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Parsnip - Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) White Non GMO Organic Parsnips Vegetable

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Parsnip - Parsnips (Pastinaca sativa) White Non GMO Organic Parsnips Vegetable

Annual

Height 1 to 3 ft

Parsnips, also known as Cow Parsnip, are biennial plants that have a rosette of upright  hairy green foliage that, when crushed, produce a pungent odour; these plants are grown for their fleshy, smooth, edible, cream coloured, and carrot shaped taproots, and are a member of the parsley family. Parsnips are often mistaken as white carrots however they have a thin, tan peel that is removed before use - this reveals the white flesh underneath. Similar to carrots, parsnips can be be eaten raw or prepared a variety of ways such as boiled, fried, and steamed, and are sweetest when roasted.

Parsnips, require a long growing season, and are similar to carrots and other root crops, as they also require a loose, deeply worked, fertile soil to allow the roots to develop evenly. Ensure the soil is free of lumps, stones and debris- even the small stones can cause parsnip roots to fork.

Parsnips require a long growing season and have the best flavour when they can be grown during cooler months - it can take from 120 to 180 days for parsnips to go from seed to harvest. Some regions grow parsnips as a winter crop, planted in the middle of the fall and harvested in late winter or early spring. In cold regions where the ground freezes solid, parsnips are planted in the early spring as soon as the ground can be worked and harvested in the following fall.

  • Full sun
  • Well draining loose soil
  • Direct sow outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked; seeds can take 3 to 4 weeks to germinate, and will not push through crust-topped soil. Cover seeds with compost or place floating row covers over plantings to shade the soil and conserve moisture. Sow ½ in deep, and ½ to 1 in apart thin to strongest plant leaving 6 in apart. When thinning, cut plants at ground level rather than pulling them to avoid disturbing the surrounding plants. 
  • Spacing: rows 12 in apart
  • OR start seeds indoors but they, like most root crops, are difficult to transplant to the garden with success - best to use a biodegradable starter pot so as not to disturb the tap roots when transplanting.
  • Once the seedlings are a few inches tall, and after all risk of frost has passed, plant pot and seedling in rows 12 in apart and plants 6 in apart.
  • Seed Count: 50