8 Top-Tips to Growing the perfect Parsnips

There is always something very special about achieving great results with parsnips that are home-produced because they are more often than not, a tricky kitchen garden subject to bring to perfection.

There are many great articles offering general cultural guidance on producing parsnips but this article is aimed at giving you an extra edge that many how-to-grow articles won't be providing.

If you follow these GrowMad tried and tested production tips, this winter classic will become trouble-free and you will be almost guaranteed 1st class harvests for up to 8 months of the year.

These tips have been garnered the hard way from years of experience but we are only too happy to share our secrets with you.

1. Avoid Early Seed Sowing 

This is an important one.

Each new season, every gardener, allotmenteer and grower, will be itching to get sowing and growing, especially if you have large production schedules to get through. Nobody will blame you, this is a genetic trait shared by all veg growers.

There are many seeds that can be sown during early spring and there's always a ton of work to get through but don't be in a rush to sow Parsnip seeds.

Parsnips hate the cold and wet and we can get plenty of either of those conditions well into April.

It always amazes me that seed packet growing instructions will happily recommend sowing Parsnip seeds from February or early March onwards. That is simply too early unless you happen to experience a once-in-a-lifetime warm spring with just the right amount of rain. Let's be honest, that probably won't happen on a regular basis.

Never be in a rush to sow Parsnip seeds. Sowing from mid-May until late June (it sounds a little late but trust us) will deliver excellent results if combined with our other top tips for success.

2. Seed Viability   

Simply put, old seed or seed that is past its sell-by date, isn't going to cut it. 

Many vegetable types and varieties have more than generous shelf lives, some seeds are still worthy of being sown for up to 8 or even 10 years, but not Parsnip seeds. 

Seed viability for Parsnips will be exhausted within a year and all old seed, even seed from the present growing season that is surplus to requirements, should be discarded. Always use fresh seed bought at the beginning of the season you are going to be sowing.

Never sow old Parsnip seed, it will only end in disappointment.

3. Always Direct Sow 

Some well-known names and faces in the vegetable-growing world wholeheartedly recommend sowing Parsnips and growing on in pots or modules for transplanting at a later date. This is a gamble. Parsnips do not take kindly to being disturbed once in growth. Unless you can be certain that young seedlings can be planted out without any type of disturbance, avoid this method.

We at GrowMad would always recommend sowing Parsnip seed directly into the growing position. We love sowing into modules, it's always so convenient but, never with this crop.

4. Panda to the Parsnips Every Need 

Prepare the seedbed by removing any weed from the soil and rake level to a fine tilth.

Sowing can begin in March (under cloches) but it is far better to delay until May or even early June. Later sown crops will usually catch up with earlier sowings.

Sowing should always be directly into the growing position as Parsnips dislike being transplanted.

Carefully take out a drill (shallow groove) and sow seed thinly. Cover the seed to a depth of 1cm, Parsnip seed will not germinate if sown too deeply. Leave at least 30cm (12 inches) between rows.

When back-filling the drill, instead of filling it with soil, try covering it with multi-purpose compost. The compost will provide a more germination-friendly environment.

Water well with a watering can with a rose, try not to disturb the newly sown seed. Keep moist until the seed has germinated which can take up to 21 days and can be erratic.

For more details on parsnip culture, take a look at the GrowMad Parsnip Growing Guide.

5. Canker Resistant Varieties 

Canker can be a serious fungal disease of Parsnips.

It will manifest itself as black, purple or orange patches at the top or crown of the vegetable usually from autumn onwards.

Parsnip canker is caused by fungal spores Itersonilia pastinacae a seed-borne pathogen and Mycocentrospora acerina which is spread by splashing water and can occur after damage to the developing root by carrot root fly.

Other causes may be acid soil, soil that has been overly manured or wet growing conditions.

This particular disease can be reduced by practising good crop rotation, improving soil drainage, and correcting soil pH to 6.5 and above. You can also delay sowings until early summer, grow at closer spacings aiming for smaller roots and ensure the developing roots are well covered by earthing up growing crops. 

As there is no chemical cure for canker, the most straightforward method of preventing this unwelcome disease is to simply grow resistant varieties.

The best of the currently available canker-resistant varieties include:

F1 Albion - Thompson & Morgan | Suttons

F1 Gladiator - Moles Seeds | Suttons | Mr Fothergill's Seeds | DT Brown Seeds | Simply Seed | Thompson and Morgan

F1 Javelin - Mr Fothergill's Seeds | DT Brown Seeds | Simply Seed | Chiltern Seeds 

F1 Panorama - Thompson & Morgan | Suttons Seeds | Medwyn's of Anglesey | DT Brown Seeds | Dobies

White Gem - Thompson & Morgan | Suttons Seeds | Moles Seeds | Mr Fothergill's Seeds | DT Brown 

6. Primed Seed 

Seed Priming is a scientific technique that breaks the natural dormancy in seeds.

It's a useful process for difficult-to-germinate seeds such as parsnip. It not only improves germination rates but assists with the rapid establishment and uniformity of crops.

You can obtain primed parsnip seed from Moles Seeds 

7. Do Not Over Manure Your Soil 

Fertile, well-drained soil is definitely beneficial to producing quality crops of parsnips but avoid growing in freshly manured ground. Soil that has been freshly manured, can and probably will, cause distortion of the roots or 'forking'

If you ever harvest a crop that has suffered from forking, it should be noted that these roots are still perfectly edible although they may be slightly more difficult to prepare in the kitchen.

8. Avoid Stony Soil

Attempting to grow tip-top parsnips in stony soil will always be challenging.

Many crops are more than happy to be cultivated in stony ground but sadly not the fickle parsnip.

Stony soil will cause forking in the roots in a similar way to overly manured soil. To avoid this problem, always cultivate in stone-free ground.