Turnip Seed
A few years ago we did a big trial and taste test of turnip varieties, and found some really great ones.
(These plates are the final shortlist laid out for the ‘blind’ tasting session – so no one knows which is which until afterwards.)
Sowing Information
When to sow? There are two options:
- Normally, sow from Spring onwards and eat in Summer.
- You can also get a later harvest to eat in winter: sow early summer, eat fresh when small in autumn, and lift for storage overwinter.
(swipe to scroll)
Maincrop Turnips
for Spring Sowing (harvest in July), or Summer Sowing (harvest in Autumn)
‘Long White’ Conical Winter Turnip
This is the ancient variety “Blanc Dur D’Hiver”, with fat roots that are cone-shaped and pointy like a parsnip! Once very common , this class of turnips has since been almost forgotten.
Extremely cold resistant, for use overwinter.
350 seeds £2.40
Giant Limousin
This one is reputed to be the most productive of all the old French traditional varieties. It is famous for reaching 10 - 12 inches diameter, but to be honest, from a purely practial point of view, you might prefer them a bit smaller as Ben is holding on the left.
We did try them leaving them to get bigger - and the one in the photo on the right was perfectly tender even at that size! We found this one to have a fantastic flavour that was a bit less 'turnipy' and subtly different from all the others.
Edible even when huge!
at least 400 seed, organic. £1.88
Navet de Nancy
A classic French variety, from the seedhouse of Catros Gerand. We shall leave the description to M Vilmorin, writing in the 1870's:
"A handsome form of the Early Flat Purple-Top turnip, remarkable for it's earliness, the regularity of the shape, and the very deep colour of the upper part of the root."
The strain we have today is almost identical 130 years later, except that the leaves are less deeply cut . We like this one because it has a good flavour without being overwhelmingly strong, and because you can also eat the leaves cooked like spinach. (Not all varieties have nice-tasting leaves, but this one is particularly good.)
Seedcrop selected and grown for us by the good folks at Trill Farm Organic Garden. Always popular.
about 400 seed £1.95
Norfolk Purple Turnip
This is a traditional turnip that was being grown in Norfolk around 1680, and originally popularised by Charles the 2nd Viscount Townshend.
He life was completely focussed on progress through turnips, often talking of nothing else, and becoming known as “Turnip Townshend” due to his obsession with the vegetable, which he used as the mainstay of his new "4-field Norfolk Rotation" on his estate.
Despite the scepticism of his peers, his rotation was based on very sound principles and these turnips turned out to be a crucial part of the agricultural revolution in the early 1700’s.
Now we have some seed so you can grow it at home.
Still a very good turnip for the UK, even after all these years.
500 seed £1.88
Petrowski
This great yellow turnip from Poland comes from our most recent turnip trials a few years ago.
It is particularly sweet and mild, and has been in great demand whenever we have offered it, as it has such a great flavour. Does well from a spring or late-summer sowing.
It is one of the best turnips we have tried, and many people have written in to say they really like it too.
about 400 seed, organic. £2.49First-Early Turnips
for Spring Sowing and harvest in June
White 40 Day Turnip
A great white turnip from Milan, this is a good first-early, sown in spring, for harvest of tender, flattened white turnips about six weeks later.
500 seed £1.88