Not one for the training wheels gardener, the parsnip is a challenging root to grow, but a sweet addition to the table once conquered. Exuding characteristics of potatoes, carrots, turnips, swedes (rutabagas), kohlrabi, pumpkins (winter squash) and carrots, it’s the ultimate blind taste test wild card.
A relative of the carrot, the parsnip has a similar shape, with a thick top that quickly tapers to a wispy, rooty point. Best grown in cooler climates throughout the cooler parts of the year, the frosts help turn the vegetable’s starch into sugar, enhancing its flavour. Consistent moisture in the soil will also help with developing long, straight roots rather than forked and strangely shaped vegetable prototypes.
PLANTING
Not one for the training wheels gardener, the parsnip is a challenging root to grow, but a sweet addition to the table once conquered. Exuding characteristics of potatoes, carrots, turnips, swedes (rutabagas), kohlrabi, pumpkins (winter squash) and carrots, it’s the ultimate blind taste test wild card.
A relative of the carrot, the parsnip has a similar shape, with a thick top that quickly tapers to a wispy, rooty point. Best grown in cooler climates throughout the cooler parts of the year, the frosts help turn the vegetable’s starch into sugar, enhancing its flavour. Consistent moisture in the soil will also help with developing long, straight roots rather than forked and strangely shaped vegetable prototypes.
WATERING
In ground: Water daily for the first 4 weeks and 2-3 times a week in the absence of rainfall thereafter.
In Pots: Water daily for the first 4 weeks, or until the weather becomes consistently cooler, and then cut back to watering every second day.
MAINTENANCE
When propagating seeds in a seed tray add compost, as well as blood and bone for phosphorus.
Transplant seedlings into the patch to their required spacing. After one month, mulch using pea straw, lucerne hay or sugarcane mulch to a depth of 3–5cm.
HARVESTING
Time until first harvest: About 16 weeks.
How to harvest: Pull the foliage near the ground to remove parsnip root from the soil.
TIP
Once you find good, viable seed, stick to it, as it can often be hard to come by.
