How to Grow Parsnips: Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Guide

Parsnip left in ground over winter stalks 18” tall about to flower. What to do with flower? Will parsnips be any good?

Parsnips are technically a biennial that sets seed in its second year. Congratulations on your crop!

Excess nitrogen in the soil will cause overabundant top growth, rather than putting its energy into the root development. Do a soil test. The best soil is well drained with a pH of 6.0 to 6.8.

We never say never, so it's certainly possible that you can grow parsnips in Southern California (see the zone list at the top of the page, right of the photo). The end of season frost tends to sweeten them but it's not nec for growing/reaching maturity. The need a long growing season—and you folks have that in spades (not so here in New Hampshire). It would be worth your while to consult your local cooperative extension service to talk about parsnips in your area, especially if you are in a microclimate (in hills or a valley). Click here and choose your state to get specific info: https://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-ser...

Well, parsnips will not be satisfactory if grown in San Diego. Parsnip is considered a winter vegetable because its flavor is not fully developed until the roots have been exposed to near-freezing temperatures for 2 to 4 weeks in the fall and early winter. The starch in the parsnip root changes into sugar, resulting in a strong, sweet, unique taste. Not sure if will ever get cool enough long enough in your area. But then again, the adventure is in the trying.

Parsnips are tough enough to endure a few light frosts, so we would say you still have to time to plant a crop, though the roots may end up being smaller than normal. If you wait until spring to harvest, you should put down a thick layer of mulch to protect your crop through winter.

Be sure that your plants are indeed edible parsnips, because there are some weeds, some toxic, that are lookalikes. If you are absolutely sure, then you might just count days to harvest (about 100 to 130 days since you saw them sprouting), and not worry about the frost, even though the roots may not be as sweet. On the other hand, you could try letting a few plants die back naturally, and leave some of the roots in the ground until a few fall frosts hit them and see if the quality is retained. I'm not sure, though, if the warm soils of summer will preserve them. It might be better just to harvest them soon.

Note: You don't want the plant to flower, which will make the roots woody (these plants are biennial, so if the seeds just sprouted this year, it is unlikely that the plant will flower this year unless stressed). Be careful about handling parsnip, as the sap can be irritating to the skin.

Good luck!

Perhaps the roots did not have enough humidity? Parsnips do best when stored in an area that is around 32 to 35 degrees F, and 90 to 95 percent humidity. Be sure to trim off the leaves, down to about 2 to 3 inches, before storing the roots. For long-term (between 4 and 6 months), store the roots in slightly damp sand, sawdust, or leaves.

If you bought parsnip seeds to grow as food, you have nothing to worry about. However, wild plants resembling parsnips should not be taken for food except by persons who are skilled in identifying both the poisonous and nonpoisonous kinds. Parsnips (Pastenica sativa) are not poisonous at any time during the first growing season nor after the roots have been left in the soil over winter. There is no evidence that parsnip or other edible roots that go through the winter in the soil, even if they freeze, become poisonous.  

Just tried them like that recently and now I must try growing them!

Hi Janice, It is unlikely that your parsnips could survive that cold a winter in the ground. Even in Minnesota the extension office recommends harvesting parsnips in the fall after a few frosts and storing them in a root cellar for the winter. You could always leave a few in the ground and give it a try!

We left parsnips in ground last fall. This winter temperatures dipped to minus 40 and warmed up then dipped again. I did not mulch them but they were covered with snow. Dug some for Easter and cooked them....they were perfectly delicious. Today April 21 I dug three large pails. I know they will be fine to eat but since I have more than I can use in next two weeks I'm going to try to blanch and freeze them. Not sure what they will be like after being frozen in ground then froze in deep freeze? Has anyone tried freezing them after leaving in ground over winter?

Parsnips that have been planted too late in the season will be small. Could that be the trouble? For many areas of the country, the ideal time would be to sow seeds in early spring. Too much nitrogen, or too crowded, can also cause small roots.

