6 Best Turnip Seeds For Fall Harvest That Old Farmers Swear By
Ensure a successful fall harvest with these 6 time-tested turnip seeds. Farmers favor these reliable picks for their robust growth and superior flavor.
As the summer heat finally breaks and you start pulling out the last of the beans and squash, your mind turns to the fall garden. You’ve got empty space, a desire for one more harvest, and a need for crops that don’t mind a little chill. This is where the humble turnip shines, but choosing the right seed is the difference between a bucket of woody, bitter roots and a winter’s supply of sweet, tender globes.
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Why Fall is the Best Time for Sweet Turnips
Anyone who says they don’t like turnips probably ate one grown in the spring. As summer heat builds, turnips can get woody, fibrous, and develop a spicy, almost bitter flavor. It’s the plant’s stress response, and you can taste it.
Fall is a different story entirely. Turnips planted in late summer mature as the days get shorter and the soil cools down. This slow, steady growth is exactly what they need for a tender texture. The real magic, though, happens after the first light frosts.
Just like carrots and parsnips, turnips convert starches into sugars as a natural antifreeze to protect their cells. This process, called "cold sweetening," transforms their flavor profile from merely earthy to genuinely sweet and complex. A fall-harvested turnip, pulled from the ground after a couple of good frosts, is a completely different vegetable from its spring-sown cousin.
Purple Top White Globe: The All-Purpose Staple
If you can only plant one turnip, this is probably it. The Purple Top White Globe is the quintessential turnip for a reason: it’s reliable, productive, and strikes a perfect balance between root and green. It’s the standard by which all other turnips are judged.
This variety grows quickly, typically maturing in 50 to 60 days. The roots are exactly what you picture—a creamy white bottom with a vibrant purple crown that pokes out of the soil. The flavor is mildly sweet with a pleasant peppery kick, making it a true all-purpose root for roasting, mashing, or adding to stews.
The greens are also excellent when harvested young and tender. While not as prolific as varieties grown specifically for their leaves, they provide a solid secondary harvest. For the hobby farmer looking for a dependable, no-fuss option that does everything well, this is your starting point.
Golden Ball: A Sweet, Mild Heirloom Favorite
For those who find the classic Purple Top a bit too sharp, the Golden Ball (also known as Orange Jelly) is a game-changer. This heirloom variety produces beautiful, globe-shaped roots with a pale yellow skin and golden flesh. Its flavor is where it truly stands out.
Golden Ball turnips are exceptionally sweet, nutty, and almost entirely lack the peppery bite found in many other varieties. Their texture is finer and less watery, making them incredible for roasting, where their natural sugars caramelize beautifully. They also make a silky, delicious mash that can convert even the most ardent turnip skeptic.
The tradeoff is that they can be slightly less vigorous and a bit slower to mature than modern hybrids, often taking 60 to 70 days. But for a truly superior culinary experience, the extra wait is well worth it. This is the turnip you grow to impress people.
Hakurei: A Crisp Japanese Salad Turnip
Forget everything you think you know about turnips. The Hakurei is not your grandfather’s storage crop. These small, pure white globes are so crisp, sweet, and juicy that they are best eaten raw.
Often called "salad turnips," Hakurei mature incredibly fast, sometimes in as little as 35 to 40 days. You harvest them when they are small, about the size of a large radish or a golf ball. Sliced thin, they add a refreshing, sweet crunch to salads and slaws, or you can serve them with dip on a relish tray. A quick sauté with their greens is also a fantastic way to enjoy them.
Because they are harvested young, they don’t store for long periods like winter turnips. Think of them as a fast-maturing treat, not a winter staple. Plant a small patch every two weeks in late summer for a continuous supply well into the fall. Their smooth skin doesn’t even need peeling.
Shogoin: Best for Both Tender Roots and Greens
Some people grow turnips more for the tops than the bottoms, and if you’re one of them, Shogoin is your variety. This Japanese heirloom is the ultimate dual-purpose turnip, prized for its exceptionally large, smooth, and tender greens. They have a mild flavor, lacking the bitterness that can plague other turnip greens.
The roots are no slouch, either. They are large, round, and pure white with a very mild, sweet flavor. Because they grow so quickly (around 50 days), the flesh stays remarkably tender and is excellent for pickling, stir-frying, or mashing.
The main consideration here is balance. If you harvest too many greens, the root development will suffer. The best approach is to take a few outer leaves from each plant as they grow, leaving plenty of foliage to power the root. While the roots are delicious, they don’t have the long-term storage potential of a denser variety like the American Purple Top.
American Purple Top: The Best for Winter Storage
While it sounds similar to the "Purple Top White Globe," the American Purple Top is a distinct variety bred specifically for its keeping qualities. If your goal is to fill the root cellar and eat from your garden in January, this is the turnip to plant.
This variety produces large, round, yellow-fleshed roots. That yellow flesh is key—it indicates a denser, drier turnip that is less prone to rot in storage. The flavor is rich and robust, standing up well in hearty winter stews, soups, and casseroles. It’s not a raw-eating turnip; it’s a cooking turnip through and through.
It takes a bit longer to mature, usually around 75 days, so you need to get it in the ground on time. The payoff is a harvest that, when stored correctly in a cool, dark place, can last for months. This is the workhorse turnip for self-sufficiency.
Tokyo Cross Hybrid: For an Extra-Early Harvest
Sometimes, the season gets away from you. Maybe the summer crops held on longer than expected, or you just got a late start. This is where a fast-maturing hybrid like Tokyo Cross saves the day. It can produce beautiful, uniform white globes in as little as 35 days.
As a modern hybrid, it has excellent vigor and uniformity, meaning you’ll get a more consistent crop. The flavor is mild and sweet, and the texture is crisp, making it suitable for both raw and cooked preparations. It’s a great choice for succession planting or for gardeners in northern climates with a very short fall window.
The tradeoff with most fast-growing hybrids is storage life. Like Hakurei, Tokyo Cross is best eaten fresh and won’t keep through the winter like a dense storage variety. But for a quick, reliable harvest before the ground freezes solid, it’s an outstanding choice.
Planting and Care for a Perfect Turnip Patch
No matter which seed you choose, success comes down to a few key principles. Turnips are not fussy, but they do have non-negotiable demands. Get these right, and you’ll be rewarded.
First, prepare your soil. Turnips prefer loose, well-drained soil. Most importantly, avoid adding too much nitrogen-rich compost or manure. Too much nitrogen gives you a jungle of beautiful green tops and tiny, disappointing roots. They need phosphorus and potassium for root development, so a light dusting of bone meal or wood ash can be beneficial.
Second, and this is crucial: you must thin your seedlings. This is the step most people skip. Plant seeds about a half-inch deep and once they are a few inches tall, thin them to stand 4 to 6 inches apart. It feels brutal to pull up healthy seedlings, but if you don’t, the crowded roots will compete with each other and never swell to a usable size.
Finally, provide consistent moisture. A steady supply of water prevents the roots from cracking or becoming woody. A layer of straw mulch helps retain soil moisture and keep weeds down. Keep an eye out for flea beetles on young seedlings; a floating row cover is the easiest way to protect them until they are established.
Choosing the right turnip seed comes down to your goal. Whether you want a crisp salad turnip for tonight, a sweet roaster for the weekend, or a storage workhorse for deep winter, there’s a variety that fits the bill. By matching the seed to your purpose and giving it the simple care it needs, you can ensure your fall garden provides delicious, homegrown food long after the summer crops have faded.
