How turnips work in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

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Go meet Daisy-Mae and start trading turnips

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Every Sunday, most players' minds will turn to Animal Crossing: New Horizons turnips, thanks to the arrival of an NPC called Daisy-Mae. These vegetables aren't for growing though, as they're actually the game's version of a stock market of sorts - aka the stalk market. 

On Sundays, you buy turnips for one price, and then you aim to sell them before the next Sunday rolls around - hopefully for a higher price than you paid for them. Each day, the Nook nephews will buy turnips from you at a different price. It's then a gamble as to when you sell them - and what size profit you make. 

Where to buy Animal Crossing: New Horizons turnips

(Image credit: Nintendo)

You can buy turnips from a brand new NPC in Animal Crossing: New Horizons called Daisy Mae. She's taken over the job from her grandmother Joan, and is now in charge of Sow Joan's Stalk Market. Yes, you see what they did there right?

Daisy Mae will arrive on your island every Sunday morning between 5AM - 12PM (midday).

You can buy turnips in bunches of 10. Always note down or remember how much you bought your turnips from, as this will be key to the profit you'll be able to make during the week. 

If you don't sell your turnips by the next sunday, they will rot and become worthless. Although it's worth noting that rotten turnips will attract flies and ants, which you'll then be able to tick off your Animal Crossing: New Horizons bugs list.

How to sell turnips in Animal Crossing: New Horizons

(Image credit: Nintendo)

Selling turnips can be done on every day of the week bar Sunday at the Nook's Cranny, aka the Animal Crossing: New Horizons shop. Just go over and speak to Tommy and ask him 'Turnip prices?' to see what today's prices will be.

Yes, you read that right. Prices. The Nook twins will offer you two separate turnip prices a day. One before 12pm midday, and one after midday. Each day, the shop will offer a different two different prices for your turnips. The game is to take a gamble on what you think will be the highest price each week and where you can make the most profit. In total, you'll have 12 different prices throughout the week, so it's a complicated game to play. 

It's worth checking with your friends about their turnip prices too, as they may have better rates to make a visit extra worthwhile. Heck, you can even check the turnip exchange site to ensure you're getting the best profit on your 'nips each week.  

And remember, if you don't sell them by the next Sunday, they'll be worthless. Better to make a little profit than none at all.

According to the official Animal Crossing guide book, the fluctuations in turnips prices each week follows one of four patterns:

  • Normal: Prices will rise and fall slightly, but there won't be any major changes throughout the week
  • Sudden Spike: Prices will suddenly rise dramatically at a random point in the week, then fall immediately afterwards
  • Gradual Decline: Prices won't ever rise above the initial purchase price, and instead fall consistently throughout the week
  • Gentle Spike: Prices will rise somewhat at a random point in the week, but not as high as the Sudden Spike

According to that same guidebook, the statistics for each week occuring looks like this:

Swipe to scroll horizontally
Current PatternProbability of next week's patternHeader Cell - Column 2 Header Cell - Column 3 Header Cell - Column 4
Row 0 - Cell 0 NormalSudden SpikeGradual DeclineGentle Spike
Normal20%30%25%35%
Sudden Spike50%5%20%25%
Gradual Decline25%45%5%25%
Gentle Spike45%25%15%15%

How Animal Crossing: New Horizons turnips storage works

There's a bit of a weird issue with Animal Crossing: New Horizons turnips storage, in that you can't, in fact, really store them anywhere. You're not able to whack them in your home storage whatsoever, but you can just drop them on the floor in your home - or around your home / rest of the island. 

We assume that this is to prevent you from forgetting the turnips you bought just days previously, but doesn't become a bit of an inconvenience - especially if you don't want to waste a precious pocket slot for turnips.

And if you're wondering whether you can plant turnips in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, that's also a negative. You cheeky things you.

It's worth noting that turnips place around your island will be seen by Isabelle - and therefore the island rating system - as trash, so you will be unable to achieve / maintain a 5-star rating with turnips lying around.

Sam Loveridge
Sam Loveridge
Global Editor-in-Chief, 12DOVE

Sam Loveridge is the Global Editor-in-Chief of GamesRadar, and joined the team in August 2017. Sam came to GamesRadar after working at TrustedReviews, Digital Spy, and Fandom, following the completion of an MA in Journalism. In her time, she's also had appearances on The Guardian, BBC, and more. Her experience has seen her cover console and PC games, along with gaming hardware, for a decade, and for GamesRadar, she's in charge of the site's overall direction, managing the team, and making sure it's the best it can be. Her gaming passions lie with weird simulation games, big open-world RPGs, and beautifully crafted indies. She plays across all platforms, and specializes in titles like Pokemon, Assassin's Creed, The Sims, and more. Basically, she loves all games that aren't sports or fighting titles! In her spare time, Sam likes to live like Stardew Valley by cooking and baking, growing vegetables, and enjoying life in the countryside.

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