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February: Parsnips

GROW YOUR OWN

We are starting a new series this year on growing your own vegetables. I would hasten to add that it is not set in stone, but based on my experience and love of Gardening. For vegetable growing, the most important thing is not to grow the same plant in the same place each year – preferably not for another 2 years. This ‘crop rotation’ avoids any build up of soil borne pests and diseases; helps the soil structure; and you can fertilise/manure the soil for those plants that need it, while following on with things that prefer a less rich soil. I try to grow beans and peas (very greedy), followed by brassicas (cabbages/cauliflowers and the like) or pumpkins and squash (still pretty greedy, especially the squash), followed by the alliums (leeks/onions/garlic), with root vegetables squeezing in along the way (not so fussy)!

Parsnips have a long growing season, but other than that are very undemanding, although you do need a patch of ground that can be taken up for almost a year as you will not be harvesting them until after the first frosts! The best spot is somewhere with a fine, fertile soil, but not one that has been recently manured (the manure will make them fork, so follow them on from another, greedier, vegetable). As I have discovered to my cost, it is worth buying parsnip seed fresh every year, as it does not stay viable for long.

Late February is the best time for sowing parsnips, as long as the soil is not frozen. Make a shallow drill in the soil about 2cm deep and scatter the seed straight into the drill. (Sow more rows about 30cm away). Gently cover over the seed and pat down the soil. Parsnips can be quite slow to germinate, so be patient, and when you have about 12cm of growth, start thinning the seedlings until you have a row of parsnips with each one about 24cm apart. You can of course eat the thinnings – lovely tender baby parsnips. Keep the parsnips watered through the summer if it is very dry, then wait for the first frost to concentrate the sugar and dig them up as you require them.