Truth be told, it is not like we needed yet another root vegetable in our garden. We are already growing sweet potatoes, turnips, carrots and even rutabagas. However, if you know me well then you know that whenever I discover a vegetable that is not currently growing in my garden, it becomes a challenge. Hence why this season I went ahead and started growing parsnips.

Typically parsnips (Pastinaca sativa), are biennial this is usually if you want to collect their seeds for sowing. Most of the time, they are harvested within the first year. Appearance wise, they closely resemble carrots, the most noticeable difference would be their white color. There are many different varieties available such as Albion, Harris Model and Hollow Crown which is known to produce longer roots up to 15 inches long. The later, is what we decided to plant in our garden and they are doing very well at the moment.

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Here’s What You’ll Need:

parsnips seeds
compost
aged manure
mulch

Parsnips will demand a lot of your attention during the first stages. Direct sowing the seeds into the ground at least half an inch apart is recommended. Germination can take up to 28 days, be patient. Sow seeds when ground temperature is above 50 degrees F and also use newer seeds that are less than a year old to increase your germination rate. After thinning out the plants to at least 6 inches apart, we went ahead and planted radishes in between the rows as companion plants.

Weeds can become a problem if not taken care of as you will notice that your seedlings will grow very slowly in the beginning. Keep an eye out for carrot flies, caterpillars, aphids as well as parsnip canker. Water well and deeply to promote good root growth. In about 100 to 120 days when the leaves start wilting and the roots are about 3/4″ in diameter, it is time to harvest and enjoy. Take care when pulling out of the ground as some of them tend to have really long roots, which may break off.

You can get more information & tips from the Gardener’s Path blog, here…