When to plant turnip in Louisville
Turnip is cold-hardy, so every date keys off Louisville's frost dates of Apr 1.
Step 1 · Sow
Direct sow outdoors
Mar 11 – Apr 1
Sow straight into warm, workable soil.
Step 2 · Harvest
Harvest window
Apr 20 – May 5
Picking runs until conditions turn against the crop.
Step 3 · Second sowing
Autumn / second sowing
Aug 14 – Aug 28
A second window for a fall crop, timed to mature before the first frost.
Step 4 · Second harvest
Autumn crop harvest
Sep 30 – Oct 15
Maturity window for the second sowing.
Window
Days to maturity
40 – 55 d
Louisville's 212-day season leaves this much room.
Turnip on Louisville'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
FROST
APR 1
OCT 29
Common questions
When can I sow turnip outdoors in Louisville?
Direct-sow around mid March (Mar 11–Apr 1) in Louisville, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 82%.
When will turnip be ready to harvest in Louisville?
Expect to harvest from around mid April (Apr 20–May 5) in Louisville, based on its local frost dates. Confidence 74%.
Can I plant turnip in autumn in Louisville?
Yes — Louisville supports a second, autumn sowing of turnip around mid August (Aug 14–Aug 28), timed to mature before the first fall frost.
How long is the growing season in Louisville?
Louisville has roughly 212 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 Louisville's frost dates.
Confidence 82/100 · Curated · based on NOAA GHCN-Daily 1991–2020 normal · frost dates are probabilities, not guarantees.