Turnip | Purple Round White Top

Grow crisp, sweet, and perfectly round roots of Purple Top White Globe turnips right in your home garden. This classic heirloom variety has been an American and Canadian favorite since the late 19th century, celebrated for its smooth, bright white globes crowned with vivid purple tops, tender white flesh, and mild, sweet flavor.

Fast-growing and dependable, Purple Top White Globe delivers heavy yields of tender 3- to 4-inch roots in under two months, while also providing a rich harvest of nutritious turnip greens. Its compact habit and stellar cold tolerance make it an essential crop for spring and autumn succession planting across Canadian gardens, performing beautifully in raised beds, traditional plots, and container displays.

Why Grow Purple Top White Globe Turnips?

• Classic heirloom producing smooth, globe-shaped roots with striking magenta-purple crowns
• Mild, sweet, and crisp white flesh with no harsh bitterness
• Dual harvest crop—enjoy both the tender roots and nutrient-dense green tops
• Rapid-maturing cool-season favorite—harvest roots in just 45–55 days
• Excellent storage potential for fall and winter cellar keeping
• Approximately 45–55 days to maturity
• Grows best in full sun to partial shade
• Open-pollinated heirloom variety
• Approximately 50-60 seeds per packet

How to Grow Purple Top White Globe Turnips from Seed

Direct sow turnip seeds outdoors in early spring as soon as the soil can be worked for a spring crop, or sow in mid-to-late summer (about 6–8 weeks before your first fall frost) for an exceptionally sweet autumn harvest.

Sow seeds 6–13 mm (1/4 to 1/2 inch) deep and 2.5 cm (1 inch) apart in rows spaced 30–45 cm (12–18 inches) apart. When seedlings reach 7–10 cm (3–4 inches) tall, thin them to a final spacing of 10–15 cm (4–6 inches) apart to allow ample room for round root development.

Choose a location receiving full sun to partial shade with loose, well-draining soil free of rocks. Keep soil consistently moist to ensure roots grow quickly and remain tender, crisp, and sweet.

Harvest young roots when they reach 5–8 cm (2 to 3 inches) in diameter for the best texture and mildest flavor. Light autumn frosts enhance the natural sugars in both roots and greens.

Growing Turnips in Canada

Purple Top White Globe turnip is exceptionally well-suited to Canadian growing conditions, thriving during the cool, crisp shoulder seasons of spring and late fall across all growing zones.

Succession sowing every two weeks from early spring through midsummer provides a continuous supply of crisp roots and tender greens from early summer straight through until freeze-up.

For detailed instructions covering seed starting, spacing, watering, fertilizing, harvesting, and pest management, read our How To Grow Turnip in Canada | Complete Guide

Purple Top White Globe Turnip Growing Information

Feature	Detail
Botanical Name	Brassica rapa subsp. rapa 'Purple Top White Globe'
Common Name	Turnip (Purple Top White Globe)
Plant Type	Biennial grown as an annual root & green crop
Sun Requirements	Full sun to partial shade
Days to Maturity	Approximately 45–55 days
Seed Count	Approximately 50-60 seeds
Pollination Type	Open-pollinated heirloom variety
Best Uses	Roasting, mashing, autumn soups, fresh slaws, turnip greens, and winter storage

Grow Your Own Purple Top White Globe Turnips

There is nothing quite like pulling crisp, violet-capped turnips fresh from your cool autumn garden plot. With its rapid maturity, mild sweetness, and double harvest of roots and greens, Purple Top White Globe turnip is a deeply satisfying and essential addition to your Canadian vegetable patch.

Sow your seeds this season and enjoy a fast, abundant harvest of gourmet root vegetables!