Yes, turnips grow in containers just as well as they do in the ground when you give them the right setup. Your pots need to be at least 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) deep for the roots to form well. Turnips are one of the easiest root crops to grow in a pot on a patio, balcony, or small deck space.
When I first tried Hakurei turnips in a 5-gallon bucket on my balcony last spring, the results surprised me. Those little roots were ready to pull in just 38 days from seed to plate. The shape of each root came out smoother than my in-ground turnips because the potting mix was loose and free of rocks. Container gardening turnips turned out to be one of the best projects I've done in a small space.
The right container makes a big difference in how your turnips perform. Go for a wide, low-profile shape rather than tall and narrow. A 14-inch wide pot that is 10 inches deep gives you room for about 9 turnips per square foot of surface area. Growinginthegarden.com backs up this spacing for best results. Harvesttotable.com sets the bare minimum depth at 8 inches for any turnip variety you plan to grow in a pot.
Your container needs three things to keep turnips healthy from seed to harvest day. First, it must have drainage holes in the bottom so water doesn't sit and rot the roots. Second, fill it with a loose soilless potting mix rather than garden soil. Garden soil packs down hard in pots and chokes the roots. Third, keep the moisture even because turnips in pots dry out much faster than plants in the ground.
Watering turnips in pots takes more attention than a garden bed does. Check your containers every morning and water when the top inch of soil feels dry to the touch. On hot days above 80°F (27°C), you may need to water twice. I keep a saucer under each pot to catch overflow and let the roots soak up extra water from below. This trick kept my balcony turnips from drying out during a two-week heat wave last July.
Pick small and fast varieties for the best container results with less waiting around. Hakurei matures in 38 days and Tokyo Cross in about 35 days. Both grow small, tender roots that fit well in a pot without running out of room. Larger types like Purple Top White Globe need 50-60 days and want deeper soil, so they don't perform as well in most containers. Stick with the smaller types and you'll have better luck.
Place your containers where they get 6-8 hours of direct sun each day for the best root size and fastest growth. A south-facing balcony or patio wall works great for this purpose. You can slide pots around during the season to chase the sun as it shifts angles. In my experience, moving my pots just a few feet to the left in late summer kept them in full sun for an extra two hours per day. This flex is one of the best perks of growing your crop in pots.
Container turnips are a perfect way to get fresh roots from a tiny space with very little fuss. Start with a good pot, loose soil, a fast variety, and steady water each day. You'll have crisp, sweet turnips on your plate in just over a month from the day you drop seeds in. Even if you have a full garden, pots let you grow extra turnips right next to your kitchen door for quick harvest when you need them for dinner.
Read the full article: Growing Turnips: A Step-by-Step Plan
