How to Grow Parsnip

Botanical Name: Pastinaca sativa

Plant Type: Hardy Biennial

The name “parsnip” comes from the French pastinaca and the “nip” added to indicate its resemblance to the turnip. The parsnip is a root vegetable that grows wild in Europe and West Asia and has been cultivated since ancient times. It is a member of the umbelliferae family whose other members include carrots, chervil, parsley, fennel, celery, and celeriac.

The parsnip is not surprisingly related to carrots and like its relative, is grown as a root crop around the world. Originating from Europe, parsnip was once a staple in the diet of this region but declined in popularity when the potato was introduced from the New World. The decline was unfortunate, for when grown under severe conditions of cold, its sugar content rises dramatically, producing a delicious vegetable for the dining room table and one that is sufficiently sweet to make wine, beer, and jams!

Parsnip is making a resurgence in popularity in restaurants and kitchens everywhere and is starting to get used in more exciting and creative ways. It is a very versatile vegetable in the kitchen and can be eaten raw as well as baked, boiled, sautéed, and steamed. The earthy flavour is perfect for soups, roasts, and mashes. Parsnip is relatively easy to grow and has a great nutritional profile, making it deserving of a place in your vegetable patch.

Some of the most important health benefits of parsnips include their ability to lower the chances of developing diabetes, reducing cholesterol levels, improving healthy digestive processes, preventing depression, strengthening the immune system, and lowering blood pressure. Parsnips contain a wide variety of vitamins, minerals, and nutrients, including dietary fibre, folate, potassium, and vitamin C.

Growing from Seed

Sow: Direct in rows

Ease of Germination: Medium

Germination Temperature: 4°C–18°C

Germination Time: 21-29 days

Spacing: 15cm apart

Harvest: 105-180 days

Yield: 250g

Parsnip seed is notoriously slow to germinate, taking up to 3 weeks. Usually sown direct, protect from snails and slugs, especially during germination.  Water regularly during the first 4-6 weeks to help your newly emerged seedlings to take root.

Cultivation

Sun: Full Sun           

Pollination: Insect-pollination

Soil: Work soil with a fork and spade to a depth of at least 40cm. Remove any stones and foreign material to leave a good fine soil free of obstacles and impediments which may cause root deformation. Improve soil with compost and decomposed manure prior to sowing. 

Maintenance and Additional Care

Once germinated, parsnip is an easy crop to grow. Simply harvest after 105 days when the roots are large, and the foliage has started to die down.

Companion Planting

Good companions: Beans, garlic, peas, pepper, potato, radish, silverbeet.

Bad companions: Carrot, celery.

Pests and Diseases

A root crop, parsnip is most commonly prone to attack from aphids, thrips, caterpillars, and mites. They can also be attacked by slaters and nematodes beneath the soil.

Avoid overhead watering to reduce the likelihood of powdery mildew and leaf spot.

Practice crop rotation to avoid soilborne pests and diseases and maintain healthy plants with regularly applications of a seaweed solution to minimize pest attack.

Container Gardening

Most varieties of parsnip are not really suitable for growing in pots due to the depth of their roots.

Harvesting

Parsnips can be harvested after two to three months as babies, but they reach full size in four to six months. They will happily survive being left in the ground during winter, and it is the cold that highlights the flavour and sweetness of the parsnip. For this reason, we have little doubt that early harvesting of parsnips is the principal cause of disappointment among gardeners when they grow this vegetable.

Like carrots, parsnips push up out of the ground when they reach a mature size. Use a digging fork to loosen the soil around parsnips before pulling them up as needed in the kitchen. Immediately chop off the tops, wash and refrigerate

Seed Saving

Seed Longevity: 2 years

Isolation Distance: 800m

How to Save Seed: A biennial plant, parsnip will set seed in its second year. Save seed from the first parsnips to flower in spring. Flowering in a large umbel, the largest umbel in the centre is known as the king umbel, and this is the best for saving as seed. As the umbel browns, carefully remove the entire flowering stem and place in a clean dry pillowslip to dry. After a few weeks, tap the flowering head to release the seeds into the pillowslip. This seed can then be store for sowing the following year. 

Tips and Tricks for Success

• in humid conditions, they are prone to a number of blights and are attacked by a range of pests, so in northern regions they should be sown after the wet season. In the southern parts of the country, they are sown from early spring to late summer, the sowing period being progressively earlier as one moves south from central New South Wales.
• soak seed overnight in water to improve germination. Only ever grow from fresh seed to improve germination rate.
• gardeners should wear gloves when thinning and working around parsnips because contact with the leaves can cause rashes in some people.
• to keep your parsnips from developing stunted or oddly shaped roots, take the time to really dig soil over before planting.
• while they are growing, you shouldn’t add any manure, compost, or extra fertiliser. Too much nutrient results in the development of too many side-shoots, leaving you with very “hairy” parsnips