YOUR GUIDE TO PERFECT PARSNIPS

Parsnips can be a tricky crop to grow successfully. Here Nigel Jewkes demonstrates how a little dedication to detail can produce the best results

- Nigel Jewkes

A staple ingredient as part of a stew or winter roasts, parsnips are easy to grow in well-cultivated soil and are one of the most valuable of winter vegetables. They also make good soup, especially if you add some curry powder. Unless you are growing baby parsnips, they stay in the ground for up to nine months and can be lifted for use as required. Taste is also improved after exposure to frosts, and they will happily remain undamaged in a deep-frozen soil.

Parsnips need a long growing season so are traditionally sown quite early. Another characteristic of parsnips is that even goodquality seeds are notoriously hit and miss to germinate, often no more than about 60%, but once they have, they are extremely easy to grow so be sure to purchase fresh seed for each year.

PREPARING THE SOIL

Parsnips like a sunny position and grow well in most well-drained fertile soils and one that is light and sandy. Ideally, the bed should have had an organic matter or well-rotted manure added during the previous year, as too rich a soil can cause forked roots and stumpy growth. Dig over the soil during the autumn and lime the ground in winter if it is acid. I aim for around a pH of 6.5. One week before sowing, scatter one handful of general fertilizer over each square meter and lightly rake it in. Finally, make sure that the ground is not compacted as the roots can grow quite deep.