Days to Maturity: 50
A hybrid, mid-early turnip variety, Royal Crown Hybrid Turnip is a root vegetable but is a dual-purpose crop grown for its highly uniform deep green leaves as well as its roots. The large, top-shaped roots have a bright purple crown and a creamy white bottom. Their mild, sweet flavor is particularly well-suited for savory soups, braises, and stews; but turnips can also be stemmed or boiled as a side dish, and young shoots can be added to salads. Turnips are considered a superfood for their nutrient rich content, having a high (top 20) Aggregate Nutrient Density Index score (ANDI), or micronutrient-per-calorie density. They are a good source of vitamin C and a source of dietary fiber, folate, niacin, and calcium with phytonutrients phytosterols and glucosinolates also present.
Typically grown as an annual, Royal Crown Hybrid Turnip, a cold hardy herbaceous biennial, is a member of the cabbage and mustard family (Brassicaceae or Cruciferae), commonly called crucifers, brassicas, or cole crops. Royal Crown grows quickly and has a semi-upright habit of smooth, deeply lobed leaves with short petioles. For best flavor, harvest young turnips when they are 2 inches or less in diameter. Larger turnips may become woody and pungent.
Royal Crown Hybrid Turnip is easy to grow from seed. It prefers full sun to part shade and well-drained fertile soil high in organic matter and with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5. For best texture and flavor, soils should be kept evenly moist. Although turnips will grow in less than ideal conditions, their growth and quality will suffer in poor soils.
A cool-season, semi-hardy vegetable, one of the first to be planted in the garden, turnip seeds can be direct sown into the garden as soon as the soil is workable in early spring, before the last frost date. It needs cold temperatures to germinate and grow and can withstand light frost and temperatures in the 28 to 32°F range. Fall turnips become even sweeter with a light frost. Row covers offer added protection from heavy frost. Mulching helps to moderate soil temperature and to maintain soil moisture.
