Rainline Garden

When to plant turnips in Oregon and Washington

In Portland: Plant turnips from seed, directly in the garden, Mar 1 – Apr 12. For a fall harvest, plant again Aug 13–27. In Bend: Apr 28 – Jun 9. Find your city below.

Difficulty
Easy
Sun
Full sun
Spacing
Thin to 4 inches apart
Planting depth
½ inch deep
Frost
Handles light frost
First harvest
About 50 days after planting

Harvest small for tender roots. Fall turnips sweeten after a light frost.

Turnips planting dates by city

CityPlant in the gardenPlant again for fall
Astoria, ORMar 25 – May 6Aug 13–27
Baker City, ORApr 20 – Jun 1Jul 14–28
Bend and Redmond, ORApr 28 – Jun 9Jul 13–27
Burns, ORApr 30 – Jun 11Jul 5–19
Coos Bay and North Bend, ORMar 25 – May 6Aug 13–27
Eugene, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Gresham, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Klamath Falls, ORApr 28 – Jun 9Jul 17–31
Medford, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Pendleton, ORMar 20 – May 1Aug 13–27
Portland, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Roseburg, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Salem, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
The Dalles, ORMar 20 – May 1Aug 13–27
Wilsonville and Canby, ORMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Aberdeen and Hoquiam, WAMar 25 – May 6Aug 13–27
Bellingham, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Ellensburg, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 5–19
Everett, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Forks, WAMar 25 – May 6Aug 13–27
Moses Lake, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 6–20
Olympia, WAMar 18 – Apr 29Aug 12–26
Omak and Okanogan, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 5–19
Seattle and Tacoma, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Spokane, WAApr 1 – May 13Aug 10–24
Tri-Cities (Pasco, Kennewick, Richland), WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 9–23
Vancouver, WAMar 1 – Apr 12Aug 13–27
Walla Walla, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 13–27
Wenatchee, WAMar 20 – May 1Aug 13–27
Yakima, WAMar 27 – May 8Aug 2–16

How to grow turnips

  1. Prepare the bed: loosen the soil and mix in an inch or two of compost.
  2. Plant seeds on your city's dates, ½ inch deep, Thin to 4 inches apart.
  3. Keep the soil evenly moist until sprouts appear, which can take one to three weeks in cool soil.
  4. Plant again on your city's dates for a fall harvest.
  5. Harvest: Pull at 2 to 3 inches across for tender roots. The greens are good to eat too.

Varieties that do well in the Northwest

Watch out for

Cabbage root maggots tunnel into roots in cool, wet soil. Cover the bed with row cover from sowing on.

More root vegetables

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