Last Updated on September 17, 2026
How Many Turnip Plants per Square Foot?
9 turnip plants per square foot, set in a 3 x 3 grid with the plants 4 inches apart. What you harvest can change that: turnips pulled small can sit closer, a square grown only for greens does not need thinning, and rutabagas, which often get lumped in with turnips, need more room.
The spacing pattern
| Per square foot | 9 plants, a 3 x 3 grid |
|---|---|
| Inches apart | 4 inches (12 inches divided by 3) |
| 4 x 4 bed (16 squares) | up to 144 turnips |
| 4 x 8 bed (32 squares) | up to 288 turnips |
| 3 x 6 bed (18 squares) | up to 162 turnips |
Nine is the number on my square foot gardening chart, and the Plan My Garden planner uses the same number: 9 turnips in each 1 x 1 foot cell. The bed counts are grid maximums for a bed planted only with turnips grown for roots.
Turnip spacing by what you harvest
Extension guides give a range, because the gap depends on the root size you want. University of Minnesota Extension thins turnips to 3 to 6 inches; University of Illinois Extension and Mississippi State University Extension thin to 2 to 4. The 4-inch spacing fits both. In square-foot terms:
| What you want | Spacing | Per square |
|---|---|---|
| Small roots, pulled young | 3 inches | 16 |
| Standard roots, 2 to 3 inches across | 4 inches | 9 |
| Bigger roots | 6 inches | 4 |
| Greens only | sown thick, not thinned | no set count |
| Rutabagas | 6 inches | 4 |
Minnesota Extension says to eat turnips while they are young and tender, and that quality can be poor if they grow too large. For a greens-only square, Mississippi State says thinning is not necessary, and Illinois cuts the tops at 4 to 6 inches tall.
Minnesota Extension notes that rutabagas are a different species from turnips. My chart gives them 4 per square, 6 inches apart, the spacing Iowa State University Extension and Illinois use. Iowa State puts rutabagas at 90 to 110 days, and Illinois says they need about 4 weeks longer than turnips, so they do best as a fall crop.
Planting the square
- Mark a 3 x 3 grid: each spot 2 inches in from the edge and 4 inches from the next.
- Sow at each spot 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep, the depth Iowa State and Utah State give. Minnesota Extension sows thicker, seeds 1 to 2 inches apart, and thins; 2 seeds per spot is 18 for the square.
- Water if needed to get the seed up and the seedlings established, as Illinois Extension advises.
- Once true leaves show, thin each spot to one plant (Minnesota’s timing) and eat the thinnings, which Illinois says are large enough to use as greens.
When to plant turnips
These are the windows the Plan My Garden planner uses, counted from your average last spring frost. Turn the weeks into dates with the seed starting calendar, or enter your zip code on Plan My Garden.
| Start indoors | n/a; the planner has turnips as direct sow only, and Utah State says they are always grown from seed |
|---|---|
| Transplant out | n/a |
| Direct sow | 4 weeks before to 2 weeks before your last frost |
| Days to maturity | about 50 days |
| Frost tolerance | Hardy: turnips take frost, so they go in before your last frost. Illinois Extension says they are hardy to fall frosts and may be sweetened by cool weather. |
Soil temperature for germination
From my Seed Germination Temperature Chart: turnips germinate from 40°F, do best at 60-95°F, and stop above 105°F.
Days for seedlings to emerge at different soil temperatures, from the same chart:
| Soil temperature | Days to emerge |
|---|---|
| 41°F | little or no germination |
| 50°F | 5.2 days |
| 59°F | 3.0 days |
| 68°F | 1.9 days |
| 77°F | 1.4 days |
| 86°F | 1.1 days |
The tables disagree at the cold end: 40°F is the listed minimum, but 41°F soil gave little or no germination in the emergence test, and 50°F was the first temperature where seedlings came up. Those counts come from a 1954 University of California leaflet; Minnesota Extension says to look for seedlings after about ten days, and Utah State University Extension says 7 to 10.
Growing notes
Iowa State University Extension sows turnips as soon as the soil can be worked and, after thinning, adds a light mulch such as straw or grass clippings to reduce weeds and keep soil moisture even. Minnesota Extension calls for 1 inch of water a week and says drought stress can make them bitter or woody. Utah State says turnips taste best when they mature before the heat of summer. For greens, Iowa State picks outer leaves when they are young and says never to remove most of them; Minnesota harvests the roots at 2 to 3 inches wide. Iowa State suggests Purple Top White Globe for home gardens, and my list of 10 crops you can direct sow before your last frost names turnips among the extra crops worth sowing early.
Where to get seed
Wood Prairie’s organic turnip seed includes Purple Top White Globe (listed at 50-60 days, about 200 seeds a packet, enough for 11 squares at 2 seeds per spot) and Golden Globe. For rutabagas, its organic rutabaga seed is Joan. Code PMG5 takes 5 percent off.
Quick questions
How many turnips can you plant in a 4×8 raised bed?
Up to 288, at 9 in each of the 32 squares. For later harvests, Illinois Extension suggests successive plantings at 10-day intervals.
How far apart should turnips be in a square foot garden?
4 inches, or 9 per square. Extension guides thin turnips 2 to 6 inches apart, closer for small roots and wider for big ones.
Do turnips grown for greens need thinning?
No. Mississippi State University Extension says thinning is not necessary for greens, and Illinois Extension harvests the tops when they are 4 to 6 inches tall.
How many rutabagas per square foot?
4 per square foot, 6 inches apart, on my square foot gardening chart. University of Minnesota Extension thins rutabagas wider, to 8 inches.
Can you plant turnips in the fall?
Yes. Minnesota Extension plants turnips for spring or fall, and Illinois Extension says the fall crop is usually larger and of higher quality. Rutabagas need about 4 weeks longer, so Illinois grows them as a fall crop.
Let the planner place them
Plan My Garden handles the layout and is free to start: enter your zip code, draw your beds, pick turnips and everything else you want to grow, and it places each plant at square-foot spacing and builds a planting schedule from your frost dates.
Related: Square Foot Gardening Chart · Seed Starting Calendar · 4×8 Raised Bed Garden Layout · How Many Beets per Square Foot? · How Many Carrots per Square Foot?
