Why Grow Bella Luna Turnip?
Sweet & Early-Maturing Bella Luna Turnips are a high-performing hybrid variety prized for their mild flavor, uniform roots, and dependable garden performance. This early-maturing turnip produces beautiful, smooth white roots topped with shiny, dark green foliage. With excellent uniformity and solid bolt tolerance, Bella Luna is a great choice for gardeners looking for a reliable turnip that produces a high-quality harvest.
Delicious Roots and Greens Bella Luna Turnips provide a true dual-purpose crop, with sweet, mild roots and flavorful medium-sized greens that can both be enjoyed in the kitchen. Harvest the tender tops for traditional cooked greens while allowing the roots to continue sizing up for a second harvest later. The plants also offer valuable resistance to clubroot, helping them perform reliably where this soilborne disease can be a problem. Early, attractive, and delicious from top to bottom, Bella Luna is an excellent turnip variety for any cool-season garden.
Bella Luna Turnip Growing Tips
• When to Plant Turnips
Turnips are a cool season root crop that grows best during the fall months, when cool temperatures produce sweet, tender roots. While they can also be grown in the spring in cooler climates, fall is the preferred planting season for most gardeners, especially in the South. Turnips are typically direct seeded, as they develop the best root shape when grown without transplanting.
To plant, make a shallow furrow about ½ inch deep and lightly sow seeds along the row. Cover with soil, press gently to ensure good seed-to-soil contact, and keep the soil consistently moist until germination. Once seedlings emerge, thin them to 3–6 inches apart, depending on the variety, to give the roots plenty of room to develop.
Turnips tolerate frost well, and cool weather actually improves their flavor by converting starches into natural sugars. They can remain in the garden well into late fall and even after several light frosts.
• How to Fertilize Turnips
It's always a good idea to apply some pre-plant fertilizer to the soil before sowing turnip seeds. We like to sprinkle a balanced pre-plant fertilizer across our raised beds or garden rows prior to planting. This provides the nutrients needed for strong root development and healthy top growth.
Once the plants are established, feed them with a balanced fertilizer to encourage vigorous leaf growth and the development of smooth, high-quality roots. We like to use a liquid solution of AgroThrive Fruit & Flower around the base of the plants. Consistent moisture and steady fertility will help produce sweeter, more uniform turnips.
• When to Harvest Turnips
Turnips are typically ready to harvest when the roots reach 2–4 inches in diameter, depending on the variety. Harvesting at this size provides the best combination of tenderness, sweetness, and texture.
One of the best things about turnips is that you don't have to wait for the roots to mature to enjoy the crop. As the plants grow, you can harvest the nutritious greens for cooking, leaving plenty of foliage behind so the roots continue to size up. Young greens are tender enough for salads, while larger leaves are excellent sautéed or simmered.
When the roots reach their desired size, gently loosen the soil and pull the plants by hand. Both the roots and greens can be enjoyed together for a delicious, homegrown meal, making turnips one of the most versatile crops in the cool-season garden.
