White Egg Turnip

Seed Count: Approx. 300 seeds

Days to Maturity: 30-48 Days

Description: White Egg Turnips are a fast growing variety, with beautiful, snow white  flesh, and an egg like shape.  This turnip is praised for its smooth skin, and crisp, tender, fine grained, sweet, and mild flesh, that can even be enjoyed raw fresh from the garden.  It's perfect for bunching, and market growing, as well as, for home growing. This variety also has great storage capabilities, and its flavor intensifies in storage.  It grows partly above ground, with roots that can grow to be 3.5x 2.5 inches in diameter, with 7 inch tops.  White Egg Turnip grows very well in the South, is loved for its reliability and delicious flavor, and tastes best when the roots are harvested small and young.

How To Grow

Sowing:  A cool weather crop, turnips thrive when planted three weeks, after the hottest part of the summer, for a fall crop. Direct sow Purple Top White Globe turnip seeds in rich, deeply worked soil and full sun, 1/2" deep in rows 12-18" apart. Seedlings will emerge in 7-14 days. As the seedlings grow, thin them to 4-6" apart.

Growing:  Grow turnips as you would radishes, carrots, and beets. Apply mulch to conserve moisture and control weeds. Watch out for pests such as the red and black harlequin bug, which must be removed to prevent damage.

Harvesting:  Harvest greens as soon as they reach a good size for eating; if using both the greens and the root, harvest only 2-3 leaves per root. Since small
turnips have the most tenderness and flavor, pull them when they reach a size of 1-3". To store them for extended periods, cut the top down to 1/2" and store in a cool, dark place without washing off the dirt. Gardeners with warmer winters will be able to apply a layer of mulch and leave the crop in the ground all winter.  Purple Top White Globe turnips store very well.  This vegetable must overwinter before producing seed. In warmer climates, a layer of mulch will be sufficient for protection. In colder climates, dig up the turnips; cut the tops to 1" and store them in damp sand at 33-40 degrees F until replanting in spring. The roots will send up flowering stalks. When the seed pods begin to turn brown, remove them before they shatter or dig up the entire plant and hang it upside down in a protected location to dry. Thresh the seed from the dry pods by crushing them. Store the seeds in a cool, dry place for up to 4 years.