Parsnips
Pastinaca sativa. APICACEAE.
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Parsnips
You’ll find everything you need to know to plant and grow parsnips in the accompanying table’s tabs:
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- How many parsnips to plant
- Growing conditions for parsnips
- When to plant parsnips
- How to plant parsnips
- Watering, fertilizing, and caring for parsnips
- Companion plantings for parsnips
- How to harvest, store, and use parsnips
Growing Parsnips
Parsnips are cool-season biennial root vegetables. Grown for their cream to rusty tan, carrot-shaped roots, 4–9 in. (10–23 cm) long and 2 in. (50 mm) wide, parsnips are the hardiest of root crops; they can be left in the ground all winter if heavily mulched. Cool weather prior to harvest concentrates their sugars.
Parsnip Plant and Care Guide
How Much to Plant
Allow 10 plants per household member.
How to Plant
Seed germinates in 21–28 days.
Average Climates: Sow seed in full sun in late spring when soil warms to 40–75°F (4–24°C).
Mild-Winter Climates: Sow seed from summer to late autumn.
Autumn–Winter Gardens: Sow seed in June or July for harvest in early winter.
Sow seed 1/2-in. (12-mm) deep, 1 in. (25 mm) apart, thinning to 3–4 in. (75–100 mm) apart, in rows 2 ft. (60 cm) apart, or broadcast over an area and thin to 4 in. (10 cm) apart.
Best Conditions for Growth
45–75°F (7–24°C). Tolerates hard freezes when protected under a thick layer of mulch.
Soil Type and Fertility
Moist, well-drained, sandy soil. Fertility: Rich. 6.0–6.8 pH. Prepare soil at least 18 in. (45 cm) deep.
Proper Care
Easy. Keep evenly moist. Fertilize monthly with 10–10–10 formula. In cold-winter climates before the first hard freeze, mulch with 6–10 in. (15–25 cm) of straw covered with 4–6 in. (10–15 cm) of soil; in mild climates, apply mulch when temperatures exceed 80°F (27°C). Cultivate. Pest and disease resistant.
Pairing Recommendations
Beets, carrots, rutabagas, and other root vegetables.
Maturity, Picking and Gathering
100–130 days. Harvest roots in second season when desired size, digging carefully with a garden fork; best after frost. All Climates: Mulch heavily for in-ground storage in winter. Mild-Winter Climates: Complete harvest before temperatures warm in spring; leaving parsnips in ground when weather warms results in undesirable woody and fibrous texture.
How to Store and Preserve
Fresh in vegetable keeper of refrigerator for 2–4 months. In all climates, store parsnips in ground throughout winter until ready for use. Roots can be steamed, mashed, or grilled as one would carrots as a side dish; diced and chopped for stews and soups.