The Kanamachi turnip is a swift-maturing Japanese heirloom that reaches harvest in just 20-29 days, making it one of the fastest turnips you can grow. This limited edition seed packet carries extraordinary cultural weight: it features the artwork of Chiura Obata, the Japanese American artist whose life and work were interrupted by forced relocation to concentration camps in 1942. Growing these turnips becomes an act of remembrance and support for Asian American agricultural heritage, honoring both the resilience of Japanese American farmers and the artistic vision that survived one of America's darkest chapters. Hardy from zones 2-10, the Kanamachi thrives in cool-season gardens and tolerates frost, giving gardeners a reliable crop across nearly every climate.
Full Sun
Moderate
2-10
?in H x ?in W
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Moderate
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This isn't just another turnip packet; it's a collaboration between Kitazawa Seed Company, Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center, and the Asian American Art Initiative to preserve and honor the agricultural legacy of Japanese Americans. Each packet holds roughly 970 seeds, featuring Chiura Obata's artwork on the cover, making this a limited edition that connects gardening directly to art history and cultural memory. The Kanamachi variety itself delivers practical speed, reaching maturity in under a month, while the seed packet itself becomes a keeper, a tangible reminder of why seed saving and cultural preservation in agriculture matter.
As a fast-maturing Japanese turnip, the Kanamachi is harvested young and tender, ideal for slicing raw into salads or lightly cooking. Japanese cuisine traditionally uses young turnips in stir-fries, soups, and pickles, where their mild flavor and delicate texture shine. The greens are equally valuable, particularly in Japanese cooking where turnip tops appear in hot pots, steamed dishes, and alongside grains. The speed to harvest means you can succession plant for continuous crops throughout the cool season.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Direct sow seeds into prepared garden beds or containers filled with well-draining potting soil. Sow seeds at a depth of 1/4 inch, pressing them gently into moist soil. Plant in full sun, spacing seeds about 2-3 inches apart initially. Keep soil moist until germination, which occurs at temperatures between 50-70°F.
Harvest the Kanamachi turnips at 20-29 days after sowing, when roots are still small and tender, typically 1-3 inches in diameter. Young turnips are sweeter and more delicate than larger, more mature roots. You can harvest individual roots or pull entire plants, including the greens for cooking. The small, young size at harvest is intentional for this variety; waiting longer produces woody, less flavorful roots. Harvest the tender greens anytime once plants are established, or leave them on the root for harvest together.
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“The Kanamachi turnip carries the history of Japanese American agricultural innovation, a legacy nearly erased by forced relocation. In 1942, Chiura Obata and his family, along with more than 120,000 Japanese Americans, were forcibly removed from their homes and imprisoned in concentration camps. Despite this brutality, Japanese American farmers preserved their agricultural knowledge and seed varieties, including turnips like the Kanamachi. Kitazawa Seed Company, itself rooted in Japanese American farming traditions, worked directly with Stanford University's Cantor Arts Center and the Asian American Art Initiative to honor this history through this limited edition packet. By featuring Obata's artwork on the cover, the packet acknowledges both the artistic resilience and the agricultural contributions of Japanese Americans whose stories were nearly forgotten.”