Turnip shares a species with several leafy Asian brassicas -- Chinese cabbage, pak choi, mizuna -- which is easy to overlook if you grow both a root crop and a stir-fry green without realising they're the same plant at flowering time.
New to terms like isolation distance or outcrossing? See the Seed-Saving Glossary.
Seed-Saving Difficulty
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Difficult
High crossing risk
How It's Pollinated
Insect-pollinated (high outcrossing)
(High crossing risk)
Scientific name: Brassica rapa
Domestic Crops It Can Cross With
- Other turnip varieties
- Chinese cabbage, pak choi, and mizuna -- all the same species (Brassica rapa) and will cross freely if flowering nearby
- Does not cross with cabbage, kale, broccoli or swede -- different species
Wild Relatives & Feral Species
- Feral turnip and wild B. rapa populations can occur near farmland
Separation Distances Required
Minimum: 500m between varieties
Recommended: 800m-1km for reliable purity
Strict: Bag and hand-pollinate flower heads for guaranteed purity
Seed-Saving Strategies
- Biennial -- overwinter roots (mild zones) or lift and store, replant in spring
- Allow seed pods to dry brown on the plant
- Harvest before pods shatter and thresh
- Store dry -- viable 4-5 years