Turnips and swedes are the fast, forgiving roots of the autumn garden: turnips can go from seed to plate in six to eight weeks, and swedes — the bigger, sweeter cousin — store through winter with almost no effort. Sown in summer when spring crops are coming out, they fill the awkward late-season gap and give you homegrown roots when the garden is winding down.
This guide covers the difference between the two, sowing from July to September, harvesting young for the sweetest roots, and preventing clubroot — the one disease you need to know about. Written for Central and Western Europe, no experience assumed.
| Care point | Turnips | Swedes (rutabaga) |
|---|---|---|
| Sun | Full sun to partial shade | |
| Water | Keep consistently moist — never let them dry out | |
| Soil & pH | Light, fertile, well-drained; pH 6.0–7.0 | |
| Sow (Central Europe) | July–September | May–June |
| Spacing | Thin to 10–15 cm apart | Thin to 20–25 cm apart |
| Days to harvest | 40–60 days | 120–150 days; harvest Oct–Nov |
| Difficulty | Easy — one of the simplest autumn crops | |
Step 1: Know your two roots — turnip vs swede
Turnips and swedes look similar but grow differently. Turnips are fast: sown in summer, ready in six to eight weeks, and best eaten young at golf-ball to tennis-ball size. Swedes (rutabagas) are the slow giants: sown in late spring, they need four to five months to swell into big, sweet roots that store for months.
The rule of thumb: turnips for quick autumn eating, swedes for winter storage. Both taste sweeter after a frost, like parsnips and kale. Good beginner varieties: 'Milan Purple Top' or 'Snowball' for turnips; 'Best of All' or 'Marian' for swedes.
Step 2: Sow at the right time — summer for turnips, spring for swedes
Turnips bolt (run to seed) if sown in spring cold, so their season starts in July: sow little and often from July to September for roots through autumn. Make drills 1–2 cm deep, sow thinly, and water well. Germination takes 5–10 days in warm soil.
Swedes need the long season: sow May to June direct where they will grow — they dislike transplanting, like most root crops. Because swedes are sown earlier, they follow spring crops nicely: sow them where early lettuce or radishes have finished.
Step 3: Thin properly — crowded roots stay small
Thin turnips to 10–15 cm apart and swedes to 20–25 cm apart once seedlings are a few centimetres tall. This is the job that decides your harvest: crowded turnips stay the size of marbles, while properly spaced ones swell into proper roots.
Thin on a damp evening and water afterwards — crushed brassica foliage attracts pests, the same reason we thin carrots carefully. Eat the thinnings: young turnip thinnings are delicious wilted like spinach.
Step 4: Keep them watered — drought makes them hot and woody
Consistent moisture is everything for these roots. Drought-stressed turnips turn woody, pithy and fiercely peppery; well-watered ones stay sweet and crisp. Water deeply in dry spells, following the method in our watering guide.
A mulch between rows keeps moisture even and suppresses the weeds that compete with shallow roots. They need no feeding beyond compost in the bed — rich feeding grows leaves at the expense of roots.
Step 5: Harvest young for turnips, late for swedes
Pull turnips at golf-ball to tennis-ball size: young roots are sweet and tender, while oversized ones go woody and strong. Start checking from six weeks after sowing. Unlike leeks, turnips do not improve with long waiting — pull them in their prime.
Swedes are different: leave them until October or November, and let a frost or two sweeten them. Twist off the tops (leaving a short stalk), and store in boxes of damp sand in a cool shed like beetroot — they keep for months. Or leave them in the ground under straw mulch and lift as needed.
Step 6: Prevent clubroot — the brassica disease to respect
Turnips and swedes are brassicas, and brassicas get clubroot: a soil-borne disease that swells roots into distorted clubs and stunts plants. Prevention is everything, because there is no cure once soil is infected.
The rules: rotate brassicas — never grow turnips, swedes, kale or cabbage in the same spot more often than one year in four. Lime acid soil toward pH 7, since clubroot is worst in acid ground. Improve drainage — wet soil favours it. And never compost infected roots; bin them. If your soil already has clubroot, grow resistant varieties and consider growing turnips in containers of fresh compost instead.
Step 7: Eat the tops too — two vegetables in one
Do not waste the leafy tops: young turnip greens are one of the tastiest bonus crops in the garden. Thin the seedlings and eat the thinnings wilted with garlic and olive oil, exactly like spinach — they are tender, mild and nutritious. Larger leaves from mature plants work too, though they are better cooked than raw.
Swede tops are tougher and best left alone, but turnip tops harvested young are genuinely delicious — many gardeners grow turnips as much for the greens as the roots. It is the same two-for-one logic as beetroot: one sowing, two vegetables, zero extra work.
Troubleshooting: common turnip and swede problems
Plants bolted (flowered) instead of swelling: Turnips sown too early in cold spring soil bolt; swedes stressed by drought do too. Sow turnips from July, keep swedes watered, and pull bolted plants — bolted roots are woody.
Woody, hot, pithy turnips: Drought or harvested too late. Water consistently and pull young. Autumn crops in cool, moist weather are always sweeter than stressed summer ones.
Roots with swollen, distorted clubs: Clubroot — see Step 6. Improve drainage, lime acid soil, rotate brassicas strictly, and bin affected plants rather than composting them.
Holes in leaves, tiny jumping beetles: Flea beetles — the classic brassica seedling pest. Cover young plants with fine mesh and keep them watered; see our pests guide for organic controls.
What to do this October
October is prime turnip and swede time: pull turnips as they reach size, and leave swedes in the ground for frost to sweeten. Clear any weeds, and mulch around swedes still growing — it keeps the ground workable for late lifting.
Sow a final row of fast turnips now under fleece for November harvests — they will grow slowly but stay sweet. See the full October checklist for the month's other jobs.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a turnip and a swede?
Turnips are smaller, faster (6–8 weeks), and best eaten young; swedes are bigger, slower (4–5 months), sweeter, and store through winter. Both are brassicas and both sweeten after frost.
Can I eat turnip tops?
Yes — young turnip greens are delicious cooked like spinach or chard. It is one reason thinning feels less wasteful: the thinnings are dinner.
Why did my swedes stay tiny?
Usually sown too late, too crowded, or starved of water. Sow by June, thin to 20–25 cm, and keep them watered — swedes need the full long season to swell.
Do turnips really grow in 6 weeks?
In warm, moist summer soil, yes — small salad turnips can be ready in 40 days. It makes them one of the fastest crops after radishes.
Related guides
- How to Grow Radishes at Home: Beginner's Guide — the fastest root crop of all
- How to Grow Kale at Home: Beginner's Guide — the other hardy brassica
- How to Grow Beetroot at Home: Beginner's Guide — store roots the same way
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