parsnip

Parsnips stay in the ground all winter; you do not need to dig anything up or store it. The roots tolerate frost without problems and even become sweeter in the cold; you harvest as needed, as long as the ground is not frozen. In snow-free lasting frost, cover the bed with a layer of brushwood, straw or fleece so the soil does not freeze deeply and you can still get at them. In spring, harvest the last roots before they sprout again and turn woody.

Parsnips are propagated exclusively by direct sowing outdoors. Vegetative propagation is not usual and practically not sensible, since the long taproot does not tolerate transplanting. Sow the seeds between mid-March and the end of April directly at their final position, since parsnips do not tolerate transplanting and the roots would otherwise fork. Parsnip is a light germinator: place the seeds only about 1 to 2 cm deep in loose, deep soil and cover them only thinly; sowing too deep germinates poorly. Keep a row spacing of 30 to 40 cm and later thin the young plants to 10 to 15 cm apart. Important: use only fresh, one-year-old seed, as viability drops sharply after just one year. Germination takes about 2 to 4 weeks (roughly 15 to 28 days), depending on soil temperature; from about 8 to 12 °C soil temperature the seed germinates more reliably. To improve the uneven and often slow germination, you can let the seeds soak in lukewarm water for around 24 hours before sowing. Keep the seedbed evenly moist until the seedlings emerge.