Growing Vegetables

Culturing this root crop is much the same as for carrots and beets, but parsnips take much longer to mature from seed about four months. Parsnip is a cool weather crop; its roots are quite sweet after frost has intensified the sugar. In cold-winter areas, plant seeds in late spring, let them grow through summer, harvest them in fall, and leave the excess in the ground to be dug as needed all winter. In mild-climate areas, sow seeds in fall and harvest in spring. Soak parsnip seeds in water 24 hours before planting to improve germination.

How to plant

Prepare the soil deeply before planting, for some varieties are 15 inches long. Sow seeds ¹/2 inch deep in rows 3 feet apart; thin to 6 inches apart.

Care

Parsnips respond to frequent light applications of fertilizer and regular watering by developing large and tender roots. Rough roots can result from prolonged wet, cool weather. Twisted, distorted roots are often caused by delaying thinning too long. Forking and branching roots result from the use of fresh manure, rough, slow decaying compost, or layers of hard soil. And infrequent watering can cause cracking of roots; the hard roots can literally swell and burst open when they finally get water. Parsnips are remarkably free from insects and diseases.

Harvesting

Pull parsnips before the tops begin to flower. Never leave parsnips in the ground past matur­ity, even in winter, for they will become tough and woody. Once picked, parsnips will keep for months in cool storage.

In containers

Roots are too large to make container growing practical.