Parsnip: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
How to sow parsnips successfully outdoors?
Sow parsnips directly where they will grow in spring, in warmed, well-drained soil in sun. In cool climates, sowing in March, April or early May often gives more even germination than February sowing. Choose fresh seed and loose soil free of large stones. Avoid freshly incorporated manure.
Make drills about 1 cm deep and about 30 cm apart. Sow thinly or place a few seeds every 10 to 15 cm, then cover and water gently if the soil is dry. Keep the surface moist without standing water. Germination may take two to four weeks depending on conditions; wait before assuming the sowing has failed.
Thin seedlings to one strong plant about every 10 to 15 cm, following the variety’s instructions. Avoid transplanting seedlings with taproots. Weed carefully and use insect-proof mesh if carrot fly is a problem. Harvest time depends on sowing, variety and growth; it is not guaranteed after a fixed number of months.
How to care for this plant
-
Thin seedlings
Wait for germination, which can be slow, then thin crowded parsnips to about 15 cm apart.
How do you harvest parsnips?
Harvest parsnips when the roots are a suitable size for your needs, usually from late summer or autumn through winter depending on sowing time. Yellowing foliage starting to die back is a guide, but variety and growth matter too. Cold can make the roots sweeter.
Insert a garden fork beside the row, well away from the roots, and gently lift the soil. Avoid pulling only on the tops: long roots can break. In well-drained soil, leave some of the crop in place and harvest as needed. Mark rows before the leaves disappear and lift a few roots before a prolonged freeze makes the soil difficult to work.
For lifted roots, remove the tops and excess soil, then store only sound roots in suitable cool conditions. Check them regularly and use damaged but still edible roots first. An ordinary cellar or paper bag does not guarantee six months of storage: the duration depends on temperature, humidity and root condition.
Parsnip
- Type : Vegetables
- Subtype : Root vegetables
- Botanical Family : Apiaceae (umbelliferae)
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