Repotting guide

When & how to repot Turnip 'Market Express' (Brassica rapa var. rapa 'Market Express')

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.

Mature size: Tops reach 20-30 cm tall; roots harvested young at 4-6 cm diameter, around golf-ball to small-tennis-ball size.

Watch for — Woody or split roots: Drought, irregular watering, or harvesting too late makes roots tough and cracked. Keep moisture even and lift roots young at peak tenderness.

How to tell turnip 'market express' needs repotting

Repotting on a calendar is less reliable than reading the plant. For turnip 'market express', watch for these signs:

Roots circling the bottom of the module or pot, or poking out of the drainage holes.
The seedling dries out within a day and growth has visibly stalled.
Roots are white and matted in a tight spiral when you tip the plant out.
It has outgrown its current container for the stage of the season — pot turnip 'market express' on before it becomes hard root-bound.

For the underlying biology of a pot-bound root system and why it stalls a plant, see our guide to spotting and fixing a root-bound plant.

How often to repot turnip 'market express'

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot. Turnip 'Market Express'is grown for one season, so the question is really “how often to pot on” — keep moving it up before the roots circle. Fast-growing cool-season annual forming a low rosette of edible leaves above a rounded, swelling white root. Bolts to a yellow-flowered seed stalk if stressed by heat or left past maturity..

What size pot to step turnip 'market express' up to

Pot turnip 'market express' on gradually — a seedling jumped straight into a huge pot sits in cold, wet, airless soil and stalls. Step up one or two sizes at a time as the roots fill each container, finishing in a large final pot or the ground. The aim is roots that never circle and never check.

Not sure of the exact diameter? Our pot size calculator takes the current pot and root spread and tells you the right next size — it deliberately recommends a single step up, never a big jump.

The best time of year to repot turnip 'market express'

Pot turnip 'market express' on through the active growing season, whenever roots fill the current container — there is no single date, just "before it becomes root-bound". Avoid potting on during a cold snap.

Step-by-step: repotting turnip 'market express'

Pot on before it is root-bound. Check turnip 'market express' regularly; move it up as soon as roots reach the edge of the cell or pot, not after they have circled.
Step up one or two sizes. Choose the next container up — not a giant one. Cold, wet, unused soil around a small root system stalls seedlings.
Knock it out gently. Support the stem, tip the pot, and ease the rootball out without breaking it. A little teasing of circled roots at the base is fine.
Pot into rich mix. Set it into fresh light, fertile, well-drained loam at the same depth (tomatoes are the exception — they can go deeper to root along the stem).
Water in and grow on. Water well, keep it in good light, and resume feeding once it is established and growing again.

Aftercare

Water turnip 'market express' in well and keep it in bright light; a freshly potted-on seedling can wilt for a day while roots settle, so do not overcompensate by drowning it. Do not fertilise for about 1 week — fresh mix already carries nutrients and feeding freshly disturbed roots scorches them.

The right soil mix for turnip 'market express'

Turnip 'Market Express' wants light, fertile, well-drained loam. A loose, stone-free soil lets the round roots swell smoothly and cleanly. Neutral pH (6.0-7.5) is ideal; liming acid soil also helps deter club root. Work in compost, but avoid fresh manure, which forks the roots. Always use fresh mix when you repot — reusing old, broken-down soil reintroduces the compaction and poor drainage you are repotting to fix.

Repotting turnip 'market express' — frequently asked questions

How often should you repot turnip 'market express'?

Pot on seedlings as they grow; not a perennial repot for turnip 'market express'. Turnip 'Market Express' is a seasonal crop, so you pot it on as a growing plant rather than repotting a perennial. Step seedlings up gradually into light, fertile, well-drained loam so the roots never circle the cell, ending in a large final container. A root-bound transplant stalls and never fully recovers.

What size pot does turnip 'market express' need?

When is the best time of year to repot turnip 'market express'?

Can you put turnip 'market express' straight into a much bigger pot?

No. Even a fast-growing turnip 'market express' should only go up one pot size at a time. A vastly oversized pot holds a reservoir of wet soil the roots cannot reach, which stays cold and soggy and rots the roots — the opposite of what you wanted.

Should you fertilise turnip 'market express' after repotting?

Not immediately. Wait about 1 week after repotting turnip 'market express'. Fresh mix already contains nutrients, and feeding freshly cut or disturbed roots burns them. Resume your normal feeding routine once you see new growth.