How to Grow Parsnips: What to Know First
Want to grow parsnips? Plan for a slow crop. Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) are slow growing and suit autumn and winter harvests.2
They thrive in cool weather and improve in flavor after a good frost.1 Parsnips lend a nutty, sweet flavor to any dish.1
A parsnip is a root crop similar to carrots, with a unique flavor.4 Add it to soups and stews to turn common meals into something special.4 It also suits a roasted root vegetable medley.4
Set Your Expectations: Parsnips Take Patience
Parsnips can prove a challenging crop to grow, especially for the new gardener.3 Other growers call them easy winter vegetables.3 Either way, plan on patience.
Roots can be ready for lifting 100 to 120 days from seeding, by one estimate.5 Another estimate puts the wait anywhere between 160 and 200 days from sowing to harvesting.7
Write your sowing date on a plant label so you can keep count.
Start with a short row if you are new to the crop. A small row teaches you the timing without a big commitment, and you can add more next year.
Parsnips Planting, Growing and Harvesting Timeline
Here is the whole season in order.
- Spring: sow outdoors in light, free-draining soil.2
- While plants are young: weed them and water during any long dry spells.2
- The long wait: seeds are slow to germinate and plants grow slowly, so count the days from your dated label.7
- Autumn and winter: harvest, ideally after a few fall frosts.2,1
- Before spring growth begins: lift every remaining root.5
Choose a Parsnip Variety That Fits Your Soil
Look at your own bed before you shop. Dig down with a trowel and see whether the soil is shallow, stony or heavy. That quick check tells you which seed to order.
Shorter varieties of parsnip are better for shallow, stony or heavy soil.2 Roots range in colour from cream to pure white, and all have a similar flavour.2 Check the seed packet for root length before you buy.
Sow and Plant Parsnips in Spring
Sow outdoors in spring, ideally in light, free-draining soil.2 Choose a spot in full sun or partial sun; water needs are moderate.1 Pick a place that dogs and little feet will not cross.
The seeds are notoriously slow to germinate, and the plants grow slowly.7 So be patient.
Plants grow 1–3 feet tall, spread 1–3 feet, and are deer-resistant.1 Give each row some elbow room. Growing parsnips in containers is another option to explore.7
Let each child sow a short stretch of the row and label it with their name.
Care for Growing Parsnips Through the Season
Weed young plants and water during any long dry spells.2 Jot the date in a garden journal.
Parsnips are cold hardy.1 They need a long growing season and are best harvested after a few fall frosts.1
Harvest Parsnips at the Right Time
Harvest parsnips when roots reach full size, about 8 to 12 inches (20-30 cm) long.5 Hand a ruler to a young helper and let them measure.
Where the ground freezes hard in winter, harvest parsnips before they freeze.5 Where the ground does not freeze, they can be harvested from the garden as needed.5 Lift every remaining root before new growth begins in spring.5
Lift and Store Parsnip Roots
Loosen the soil around each root with a digging fork, then lift carefully, because damaged and bruised roots do not store well.5
Trim away all but ½ inch of foliage, brush away the soil, and store the roots cold and moist.5
Leave Parsnips in the Ground Until You Are Ready to Eat
Lift roots a few at a time, since parsnips need little maintenance and can be left in the ground until you are ready to eat them.2
Because they can stay put, you do not have to lift the whole row at once.2
Video Guides for Growing Parsnips
One video guide shows how to get fresh seeds.3 Another walks through growing parsnips step by step.3
Cook Your Harvest
Try stovetop parsnip fries with a little coconut oil or olive oil heated in a skillet.4 Cut the parsnips into thin strips, toss them in, and season with salt and pepper to taste.4 Ask an adult to handle the hot skillet.
Mistakes to Avoid When You Grow Parsnips
- Planting too late. Parsnips planted too late in the season grow small roots.1 Sow outdoors in spring instead.2
- Leaving roots in the ground too long. After new growth begins in spring, the roots lose flavor and become lean, limp, tough and stringy.5 Lift every remaining root before then.5
- Choosing a long root for shallow, stony or heavy ground. Shorter varieties are better there.2
- Lifting roughly. Damaged and bruised roots do not store well, so loosen the soil with a digging fork first.5
- Forgetting to label rows. A dated label makes the long wait easy to track.
Quick-Reference Checklist for Growing and Harvesting Parsnips
- Pick a shorter variety if your soil is shallow, stony or heavy.2
- Sow outdoors in spring in light, free-draining soil.2
- Choose a spot in full sun or partial sun.1
- Expect a long wait; one estimate is 160 to 200 days.7
- Weed young plants and water through long dry spells.2
- Harvest after a few fall frosts.1
- Lift with a digging fork, trim foliage to ½ inch, and store cold and moist.5
- Cook them in soups, stews or a roasted medley.4