Grow Parsnips Successfully

Selected Article

Increase your harvest with intercropping and catch cropping part 2 of 3

Part two of the three part article about intercropping and catch cropping

more on Increase your harvest with intercropping and catch cropping part 2 of 3 ...

Grow Parsnips Successfully or Wooing the Bashful Parsnip

There was a flurry of correspondence in one gardening journal during 1995 regarding the low, even nonexistent, germination rate of parsnip seed. Either I am very lucky or my routine overcomes the generally recognised reluctance of parsnip seed to match up to the germination percentages that seeds are required to meet.

I only have a small kitchen garden, cultivated on the deep bed, no dig, system. The beds are surrounded by timber and I sow, or plant, in blocks not rows.

For parsnips and carrots I fill cored out holes 18 in (45 cm) deep with a sieved mix much the same as an exhibitor would use. Each station is marked with a twig (usually Budleja prunings), then, if I have a gap, I know where the core hole is.

Because the plot is relatively small I want the best possible results - although the only place where I stage my vegetables is the kitchen table (but that is where I hope to be awarded at least a "Highly Commended").

Only rarely do I need to make a second sowing to replace any absentees from parade. So, here is my technique.

Instead of rushing out on the first two sunny days of spring I have invested in a soil thermometer. You will find one at most garden centres - with a red top so that you will not tread on it. The first thing to do is to throw away the backing card with its list of suggested germination temperatures because it is, to say the least, totally misleading.

Plunge the thermometer to its full depth in the soil and wait until it attains a reading of 45°F (7°C).

Now for two questions ... how thick is a parsnip seed and which way is "up"? I tend to apply a rule when sowing any seed (or planting a tuber or bulb) that it should be at a depth equal to three times its own thickness. But you would need a micrometer to measure the thickness of a parsnip seed so I do not sow at the oft recommended 1 in (2.5 cm) deep. Instead I place four or five seeds at each station and then make a slit in the soil with a knife and allow each seed to slide sideways down the crevice so that it does not matter which way is "up". Maybe it does not matter anyway, but I get better results this way.

I can hear readers saying "I haven't got time to fiddle about like that", but I would dare to reply "Oh yes you have"! From sowing to harvesting a parsnip takes around nine months, some thirty six weeks and I am not going to work out how many gardening hours.

Sowing takes a very small percentage of that time, I would accept that my routine is easier if you are kneeling by a narrow deep bed than when you are straddling a 20 ft (6 m) row. So why not adopt a deep bed system? After all we are gardeners not farmers.

Temperature is always a critical factor in germination so let us look at the temperatures needed for some other crops. Peas and beans will cope with 39°F (5°C); brassicas, lettuce, leeks, outdoor sowings of onion, carrots, parsnips, swedes, turnips and potatoes need 45°F (7°C), tomatoes and all the squash family require 65°F (18°C) while cucumbers are not entirely happy below 72°F (24°C).

I am sure there are hundreds of gardeners who have no problems with parsnips, that's fine, they should stick to the system that works for them. If, however, some who are new to vegetable growing feel they are jinxed with parsnips I would say give this way a try.

As far as cultivars are concerned I usually grow 'Cobham Improved Marrow' although The Student', Tender and True' and 'Hollow Crown Improved' also do well. It is horses for courses and the cultivar should match the soil and other conditions. If in doubt ask a successful grower whose plot is close by.

Did you know.....

That: A book published in 1878 listed three cultivars of turnip rooted, that is round rooted, parsnip? They were 'Panais Royal', 'Panais de Metz' and one simply called 'Round'. A fourth cultivar 'Panais de Siam' (syn. 'Panais Batard') was intermediate between the round and long cultivars and was described as "more tender and richer in flavour than the other sorts". As "panais" is French for parsnip it would seem that these were probably not much grown in Britain.

That: Parsnip leaves can be blanched in spring and used in salads as you would use celery? Simply draw soil over roots that are sprouting.

That: Hamburg parsley produces edible roots rather like small parsnips? Sow in March or October and lift the roots in the following winter. The leaves, which are flat, like plain or Italian parsley, can be used just as you use ordinary parsley.

That: The proverb "Fine words butter no parsnips" is probably the only example of a vegetable being mentioned in a popular saying? Can members think of any others?

That: The Roman Emperor Tiberius had parsnips sent from the area around the Rhine for his own use in Rome?

This article originally appeared in the Members Bulletin, the journal of the National Vegetable Society, which is sent quarterly to members. You can Join the National Vegetable Society here

Grow & Show

Growing Advice From Medwyn General Gardening Growing for Show Growing Fruit Growing Herbs Month by Month Gardening Vegetable Growing General