When to plant turnip in Melbourne
Turnip is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Melbourne's frost dates of Aug 28.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Aug 7 – Aug 28
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Sep 16 – Oct 1
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 55 d
Melbourne's 270-day season leaves this much room.
Turnip on Melbourne's growing year
Frost-bounded season with crops mapped onto the 12-month axis.
Frost risk Growing Harvest
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
FROST
AUG 28
MAY 25
Common questions
When can I sow turnip outdoors in Melbourne?
Direct-sow around early August (Aug 7–Aug 28) in Melbourne, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 86%.
When will turnip be ready to harvest in Melbourne?
Expect to harvest from around mid September (Sep 16–Oct 1) in Melbourne, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 77%.
How long is the growing season in Melbourne?
Melbourne has roughly 270 frost-free days, which is enough time to grow turnip to maturity outdoors.
The rule of thumb
Sow turnip as soon as the soil is workable — it tolerates cool weather and light frost. Every date on this page is derived from that rule and Melbourne's frost dates.
Confidence 86/100 · NOAA GHCN-Daily · 1991–2020 normals · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.