Parsnip Seeds

There’s nothing better than the sweet taste of honey-glazed roasted parsnips – no Sunday dinner or Christmas meal should be without them. Parsnips are immensely rewarding to grow and not as difficult as you might think if you follow some simple care instructions. Parsnips grow best in a well-dug, stone-free soil which has not been recently manured. They will take 3 weeks to germinate. As seedlings develop, thin them gradually, eventually to about 15cm (6in) apart. Keep soil moist until seedlings are established. Alternatively, sow seeds later in the year in June for a crop of tender, baby parsnips at Christmas. If you want to speed up the germination process, seeds can be mixed with a moist, multi-purpose compost in a part-filled polythene bag and kept in a warm, dark place such as an airing cupboard for four days, after which time seeds should be poking out of the compost ready to plant into a shallow trench outdoors. Always buy parsnip seeds fresh every year as they don’t keep well, staying viable for only one year. We think parsnips taste even sweeter if you leave them in the ground through a sharp frost. Choose Parsnip Albion for long, tapered roots, well suited to organic growing; Parsnip Improved Hollow Crowned is a reliable and versatile variety delicious par-boiled and roasted; and Parsnip White Gem is short-rooted, perfect for shallow soils.