TA
Tamil
சிறுகிழங்கு
GU
Gujarati
શાલગમ
UR
Urdu
شلجم
KN
Kannada
ಶಾಲಗಮ್
OR
Odia
ଶାଳଗମ
ML
Malayalam
നെല്ലിക്ക
PA
Punjabi
ਸ਼ਾਲਗਮ
AS
Assamese
শালগম
📋 Plant facts
- 🌍 Origin
- Europe, Asia
- 📏 Max height
- 30-45 cm
- 📐 Spread
- 15-30 cm
- 🕰️ Bloom time
- Summer
- 🎨 Bloom color
- White, Yellow
- 🍃 Foliage color
- Green
- ⏳ Lifespan
- Biennial
- 📈 Growth rate
- Moderate
- ☠️ Toxicity
- Non-toxic edible roots and leafy greens; both parts are nutritious when cooked
- 🌱 Propagation
- Direct sow seeds 1 cm deep in early spring or late summer for fall harvest; thin to 10-15 cm apart
🛡️ Health & Safety
🐾 Pet safe
✅ Non-toxic
Non-toxic edible roots and leafy greens; both parts are nutritious when cooked
Common issues
- Clubroot disease in acidic soil
- Root maggot larvae tunneling in roots
- Woody
- bitter roots if grown too large or in hot weather
💡 Care tips
- Both the root and the green tops are edible and nutritious
- Cool-season crop that grows best in spring and fall
- Harvest roots when 2-3 inches across for the best flavor
- Stores well in cool dark conditions for winter use
🪴 Add to My Plants
One click — added instantly. Watering every 3 days, fertilizing every 30 days.
