Turnip/Rutabaga
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa (Turnip) / Brassica napus var. napobrassica (Rutabaga)
Cool-season brassica root vegetables suitable for Zones 3-9; rutabaga prefers fall harvest after the first hard frost for sweetness, while turnips mature faster and are grown for both greens and roots. Well-adapted to cool-temperate climates with moderate-fertility soils.
Crop Snowflake Score
/acre
/acre
/acre
years
Overview
Growing Season
- Plant
- Mid-June to mid-July (Rutabaga); Spring/late summer (Turnip) – Mid-June to mid-July (Rutabaga); Spring/late summer (Turnip)
- Harvest
- After first hard frost; typically September to November – After first hard frost; typically September to November
- Frost-free days
- 90+
- GDD (base 50°F)
- 1,000
Yield
- Typical yield
- 20,000 lb/acre
- Productive lifespan
- 1 years
- Labor
- 300 hrs/acre
Market Fit
Active Regional Buyers
Limited or developing buyer network in this region
Price Trend Stable/Up
Price stable over past 3 years
Supply Below Demand
Regional supply roughly balanced with demand
Multiple Buyer Channels
Limited market channels; primarily single outlet
Value-Added Potential
Limited value-added processing opportunities
Market Growth Projected
Stable market outlook
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Region's hardiness zone within crop range (3.0-9.0)
GDD Sufficient
Regional GDD (2600) meets crop requirement (1000)
Precipitation Compatible
Regional precipitation (~40 in/yr) compatible with crop needs
Frost-Free Season OK
Frost-free season (160 days) meets crop requirement (90 days)
Chill Hours Met
Chill hour requirement N/A for this crop type or met by default
Climate Trend Favorable
Climate projections remain favorable for this crop in the region
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
Standard farm equipment compatible or easily adapted
Storage Available
Dry/ambient storage sufficient; commonly available on farms
Irrigation Compatible
Low water needs or rain-fed viable
Field Layout Suitable
Vineyard field layouts suitable for this crop
Labor Availability
Moderate labor requirements; manageable with planning
Processing Proximity
No nearby specialized processing; may need direct marketing or shipping
Equipment Requirements
planting
General-purpose tractor for tillage, bed forming, cultivation, and harvest support. Fixed cost shared across vegetable crops.
Meters small brassica seed at shallow, uniform depth and spacing for even stands and consistent root sizing.
Forms raised, well-drained beds that improve root shape and reduce clubroot/root-rot pressure in wet soils.
irrigation
Maintains steady moisture for tender, non-pithy roots; even moisture prevents growth checks that cause bitterness and cracking. Per-acre consumable.
spraying
Applies insecticides for flea beetle, caterpillar, and aphid management and fungicides for Alternaria and downy mildew.
cultivation
Mechanical weed control in slow-establishing, small-seeded brassicas that compete poorly with weeds early.
general
Excludes flea beetles and cabbage root maggot flies from seeding through establishment, the highest-risk window. Per-acre consumable.
Liming to raise soil pH toward 7.2 is the core cultural control for clubroot; requires testing and accurate lime application.
harvesting
Loosens and lifts roots ahead of hand or mechanical pickup, reducing breakage of turnip and rutabaga roots at harvest.
Removes tops before lifting to speed harvest and prepare roots for storage; greens may be harvested separately.
post_harvest
Cleans soil from roots before grading and packing for fresh and storage markets.
Holds roots near 0 °C at 95% relative humidity to extend storage life for winter sales; rutabagas are often waxed before shipping to limit moisture loss.
Storage Requirements
Fresh cold storage (rutabaga, waxed)
Temperature
32–35°F
Humidity
95–100%
Max Storage
150 days
Fresh cold storage (turnip, topped)
Temperature
32–35°F
Humidity
90–95%
Max Storage
120 days
Finance Fit
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue ($20,000/acre) exceeds regional average
Input Costs Acceptable
Input costs are low to moderate
Payback Period OK
Annual crop; returns in first season
Insurance Available
No federal crop insurance; NAP may be available for some disaster scenarios
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Revenue per labor hour ($67) is competitive
Grants/Subsidies
Grant and subsidy programs available (Specialty Crop Block Grant, EQIP, Beginning Farmer, etc.)
