Sowing

• Turnip seeds are first sown indoors in seedling trays or outdoors on seedbeds & later the seedlings are transplanted into the container or in raised beds.
• Choose a seedling tray with medium - sized uniform drainage holes at the bottom.
• Fill the cells/cups with a moist coco-peat medium.
• Ideal sowing medium to grow turnip seeds indoors is coco peat. If you are sowing turnip seeds outdoors, you can use fine soil
• Sow 2-3 seeds per cell/cup.
• Turnip seeds are very small. Do not sow them deep.
• Place the seeds on the surface of the medium and push them a little inside using the tip of a pencil making sure that the seeds are not visible anymore. Cover the seeds with surrounding medium.
• Alternately, you can even make small shallow depressions in the medium using a pencil bottom, Put your seeds in these depressions and cover them up with coco peat.
• Keep the seedling tray indoors till the seeds germinate.
• To encourage faster seed germination, keep the seed tray in a box or cover it with paper for first 4-5 days.
• For the first week, water the seeds two tablespoons of water everyday. Or keep the seed tray in another tray full of water for half an hour so that the water will be absorbed by the seed cells from the bottom, via drainage holes.
• Outdoors, make sure that you protect your seed beds from direct sunlight and rainfall.
• Cover your seed bed by making a temporary roof of a plastic sheet. Water it in the form of a light shower using a watering can.

Caring

• Turnip seeds will germinate within the first 6 - 8 days and you will notice tiny sprouts.
• Once your seeds have germinated, place your tray in a partially sunny spot, like near a window.
• Second week onwards you will notice that your seedlings have begun to grow into a small plant. At this stage expose your seedlings to more sunlight for better leaf growth.
• After the second week, keep only single seedling per cell/cup. Cut off the weak, small & lagging seedlings with a pair of scissors.
• 25 to 30days after the seed sowing your seedlings will be ready for transplantation.
• To transplant your seedlings choose a container with a minimum depth of 12-14 inches & bigger spread area
• Ideal planting mixture for growing turnip is2 part garden soil & 1 part Organic Manure. Or, 1 part garden soil, 1 part coco-peat & 1 part Vermicompost.
• Make sure that you are transplanting the seedlings along with the root ball or a medium.
• Plant the seedlings minimum 2 feet apart (60x60 cm) from each other on raised beds or in a container.
• Turnip grows well under full sunlight in winter. So place your containers accordingly.
• Water your potted turnip every alternate day in winter.
• Use a watering can to ensure your plant gets watered with an even shower. Water near the soil.
• You can also make provision for watering by drip irrigation system for your raised beds. Make sure that you are not overwatering your plant.
• Before transplanting the seedlings, add a good quality of organic manure to the soil in 2:1 ratio.
• Organic fertilizer can be well rotten cow dung manure, farmyard manure, compost or Vermicompost.
• After transplantation, apply balanced liquid fertilizer or handful of vermicompost to each plant, every 15 days.
• Check for early signs of any insect/fungal/ any other infections. If you notice any such symptoms, spray your plant with appropriate medicines. Watch out for slugs and snails.
• 60 to 65days after transplantation(90-100 days from seed sowing), bulbous roots (Turnips) will be ready to harvest. You can get single Turnip per plant. Uproot the Turnip from soil along with stem & leaves.
• If you want to grow turnip microgreens, sow scatter your seeds in a crowded manner in indoor flat containers. You can harvest it in 10-15 days by uprooting baby plants.

Common Problems

Why are my turnip seeds not germinating?
Improper growing conditions like over watering/ under watering, not enough sunlight or sowing in the seeds too deep can all affect the germination process of your turnip seeds. Make sure you are following the sowing and growing instructions correctly to ensure successful germination.
Why are turnip leaves turning yellow?
Yellowing of turnip leaves can be caused by a variety of reasons ranging from a nutrient deficiency to a fungal infection. A manganese deficiency can often result in yellowing of your turnip leaves. Downy mildew and root knot are a few fungal diseases which can also turn the leaves of your plant yellow. Feed your plant with a well balanced fertiliser and spray appropriate medicines whenever you notice any signs of a disease/infection.
Why are my turnip seedlings collapsing?
Turnip seedlings collapse because of a disease called “damping off”. Damping off is a fungal disease that can kill the seedlings. Spray your seedlings with appropriate medicines to avoid damping off.