Aji Kogane Turnip is a Japanese salad turnip with a striking golden exterior and exceptionally sweet flesh that excels both raw and cooked. This heirloom variety reaches harvest maturity in just 40 to 50 days, making it one of the quickest turnaround crops for your garden. Growing in hardiness zones 3 through 9, it thrives in full sun and handles a wide temperature range from 45 to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. The thin-skinned roots stay tender and delicate, roughly 2 to 3 inches tall, and sprouted seedlings appear within 4 to 7 days, giving you nearly immediate feedback that your planting worked.
1
Full Sun
Moderate
3-9
3in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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Golden skin encases a tender, sweet flesh that tastes equally compelling raw or roasted. The thin skin requires no peeling before eating, and the plant's speed to maturity means you can succession plant every few weeks for continuous harvests. If you've grown Hakurei turnips before, you'll recognize the same ease of cultivation paired with a richer, more golden appeal. This is the kind of turnip that converts skeptics into believers, whether shaved paper-thin into salads or gently roasted until the edges caramelize.
Aji Kogane Turnip shines as a raw salad ingredient, where its thin skin and sweet flesh need no peeling and can be shaved or sliced thin for a delicate crunch. Roasting brings out deeper caramel notes in the flesh, while steaming softens it for addition to soups and braises. The entire root is edible and tender enough that peeling is optional, making it wonderfully efficient in the kitchen.
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Direct sow seeds into well-prepared soil in full sun. Plant seeds 1/4 inch deep and keep soil moist until seedlings emerge, which typically happens within 4 to 7 days. Sow in early spring as soon as soil can be worked, and again in midsummer for fall harvest. In zones 3 to 9, you can plant nearly year-round, timing successions to avoid peak summer heat if possible.
Aji Kogane Turnips reach harvest-ready size in 40 to 50 days from sowing. Pull roots when they are 2 to 3 inches tall; they are best eaten young and tender rather than left to grow much larger. The golden skin and diminutive size make them visually distinct and easy to spot at harvest time. You can harvest by gently pulling the entire plant from the soil, or carefully loosen soil around the root and lift. These turnips are sweetest when harvested promptly at their target size.
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