Permapotes

Parsnip

Parsnip: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

Parsnip is a root vegetable valued for its pale flesh, sweet taste and distinctive fragrance. Its botanical name is Pastinaca sativa, and it belongs to the Apiaceae family, alongside carrots and celery. The fleshy root is the main part used in cooking. It has a flavour different from that of carrot, with a sweetness that suits both simple dishes and mixtures of vegetables. Its appeal includes aroma as well as texture.

The root is generally white to cream, broad at the top and gradually tapering below. Length and shape depend on the variety. Some types are long, while others are shorter and broader. It can resemble a pale carrot, but parsnip belongs to a different species. Root parsley is distinct too: similar-looking roots do not make them the same vegetable, even when they appear together among winter produce.

Above the soil, the plant first forms a rosette of large compound leaves with several leaflets. They look broader and less finely divided than carrot foliage. The leaflets have toothed or lobed edges. This foliage helps build the root’s reserves and gives the plant a fairly full leafy presence, contrasting with the tapered shape of the vegetable served on a plate.

Parsnip is a biennial plant, generally grown as an annual for its root. If its life cycle continues, it develops a tall flowering stem with tiny yellow flowers arranged in umbels. This second phase leads to reproduction and seed formation. Flowering therefore changes the plant’s appearance considerably. It is a different stage from the development of a root intended for the kitchen.

Varieties differ in root length, width and uniformity. Shorter forms are notably associated with shallower soils. Texture also changes with age and growing conditions. Cold can increase the sweetness of the flesh, contributing to parsnip’s appeal in autumn and winter meals. Suitability for colder periods does not mean resistance to every crop problem, and individual roots do not all develop identically.

In the kitchen, parsnips appear in soups, purées, gratins and roasted vegetable dishes. They accompany potatoes and other roots or take a central role in a creamy soup. Their flesh becomes tender when cooked. In a vegetable garden, parsnip combines substantial foliage with a storage root and adds to the range of vegetables available during cooler seasons.

Parsnip
Parsnip
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Challenging
  • Mature height : 30 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 1 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 10 cm
  • Row Spacing : 30 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Low
  • Water Requirements : Moderate
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Sandy
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Insect-pollinated
  • Propagation : Sowing