in our area we sow the seeds thickly and do not pull up to thin or space.. when the leaves are young we pinch some of them off and cook and continue to do this at intervals allowing the roots to grow,,,as the turnips mature if they are too close, we will pull some up and again use to cook...
turnips/mustard do better planted in the garden. they need room to grow, in ga. we sow seeds directly into the garden both in the spring and fall. i plant mine in march and last week in september. my fall garden is really pretty. i have english peas, turnips, mustard, rutabaga, broccoli...