Purple Top Turnip
Purple Top Turnip is a round globe shape with tapering root brassica with fruit around 8-10". Ready from roughly day 37. Germination takes 4-7 days. Space 4-6 inches apart at pH 6.0-7.0. Full sun to partial shade (4-8 hours). It will crop in a container.
Sowing
Direct sow seeds ½ inch deep in early spring or late summer. Thin seedlings to proper spacing when 2-3 inches tall.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4-8 hours)
- Water
- High — consistent moisture needed
- Soil
- Loose, well-drained soil with good organic matter
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Spacing
- 4-6 inches
- Height
- 3 feet
- Season
- Warm season annual
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- White root with purple top shoulders
- Size
- 8-10"
- Shape
- Round globe shape with tapering root
- Flavour
- Mild, sweet, slightly peppery when young, sweeter after frost
In the kitchen
Roasting, mashing, soups, stews, pickling. Young greens excellent in salads and stir-fries.
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Flea beetles, cabbage root maggots, aphids
- Diseases
- Clubroot, black rot, downy mildew
- Resistance
- Good resistance to clubroot and downy mildew
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April – May | June – July | June – July | July – September |
| 2 | April – May | June – July | May – July | June – September |
| 3 | March – April | May – June | May – June | June – October |
| 4 | March – April | May – June | April – June | June – October |
| 5 | February – March | April – May | April – May | May – November |
| 6 | February – March | April – May | April – May | May – November |
| 7 | February – March | April – May | March – May | April – November |
| 8 | January – February | March – April | March – April | April – December |
| 9 | January | February – March | February – March | March – December |
| 10 | January | February – March | January – March | February – December |
| 11 | January | January – February | January – February | January – December |
| 12 | January | January – February | January – February | January – December |
| 13 | January | January – February | January – February | January – December |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 3 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 28
- Protein (g)
- 0.9
- Fat (g)
- 0.1
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 6.43
- Fibre (g)
- 1.8
- Sugars (g)
- 3.8
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 0
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 21
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.03
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 0.1
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.09
- Folate (µg)
- 15
- Calcium (mg)
- 30
- Iron (mg)
- 0.3
- Magnesium (mg)
- 11
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 27
- Potassium (mg)
- 191
- Zinc (mg)
- 0.27
- Selenium (µg)
- 0.7
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Purple Top Turnip?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other brassicas with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Purple Top Turnip suits these too.
- Quickstar 37 days
- Terek 40 days
- Tatsoi 40 days
- Song TJS-65 42 days
- Ruby Red or Rhubarb Chard 32 days
- Spring Raab 42 days