⚪ Turnip
An ancient European staple that grows fast and round in cool weather.
Turnip at a glance
Is Turnip frost tolerant?
Yes, through light frosts. Damage starts at -5°C and it is killed below -10°C.
What temperature does Turnip grow best in?
It grows best between 8 and 24°C. Below 5°C it stops growing altogether, and above 27°C it slows down.
How many days does Turnip take to mature?
About 40–55 days. That is a typical figure: it needs roughly 480 °C·d of warmth above 5°C, so a warm season gets it there sooner and a cool one later. The city calendars below give the sow and harvest dates for each place.
Is Turnip a cool-season or warm-season crop?
A cool-season crop. It does best in the mild weather of spring and autumn (and through winter where winters are mild), and slows down in summer heat above 27°C.
What the numbers mean
These are the actual parameters this game runs on. Growth is driven by growing degree days: each day contributes max(0, min(mean temp, 28) − 5), and Turnip is ready when that total reaches 480. That is why the same seed takes a very different number of days in Dublin and in Guangzhou.
| Base temperature | 5°CBelow this, the plant accumulates no growing degree days at all. |
|---|---|
| Degree days to maturity | 480 °C·dThe heat budget it must accumulate before it is ready to pick. |
| Comfortable range | 8–24°CWhere it grows without stress. |
| Frost damage below | -5°CLeaves start taking frost damage below this low. |
| Killed below | -10°CBelow this it does not come back. |
| Heat stress above | 27°CAbove this the plant slows down and stops setting fruit well. |
| Typical time to harvest | 40–55 days |
| Yield per bed | 9 turnips |
Things worth knowing
- Before the potato arrived, turnips helped feed Europe through winter.
- The first jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips — Irish immigrants switched to pumpkins in America.
Where and when to sow Turnip
Pick your city to see the months when Turnip scores well against that city's real climate records: