Your comments and tips

08 Dec 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Try and grow it in the cooler time of the year. Google growing parsnips in Thailand.

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01 Dec 17, Jos Dekker (New Zealand - temperate climate)

(i) When you purchase your seed, make sure it is within the stipulated "use by date" (ii) Prepare bed or row by loosening the soil to a minimum depth of 20 c.m. (iii) Soak seed in lukewarm water overnight. (iv) I do not sow seeds in singles but use a "scatter" method and thin out plants later (v) Mix seeds with a small quantity of very friable earth and scatter in your row or bed. (vi) I don't particularly like the covering with a plank method to stop drying out but prefer putting a shade to keep the sun off whilst seeds are germinating. Ensure to keep soil wet during germination. Depending on temperatures, if cold, I water with luke warm water. (vii) I think that transplanting tends to produce malformation in the parsnip root. Let them grow in the spot where they first saw the daylight! Good luck!

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04 Nov 17, helen duckworth (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Whoopee my parsnips have germinated 100% by the look of the rows. Do I need to protect the seedlings from frost - I live in the McKenzie Country of South Canterbury.

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17 May 17, Aaron (Australia - arid climate)

I am in Perth Western Australia and wants try to harvest my parsnip in between July & September can you advice on planting date. Thank you ! Regards

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17 May 17, Giovanni (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

Parsnips take about 5 months to harvest from sowing and are normally planted between June and September in the Perth climate zone. This leaves a gap as seed sown in late September would be ready in late March not July - September as you were hoping. They would normally only keep for 3 - 4 weeks in the refrigerator so you still have a 'gap'. Why not plant some seed in March and give them a try? When the seedlings emerge keep them moist and apply a thick mulch to keep the soil a bit cooler. It's worth a try and you'll know for sure then. Maybe someone else has tried it and can answer.

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14 May 17, liz (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

hello - i also need some help with parsnips - i have a raised bed and put in plenty of compost most years - this last year i managed to get a whole row of parsnips to grow but - they are so tiny no bigger than my fingers and wrinkly like norah batties stockings but taste so darn good - my question is - how do i get them to grow into proper big parsnips - have i got something missing from the soil of my garden that they need to grow long and big??? thanks

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15 May 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

Parsnips like deep friable soil to get long roots. Too much manure will give you twisted and forked roots. Planting them after a crop like lettuces, cabbages, beans, tomatoes, pumpkins, etc is good as the soil will be loosened up and there will be less nitrogen in the soil. An excess of nitrogen will cause big bushy tops and small roots.

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25 Feb 17, Ruth L. (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

here you find the best tips for growing parsnips!! https://www.organicgardener.com.au/blogs/parsnip-secrets happy gardening and success with the parsnips!!

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25 Feb 17, Ruth L. (Australia - cool/mountain climate)

In the Barrington Tops area we always plant parsnips (organically) from August to February, mind you the ones that had a bit of frost taste a lot sweeter!! I don't believe that leaving parsnips in the same patch to self seed is a good idea, crop rotation is a must for healthy growth! we harvest by hand (fork!!) very carefully....(medium scale)

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16 May 16, Bianca (Australia - temperate climate)

My frost dates are June, maybe last one in July, if the cold weather lasts that long. If i was to plant in Aug as suggested above, and harvest in 20 weeks, this would not see us through to a frost date with the parsnips in the ground... Can anyone shed any light on correct planting times? I would have to assume this is inaccurate?

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