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SeedStepsYour vegetable garden, one step at a time.My gardenWhite turnip with a reddish-coloured shoulder. Choose this variety for two colours and both spring and autumn growing. Relatively quick development makes it useful in a bed that will be replanted later.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
This growing advice helps you choose. Your variety, growth stage, weather and conditions in your space determine the actual timing.
Sow directly for young leaves or roots · Turnip
Spring or autumn, with a suitable cultivarSow directly into greenhouse soil or a container, provide light and ventilate.
A cool, even start helps. Heat, drought or an unsuitable cultivar window can make plants bolt quickly.
RHS · radijs ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
Royal Horticultural Society · RHS — raap kweken ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Utah State University Extension · USU Extension — raap in de tuin ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.
The source context and any limitations are in the background information at the bottom.
Compare with another varietyYoung Milanese turnips have a fresh turnip flavour and a tender bite. The two-coloured root mainly differs in appearance, without any established extra pungency.
This flavour description applies to the crop; a separate taste test for this variety is not supported by evidence.Thinly slice small roots for raw salads or briefly steam equal-sized pieces. Leave the coloured shoulder visible in a simple dish with several turnip colours.
Why choose it? Choose this variety for two colours and both spring and autumn growing. Relatively quick development makes it useful in a bed that will be replanted later.
The options below belong to the plant. From these, choose the method that suits your variety's growth habit.
This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
A root builds its harvest underground. First choose workable soil and a spot that will stay available for long enough. Sow directly and keep the row identifiable, even while seedlings are still small.
For anyone with a suitable bed and enough root space.
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This image was created with AI from described plant characteristics and growing advice. It shows a possible situation and is not a photograph of a verified cultivar.
For small turnips, use a wide pot with drainage and enough depth. Sow directly in the final pot and thin out. Pots need moisture checks more often than beds; a small root harvest is a sensible aim here.
For limited space, provided the container suits the root shape.
Tick off your supplies →White turnip with a reddish-coloured shoulder.
Choose this variety for two colours and both spring and autumn growing. Relatively quick development makes it useful in a bed that will be replanted later.
Young Milanese turnips have a fresh turnip flavour and a tender bite. The two-coloured root mainly differs in appearance, without any established extra pungency.
Thinly slice small roots for raw salads or briefly steam equal-sized pieces. Leave the coloured shoulder visible in a simple dish with several turnip colours.
Sow thinly and thin until each plant has space. In the warm part of summer, the crop needs more attention to moisture and preventing tough roots.
Harvest when young swollen stems have a usable diameter, often around six to eight centimetres. Waiting too long for more weight can give a coarser texture.
Goldana: Round yellow early turnip with edible young leaves too. Cook small yellow wedges briefly or make a mixed turnip mash. Young, healthy leaves can be cooked separately as turnip greens in a stir-fry.
Goldana has the mild character of turnip when harvested young. The yellow interior is a visible difference alongside white-fleshed turnips, without a proven flavour ranking.
Milanese Witte Roodkop: White early turnip with a coloured reddish shoulder. Thinly slice small roots for raw salads or briefly steam equal-sized pieces. Leave the coloured shoulder visible in a simple dish with several turnip colours.
Young Milanese turnips have a fresh turnip flavour and a tender bite. The two-coloured root mainly differs in appearance, without any established extra pungency.
Platte Witte Mei: Flat-round, white-fleshed turnip harvested young and tender. Steam small wedges or grate young roots for a raw salad. Cut evenly so the delicate flesh does not need unnecessarily long cooking.
Harvested young, Platte Witte Mei is tender with the mild character of turnip. The flat bulb shape gives a different cutting result from a round or long root.
Boule d’Or: Round, smooth turnip with yellow-orange flesh. Slice young roots for raw salads or cook equal cubes in a vegetable stew. The yellow to orange interior gives recognisable colour alongside potato or white turnip.
The source describes firm, sweet and fragrant flesh. This makes Boule d’Or interesting to taste alongside white-fleshed turnips, without guaranteeing the same flavour in every soil.
Turnip and swede are different crops. With ordinary turnips, you can harvest young roots or choose a later cultivar for autumn. Follow that distinction on the packet. Turnips harvested small do not need the same space as large storage roots.
Feel whether the soil is loose enough below the top layer. A fine surface can hide a hard layer. Carefully relieve obstructive compaction when the soil is workable. Avoid fresh, coarse manure directly in a row where straight roots need to develop.
Sow directly into a fine seedbed and divide the crop into small batches. Cooler weather is favourable. Summer sowing only succeeds if the germination zone does not dry out; in extreme heat, wait for a better moment within the cultivar’s window.
After sowing, keep the germination zone evenly moist. A hard crust and drying can hold back small plants. Water with a fine rose and do not walk over the row. A label helps you find the sowing position before recognisable leaves appear.
Thin seedlings in time so the roots can thicken. Exact spacing depends on cultivar and harvest size. You can use young thinnings as leafy vegetables when they are edible turnip plants; do not remove all leaves from the remaining root plants.
During dry periods, check moisture below the surface. Young plants and containers need more frequent watering checks than a well-rooted crop in a bed. Water according to need and let it soak down; a wet surface every day tells you little about the root zone.
Harvest turnips young and taste a root of useful size. Do not let them grow solely for a greater harvest weight: tenderness declines in many types. Loosen the soil if needed and pull without tearing the foliage from the root.
A small, hard root can sometimes be associated with drought, too little space or an unsuitable growing season. As turnip is a brassica, flea beetles, cabbage root fly and clubroot may also play a part. Identify the damage and include the crop in your brassica rotation.
Use damaged roots first and store only sound ones, following guidance for the type and cultivar. Cool conditions and suitable humidity help limit drying, but check for deterioration. Storage advice for one winter cultivar is not a shelf-life promise for the whole species.
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SeedSteps editorial team · updated on 11 October 2026. The AI images illustrate species and practical growing situations; they do not prove an exact cultivar, observations from your own garden or yield.
Britse gewasadviezen worden gecombineerd met Nederlandse en Vlaamse informatie waar beschikbaar. Amerikaanse Extension-bronnen ondersteunen plantprincipes en herkenning; hun kalenderdata, lokale plaagdruk, bestrijdingsmiddelen en mestdoseringen worden niet rechtstreeks op Nederland of Vlaanderen toegepast. Vorst, bodemwarmte, standplaats en expliciete rasinformatie blijven de lokale controle. Commerciële bronnen onderbouwen uitsluitend benoemde ras- en plantkenmerken; zij zijn geen affiliate-aanbeveling.
Supporting evidence by chapter: Why grow Milanese Witte Roodkop?: Feggies. How this choice tastes: Feggies. From harvest to kitchen: Feggies. What needs attention when growing: Feggies. Choose by flavour, shape and use: Feggies, Feggies, Feggies, Feggies. Choosing a suitable root crop: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Make room underground: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Sow in the final position: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. The surface layer deserves attention: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Give every young plant its own space: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Growing without large fluctuations: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Take time over the first one: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. An unusual root tells you something: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension. Start with a sound harvest: Royal Horticultural Society, Utah State University Extension.
Main colour: white with a reddish top Beschrijving van de genoemde rasbron; geen eigen tuinwaarneming. Feggies