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
No buyer on record for this crop in the catalog's buyer network.
Price Trend Stable/Up
3-year price trend recorded as "stable".
Supply Below Demand
3 of 6 documented channels rate viability "strong". Sold into regional rather than national markets, vegetable supply here generally trails that demand.
Multiple Buyer Channels
6 of 6 documented market channels rate viable or better (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, csa, wholesale). Multiple independent routes to market.
Value-Added Potential
4 viable direct-market channels (farmers_market, direct_to_consumer, csa, restaurant). Supports value-added and margin capture beyond wholesale.
Market Growth Projected
Mature vegetable market; growth over a 5-year horizon is expected to track population rather than outpace it.
Market Channels
Climate Fit
Hardiness Zone Match
Crop tolerates zones 3-9; region spans 5-6. Overlaps.
GDD Sufficient
Crop needs 1000 GDD (base 50F); region accumulates 2500+. Sufficient.
Precipitation Compatible
Crop needs ~15 in; region receives ~38 in/yr. Compatible, irrigation available as supplement.
Frost-Free Season OK
Crop needs 90 frost-free days; region provides ~180. Sufficient.
Chill Hours Met
Not applicable — annual crop has no winter chill requirement.
Climate Trend Favorable
Crop spans 7 hardiness zones (3-9). Wide adaptive range buffers against warming trend.
Fit by region
The farm matcher, run on each region's cited climate normals. Soil and site are not included here; add your own on the match page.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 80% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 80% cited.
No limiting condition found. 5 criteria evaluated; 80% cited.
Climate envelope & site
What the farm matcher compares your conditions against.
Climate envelope
- Hardiness zone
- n/a
- Frost-free season
- 90+ days
- Heat (GDD base 50°F)
- 1,000+
- Winter chill
- n/a
- Rainfall
- 27.6–66.9 in/yr
Below the minimum, irrigation is needed; above the maximum the crop fails.
- Soil pH target
- 6.0–7.0
Extension lime target; within 1.0 of it is correctable.
Site & structure
- Spring frost at bloom
- n/a
- Needs cold-air drainage
- n/a
- Shade tolerance
- partial
- Mature height
- not yet recorded
- Rooting depth
- not yet recorded
- Wind exposure tolerance
- not yet recorded
- Workable slope
- not yet recorded
Height, rooting depth and shade tolerance are the inputs an alley or guild layout needs.
Soil Compatibility
Soil Texture
Drainage
Infrastructure Fit
Equipment Compatible
0 of 12 documented equipment items are crop-specific (0%) against a catalog median of 29%. Most needs are met by general row-crop or orchard equipment.
Storage Available
2 documented storage routes; at least one (Fresh cold storage (rutabaga, waxed)) is reachable with conventional on-farm or third-party facilities.
Irrigation Compatible
Requires ~15 in. Deliverable with conventional drip or overhead irrigation.
Field Layout Suitable
Suited to the small-to-mid-size fragmented parcels typical of the region.
Labor Availability
300 labor hr/ac vs catalog 75th percentile 250 hr/ac. Labor-intensive — competes for scarce seasonal labor.
Processing Proximity
No processing or cooperative buyer on record for this crop; product would need to travel or be sold fresh.
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
Financial Return
Revenue Above Average
Gross revenue $8,000/ac vs catalog median $6,000/ac. Above median.
Input Costs Acceptable
Total input cost $3,500/ac vs catalog 75th percentile $6,300/ac. Within typical range.
Payback Period OK
Reaches full production in 0 years. Acceptable payback.
Insurance Available
No federal crop insurance recorded for this crop; risk sits with the grower.
Revenue Per Labor Hour
Net return per labor hour $6.67 ($2,000/ac over 300 hr/ac) vs catalog median $13.16. Below median.
Grants/Subsidies
Vegetable crops are eligible under the USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
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 Profile
Manageable Pest/Disease
3 of 10 documented risks are high-severity (30%) against a catalog median of 36%. Risk load is manageable by conventional IPM.
Market Diversified
6 viable market channels of 6 documented. Not dependent on a single outlet.
Low Establishment Risk
0 years to full production at $0/ac establishment cost. Low establishment exposure.
Climate Resilient
Tolerates zones 3-9 (7 zones). Broad tolerance indicates resilience to seasonal variability.
Regulatory Burden Low
No crop-specific licensing or reporting regime beyond standard food-safety and pesticide rules.
Diversifies Portfolio
Adds a vegetable revenue stream distinct from the region's grape-dominated base.
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
Cultivars
Named varieties and what the sources say sets each apart. A cultivar-specific zone, chill or maturity figure overrides the species value above.
No cultivars recorded yet for this crop.
Grows With / Avoid Near
Documented interactions with other catalog crops — shared pests, allelopathy, rotation effects, alley and understory pairings — for companion, guild and rotation planning. Plan a combination with Turnip/Rutabaga →
Avoid near, or plan around (34)
Grows with (5)
Direction matters: a rotation benefit of A before B says nothing about B before A. Interactions are documented pairs only; absence is a research gap, not a clean bill.
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 · Basis: lake erie View economics source →
73 tracked changes across 10 data categories