Growing Stages of Purple Top Turnips

Seeds

• Purple top turnips are usually propagated by seed. The tiny, golden seeds germinate within six to 10 days in temperatures ranging from 40 to 105 degrees Fahrenheit. If stored properly, the seeds remain viable for up to three years. Plant seeds up to 6 inches apart and space rows about 18 inches apart.

Leaves

• After germination, a single root extends down through the soil while the true leaves emerge. The stem or rib supports a lyre-shaped, rough-textured light green leaf that is sparsely covered in fine hairs depending on the variety. Eight to 12 leaves grow 12 to 14 inches long and 3 to 5 inches wide on each turnip plant. Although purple top turnips are grown more for their roots than their tops, the greens are edible. Harvest young greens when they reach 4 to 6 inches long for the best flavor for eating raw. New leaves will grow to replace the harvested ones. Serve mature turnip leaves cooked. Turnip greens are packed with vitamins A, B2, C and E and several minerals including calcium.

Root

• A purple top turnip is the bulbous storage root located above a long, thin taproot. Wherever the turnip protrudes from the ground, the skin turns purple, but the skin on the underground portion remains white or yellow. For best flavor, harvest purple top turnips when they reach anywhere between golf ball and tennis ball size. The smaller, younger turnips do not need peeling, but peel the larger, more mature turnips before eating. Turnips mature between 30 and 90 days depending on the variety.

Flowers and Seeds

• The purple top turnip is a biennial that need vernalization, exposure to cold winter temperatures, to produce reproductive tissue for seed formation. Therefore, if left in the ground over winter and exposed to cold temperatures, the purple top turnip will grow again in the next season, producing flowers and seeds. In that second year, the plant grows branching stems 12 to 36 inches tall, topped with clusters of small, light yellow, four-petalled flowers.