Parsnip Seeds

Parsnips are slow, but their sweetness rewards your patience. The seed takes two to three weeks to sprout, so keep the bed evenly moist and consider sowing radishes in the same row to mark it. Roots need 105 to 125 days to mature, and they turn sweeter after a few hard frosts, as starches convert to sugars. Many growers leave part of the crop in the ground through winter under mulch and dig it in early spring. Our parsnips are all hybrids with smooth, uniform roots: Albion, Dagger, Javelin, