Welcome to our section on tips for growing parsnips.

Here we will give you advice, tips and guidance on sowing, growing and harvesting parsnips in the Uk and the rest of the world.

Sowing and Planting

When choosing your area for parsnips they like to be in soil that is well prepared and moisture retentive. Parsnip seeds take a while to germinate so don’t fret if you don’t see them for a while.

When to plant

You can plant parsnip seeds outside from April to June but only when the ground is ready for them in a well prepared bed.

Varieties

There are a few varieties of parsnip that you can try and grow. These are:-

• Tender
• White Gem
• White Spear

Planting

Parsnips don’t need warm soil to germinate the soil temperature only needs to be from 2 degrees. Parsnips will not germinate if the soil is over 17 degrees.

When sowing parsnips sow the seeds around 2 cm deep. Sow them every 15cm deep. When the seeds have germinated and are around 3cm tall thin out the plants. Keep the strongest ones. Move them once they have two true leaves.

Growing

When looking after parsnips keep to soil evenly moist by watering every 10-13 days in dry and hot weather. This will avoid them from splitting.

Harvesting

Parsnips take a long time to grow so you need to be patient with them. They take around a whopping 32-35 weeks to grow! You know they are ready when the leaves start to die back in and around autumn. The best time to pick them is after the first frost. Lift them carefully with a fork trying not to damage the root.