🥔 When to Plant Turnips

Quick roots plus some of the best cooking greens. Pick your zone below for exact dates, or read the quick reference.

Season type
Cool-season
hardy
Spacing
4″ / 12″
plants / rows
Days to maturity
40–55
from sowing

Fall turnips sweetened by frost taste nothing like the spring ones — if you’ve only had sharp turnips, try an autumn sowing. Harvest at 2–3 inches for the best texture.

Turnips planting windows by zone

ZoneMain planting window
Zone 1 May 18 – Jun 1 direct sow
Zone 2 May 2 – May 16 direct sow
Zone 3 Apr 17 – May 1 direct sow
Zone 4 Apr 7 – Apr 21 direct sow
Zone 5 Mar 25 – Apr 8 direct sow
Zone 6 Mar 13 – Mar 27 direct sow
Zone 7 Mar 2 – Mar 16 direct sow
Zone 8 Feb 15 – Mar 1 direct sow
Zone 9 Jan 23 – Feb 6 direct sow
Zone 10 Dec 28 – Jan 11 direct sow
Zone 11 Coolest months (Oct–Mar) frost-free
Zone 12 Coolest months (Oct–Mar) frost-free
Zone 13 Coolest months (Oct–Mar) frost-free

Each zone link above has the complete schedule — direct sowing, fall planting, and season-fit notes. Zone dates are typical medians; for windows built on your own city's frost dates, use the frost date lookup and planting calendar.