Turnip Cover Crop is a cover crop — grown to build and protect the soil rather than for a harvest of its own. It's hardy across USDA zones 2 through 10. Its late spring flowers are a moderate draw for honeybees and native bees.
Zones
2-10
pH Range
5-7
Sun
Full Sun
Days to Maturity
60
Score Turnip Cover Crop on your exact land.
Zone averages can't see the slope, soil, frost, and sun that decide whether turnip cover crop actually takes — and those shift from one yard to the next. Enter your address and we'll score turnip cover crop against your land's real conditions.
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See Turnip Cover Crop
What Turnip Cover Crop is
Turnip Cover Crop grows as an annual or biennial. It blooms in late spring.
How to grow Turnip Cover Crop
Turnip Cover Crop grows in USDA zones 2 through 10. Turnip Cover Crop does best in full sun — at least 6 hours of direct sun a day — and soil from pH 5 to 7, on well-drained ground. It needs around 1,100 growing degree days to mature and a growing season of at least 40 frost-free days, which is why climate matters as much as soil.
USDA Zones
2-10
USDA PHZM 2023
Soil pH
5 - 7
USDA PLANTS Database
Sun
Full Sun
Growable Ground plant catalog
Drainage
well (dry spells)
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost Tolerance
50°F
The lowest temperature it shrugs off — below this, expect damage without cover.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Days to Maturity
60 days
Turnip cover crop; biofumigant + tillage radish substitute.
SARE; USDA-NRCS
GDD Required
1100+
Growing degree-days of accumulated warmth it needs to mature — humid summers reach this faster than cool coastal ones.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Frost-Free Days
40+
The frost-free stretch it needs start to finish — short-season areas may need an indoor head start.
Growable Ground plant catalog
Start the season right
Plant turnip cover crop in full sun with at least 6 hours of direct sun, once the soil has warmed and frost risk has passed.
Match the soil
Turnip Cover Crop prefers pH 5 to 7 (FAO ECOCROP). A quick soil test from your local Extension lab tells you whether to add lime or sulfur to land in band.
Water steadily
Keep the root zone evenly moist through establishment. A 2–3 inch mulch layer holds moisture without waterlogging.
Turn it in before it seeds
Cut turnip cover crop down or turn it into the soil before it sets seed, while the growth is still green — that's when it returns the most to the ground.
Good to know
Good news for pet owners — turnip cover crop isn't known to be toxic to dogs or cats. (Source: ASPCA.)
Turnip Cover Crop offers moderate value to bees and other pollinators. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Where Turnip Cover Crop thrives
On hardiness alone, turnip cover crop grows across most of the country — its range (USDA zones 2 through 10) is unusually wide. Zone is only the starting point, though: the soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific land decide how well it actually does.
Zones 2–10·Where Turnip Cover Crop growsOpen map →
Continental US shown — Alaska and US Pacific territories sit outside the federal map's polygon dataset.
On USDA hardiness-zone overlap, Turnip Cover Crop can grow in these states:
See if Turnip Cover Crop will thrive on your land
Zone averages are a start. Your exact soil pH, drainage, sun exposure, and frost dates shape whether turnip cover crop actually takes — we score it against the real conditions at your address.
Three things about your exact spot that zone averages miss:
We read public map data for this spot — soil, climate, flood, and parcel records. How we handle your address.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Can I grow Turnip Cover Crop in my zone?
Turnip Cover Crop grows in USDA hardiness zones 2 through 10 (USDA PHZM 2023). Zone is one factor — soil pH, drainage, and frost dates on your specific parcel also shape whether it takes.
When should you plant Turnip Cover Crop?
Most growers plant turnip cover crop after the last spring frost, once the soil has warmed, leaving enough of the season for its 40-day frost-free need. Your local frost dates set the exact window — a Growable Ground report reads them for your address.
How much sun does Turnip Cover Crop need?
Turnip Cover Crop needs full sun — a spot that catches at least 6 hours of direct summer sun a day. In more shade it still grows, but usually gives a smaller, later crop. The catch is that a yard rarely gets even light everywhere — a fence, the house, or one tall tree can quietly take those hours. A Growable Ground report reads the real sun-hours across your land, canopy and buildings included, so you can pick the brightest bed before you plant.
What soil does Turnip Cover Crop need?
Turnip Cover Crop prefers soil pH 5 to 7, on well-drained ground (FAO ECOCROP). Your report scores your parcel's actual soil against that using USDA SSURGO data.
Does Turnip Cover Crop attract pollinators?
Yes — turnip cover crop's flowers are a solid nectar source for honeybees and native bees. (Source: Pollinator Partnership.)
Is Turnip Cover Crop safe for pets?
Turnip Cover Crop is not known to be toxic to dogs or cats based on available data. Always supervise pets around new plantings. (Source: ASPCA.)