Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Turnip 'Market Express' (Brassica rapa var. rapa 'Market Express')cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called Market Express turnip, quick-maturing turnip.

More about turnip 'market express'

About Turnip 'Market Express'

Brassica rapa var. rapa 'Market Express' · also called Market Express turnip, quick-maturing turnip · edible

'Market Express' is a fast, refined Japanese-type salad turnip producing smooth, pure-white roots in about 35-40 days. Sweet, crisp, and mild enough to eat raw, it is bred for quick succession sowings and cool-season growing. The tender greens are equally edible. Easy and reliable, it suits both spring and autumn crops and small-space beds.

Cold limit: USDA 2-9 (cool-season annual) · RHS H5 (10-20°C)

Watch for — Bolting: Heat or a cold check sends plants to flower instead of bulking up. Sow in cool conditions for spring and autumn crops and harvest promptly.

What turnip 'market express''s hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for turnip 'market express': it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H5 means: Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA 2-9 (cool-season annual) — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for turnip 'market express' as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can turnip 'market express' go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when turnip 'market express' can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H5 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline turnip 'market express'

Turnip 'Market Express' is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Turnip 'Market Express' hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is turnip 'market express' cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for turnip 'market express': it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Turnip 'Market Express' is grown 2-9 (cool-season annual); you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature turnip 'market express' can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is turnip 'market express'?

Turnip 'Market Express' is rated USDA 2-9 (cool-season annual) and RHS H5 — Hardy in most of the UK and in cold winters.

Can turnip 'market express' survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect turnip 'market express' from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.