Parsnips Guide

Planting Parsnips and General Gardening Information for piedmont NC

What you will need to create a Community Garden:

• Area– Pick a spot outside with at minimum of 6 to 8 hours or more of direct sunlight. It’s better to have morning sunlight and shade in the afternoon sun. This prevents damage to the plant from the sun.

• Soil– You need a well-drained soil (potting soil/mix) with a compost of some sort.

Important Growing Information

• Planting Months-
  • Sow seeds outside for spring crop from Mid-February to mid-April. For Fall/Winter crop sow outside August through September. Check your seed package for exact time for that specific variety.

• Sowing Seeds and Transplanting–
  • Sow seed outdoors
    • Before sowing soak your seeds in water for 24 hours to help germination.
    • Add amendments to the soil that would like perlite, vermiculite, ect. Then rough up the soil so its loose and fluffy. 
    •  
    • Then you want to make a very shallow trench to put the seeds in. (remember the seeds need to be covered with a ¼ of an inch of soil)    
    • Now apply the fertilizer to the trench. I recommend an all-purpose granular and bone meal. Lightly mix the fertilizer in.
    • Apply the seeds in the trench, when doing this I recommend sowing them about an inch apart down the trench and cover them lightly with a gentle pat.
    • Give them a water. When watering, don’t soak the seed due to the seeds will unbury themselves. So, do it lightly, are you catching on the trend here LIGHTLY is key.
    • Here is a trick/necessity get a cover of some sort I use a 2×4 and lay it on top of the seeds. This helps retain moisture, also protects from a heavy rain.
    • Once the seed germinates (emerges from soil) take the cover off the seeds. If the plants look pale don’t worry that’s normal they will green up in a few days.
    • Soil temperature should be 45 to 70 degrees.

• Watering–
  • During Germination it needs to be done daily maybe 2x a day depends on the heat. (remember lift the cover and water then put the cover back on)
  • During active growing water 1 to 2 times a week depending on weather.
  • They like deep watering
  • Always check soil with the full length of your finger before watering.
  • On 90°F plus days check soil, it can dry out quickly.
  • Water in the morning around 7am or before. This is preferred but you can water in the evening when sunlight is not directly on the plants.

• Fertilizing–
  • Get a good all-purpose fertilizer or any you prefer. Read instruction for how much and apply every 2-3 weeks. Make sure you water it.

• Thinning–
  • Thinning means pulling or cutting the carrots so they are spread out more.
  • When the parsnip tops are 1-2 inches tall and you want to then them about 3-4 inches apart.
  • Whiling thinning you want to choose the strongest and healthiest seedlings to stay.

• Harvesting–
  • Check the package for when to harvest based on the type of parsnips planted.
  • You can check the size of the parsnips by wiping away the dirt at the base of the plant to see how wide it is.
  • When ready to harvest grab the base of the parsnip top then push down and pull up.

Varieties of squash that grow well in NC:

• Good Varieties of Parsnips –
  • Overall: Cobham Improved and Halblange
  • High-Yield Hybrids: Javelin F1, Panorama F1
  • Classic Heirloom: Hollow Crown, All American, and Harris Model

• Note: But you can choose any variety you would like, just make sure that this is a variety that would grow well in North Carolina (growing zones)

Common Problems and Possible Solutions:

• Diseases–
  • Parsnip Canker: 
    • Fungal disease caused by fungal pathogens.
    • Causes purplish, orange-brown, or blackish slashes that develop on the crown and the shoulders of the root.
  • Aster Yellows: 
    • This is cause by a tiny organism transmitted to your carrots. Carrot tops turn a strange bright yellow and grow in an unnaturally thick, twisted, bushy clump.
  • Root Rot and Cavity Spot:
    • Cause by soil borne water molds, happens when the soil is over saturated and poorly drained. Cavity Spot-creates dark, sunken craters alongside the mature carrots. Also, will cause the root to die alone with the leaves to wilt and die.

• Treatments for Diseases–
  • There are a lot of different ways to fix and prevent some of these diseases, it is based on what you would prefer.  
    • For fungal diseases you can use neem oil or a copper fungicide.
    • For viruses you should try to get rid of that plant before possible spread to other plants.
• Bugs–
  • Black Swallowtail Caterpillars: 
    • Large, green caterpillars with black strips and yellow dots.
    • They can eat all the carrots foliage over night
  • Aster Leafhoppers: 
    • Tiny, wedge-shaped greenish-yellow insects that suck sap from the foliage.
    • They inject carrots with Aster Yellow disease
  • Carrot Rust Fly Larvae: 
    • Adult flies lay eggs at the base of the plant, when they hatch they burrow down leaving slimy trails that rots the parsnip.
  • Carrot Weevil: 
    • These are small, brown beetles lay eggs at the base of the plant.
    • The larvae tunnels down about a third of the way into your parsnip root.

• Treatments for Bugs –
• Insecticides
• Make sure you get the sprays that are for elidable plants. Also, READ THE DIRECTIONS on the spray carefully.
• Natural treatments
• Neem oil, Insecticidal soap, Vinegar spray, Diatomaceous Earth.