If the parsnips overwinter, harvest them before the top growth starts, or the root quality may suffer, such as turning woody. The yellow seeds developing on top is natural--parsnips are biennial, so they will go to seed the second year.

Parsnips are a Biennial and so every second year they will grow seeds. Same with carrots beets and onions. Its just Mother Nature at work :) creating more seeds for you to harvest and plant for the next year.

They may have been harvested too late. They become more fibrous and woody if they get too large. It's fine to eat them; as you have done, just cut out that tough center.

Next time, you might also try spacing them a little more closely, such as 2 to 4 inches apart, to keep them smaller. Make sure that they get plenty of water, and provide mulch to keep the soil moist--too little water encourages woodiness.

Parsnips harvested in early spring, before new growth starts, can taste sweet, as the starches change to sugar in preparation for growth. However, once the tops start to grow, the root can lose flavor and become fibrous. If you harvested them just when the leaves were barely emerging, it might be worth a taste. If there was a lot of growth, however, flavor might have suffered.

You are definitely correct to not eat any wild plant without a definite identification by an expert. Unfortunately, we wouldn't be able to do that here. We'd suggest that you take the plant sample to a knowledgeable horticulturist in your area, such as those at your county's Cooperative Extension.

http://www.almanac.com/content/cooperative-extension-serv...

The wild parsnip plant (Pastinaca sativa) has several lookalikes, including one of the deadliest plants in North America, water hemlock. Even wild parsnips, although the roots are edible, have a sap that can cause severe skin irritation, discoloration, rash, and blisters when the sap on the skin is exposed to light; all aboveground parts are poisonous. Only the root is edible. When harvesting wild parsnip (which is invasive in many areas), always use gloves, long sleeves, long pants, etc. to avoid getting the sap on your skin.

Water hemlock (Cicuta douglasii), poison hemlock (Conium maculatum), cowbane (Cicuta virosa), wild carrot, etc. all look similar. Below are a few sites that describe wild parsnip and the hemlock lookalikes:

http://ars.usda.gov/Services/docs.htm?docid=9996

http://fyi.uwex.edu/weedsci/2001/07/04/wild-parsnip-3/

http://www.ipm.iastate.edu/ipm/icm/2007/7-9/poison.html

http://blog.emergencyoutdoors.com/edible-wild-plants-wild...

http://www.prairiehaven.com/?page_id=9686

http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/food/poisonousplants...

http://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/cicuta-maculata/

If you overwinter your parsnips, just add a few inches of soil over the crowns after the first fall frosts.Harvest the roots in early spring. They should be even more tender and sweet!

That's interesting that your parsnip greens are fanned onto the ground. You can trim them a little bit to make weeding easier, but keep in mind that some people develop a rash after handling parsnip greens. It is best to wear gloves when handling the tops.

Overwintered parsnips taste wonderfully tender and sweet from the frost. Flower stalks can indeed grow five feet tall, blossoming with large yellow flowers.You want to dig them up, as they can no longer store well. They have long tap roots so get ready to dig!

I have been pre-sprouting my parsnips for the last few years with great success. Just dump all of the seeds on a wet paper towel and cover them with a fold of the towel. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and put on top of the fridge. They take quite awhile to sprout, 2-4 weeks.If you are lucky half of them will sprout. Parsnip seeds are not real viable.Plant the sprouts as you would the seeds.Enjoy success as I have.

Parsnips are best if they stay in the ground for a frost--or, a few frosts! They're also fine if you leave them in the ground and overwinter, even through the snow. However, we would harvest the roots in the spring before new growth begins. If you have too many parsnips, you can always blanche and freeze.

sounds great but try slicing like potatoes fry in a skillet slowly in butter and add brown sugar when they are tender sautee and serve does bot take ling to do this way.

We just steam parsnips with other vegetables & enjoy with salmon patties. I drink the juice. I also blend raw til it is a liquid with raw pineapple slices & raw eggs, adding reverse water as needed. Delicious & SO GOOD FOR YOU.

My wife and I enjoy them raw on a vegetable tray with dip.Slice them thin, skin and all.YUM!