When to plant turnip in Houston
Turnip is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Houston's frost dates of Jan 26.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Dec 25 – Jan 15
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Feb 3 – Feb 18
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Sep 24 – Oct 8
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Nov 10 – Nov 25
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 55 d
Houston's 317-day season leaves this much room.
Turnip on Houston'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
JAN 26
DEC 9
Common questions
When can I sow turnip outdoors in Houston?
Direct-sow around late December (Dec 25–Jan 15) in Houston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 81%.
When will turnip be ready to harvest in Houston?
Expect to harvest from around early February (Feb 3–Feb 18) in Houston, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 76%.
Can I plant turnip in autumn in Houston?
Yes — Houston supports a second, autumn sowing of turnip around late September (Sep 24–Oct 8), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Houston?
Houston has roughly 317 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 Houston's frost dates.
Confidence 84/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.