Purple Top Turnips

Brassica rapa, commonly known as purple top turnips, are a short-season brassica valued for their ease of cultivation and versatile applications. Primarily planted for pasture, wildlife, and cover crops, purple top turnips are renowned for their rapid growth and development. Their grazing potential is significant, with livestock often consuming the entire plant. Planting purple top turnips in late summer allows for substantial growth and development before the onset of a killing frost. Despite their hardy nature, these turnips can be grazed intensively after freezing until fully consumed. However, intensive grazing may inhibit regrowth. Overall, Brassica rapa, or purple top turnips, offer a valuable source of forage and cover, providing a nutritious food source for livestock and wildlife while contributing to soil health and erosion control in agricultural landscapes.