Economics Breakdown
| Avg Price/Unit | $1/per lb |
| Gross Revenue/Acre | $8,000 |
| Annual Operating Cost | $3,500/acre |
| Establishment Cost | $0/acre |
| Total Input Cost | $3,500/acre |
| Net Return/Acre | $2,000 |
| Revenue/Labor Hour | $67 |
| Crop Insurance | Not available |
Source: UMass New England Vegetable Management Guide; MSU Extension E2207 (2025)
Risk Fit
Manageable Pest/Disease
Moderate pest/disease pressure; manageable with available methods
Market Diversified
Market access diversified across multiple channels
Low Establishment Risk
Moderate establishment risk; manageable with planning
Climate Resilient
Hardy and resilient to climate variability in the region
Regulatory Burden Low
Minimal regulatory burden for production and sale
Diversifies Portfolio
Diversifies farm revenue away from grape monoculture
Known Risks
pest
Adults chew numerous small shotholes in seedling and young leaves; feeding is most damaging in spring and can destroy stands of newly emerged turnip and rutabaga before plants establish, and can spread some diseases.
Fly larvae tunnel into the roots, scarring and rotting turnip and rutabaga roots and rendering them unmarketable; turnips are especially attractive for egg-laying, so feeding damage can exceed that on other brassicas.
Lepidopteran larvae chew foliage and contaminate the crop with frass; heavy defoliation reduces root sizing, and contamination is a quality issue when turnip greens are marketed.
Waxy gray-green aphids form dense colonies on foliage and in leaf folds, stunting plants, distorting growth, and contaminating marketable greens with cast skins and honeydew.
disease
Soilborne pathogen that produces swollen, distorted root galls, causing stunting, wilting, and yield loss. Resting spores survive in soil for up to roughly 18-20 years and are favored by acidic, wet soils.
Seedborne fungi producing dark, target-like concentric leaf spots that coalesce, defoliating plants and blemishing marketable greens under warm, wet conditions.
Cool, wet conditions favor angular yellow lesions on upper leaf surfaces with downy sporulation beneath; on roots it can cause internal flecking that downgrades quality.
Seedborne bacterium causing V-shaped yellow lesions advancing from leaf margins with blackened veins; spreads in warm, wet weather and through splashing and handling.
weather
Turnip and rutabaga are cool-season crops; high temperatures during growth trigger premature bolting and produce bitter, woody, or pithy roots, so heat during sizing degrades quality.
market
Turnip and rutabaga are niche storage vegetables with limited fresh demand; concentrated fall harvests and long storability can create market gluts that depress prices.
Nutritional Yield
Macronutrients
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 28 kcal | 2,032,083 kcal |
| Protein | 0.9 g | 65,317 g |
| Total fat | 0.1 g | 7,257 g |
| Carbohydrates | 6.4 g | 466,653 g |
| Fiber | 1.8 g | 130,634 g |
| Sugar | 3.8 g | 275,783 g |
Key micronutrients
Uncertainty: Per-acre values are estimates that compound the yield range, edible-fraction assumption, and a single representative nutrient panel. Treat them as order-of-magnitude planning numbers, not nutritional advice. Confidence: high.
Ecosystem Services
Soil health
- Cover-crop and forage-brassica soil benefitshigh
Turnips are widely used as cover and forage brassicas; their roots penetrate and loosen compacted soil (biodrilling) and rapid fall growth scavenges residual nutrients and protects soil over winter.
Applies when: grown as a cover crop or in rotation cover plantingsEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: high
Nutrient cycling
- Residual nitrogen scavengingmoderate
Fast fall root and top growth takes up residual soil nitrogen that would otherwise leach over winter, then releases it as residue decomposes for the following crop.
Applies when: planted into residual fertility ahead of winterEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Erosion control
- Winter soil covermoderate
As a fall and cover crop, turnip foliage and roots provide ground cover that reduces soil erosion and surface crusting during fall and winter rains.
Applies when: fall-established cover or late plantingsEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Pollinator support
- Late or early brassica bloom foragelow
When allowed to bolt or overwinter, turnip and rutabaga produce abundant yellow brassica flowers that provide early-season nectar and pollen for bees, valuable in cover-crop and seed-production contexts.
Applies when: bolting or overwintered plants allowed to flowerEvidence: Extension guidance·Confidence: medium
Biodiversity
- Wildlife and livestock forage valuelow
Turnip tops and roots are grazed by livestock and wildlife in forage plantings, supporting integrated crop-livestock systems and field biodiversity.
Applies when: forage or grazing plantingsEvidence: Industry consensus·Confidence: medium
Nearby Buyers
Data Sources
Every data point on this page is traceable to its source. Below you'll find the complete provenance trail — which sources were used, when data was last verified, and a full change history.
Primary sources: Data sourced from Cornell Cooperative Extension, Penn State Extension, USDA resources, and regional research.
Economics data year: 2025 · Region: lake_erie View economics source →
70 tracked changes across 10 data categories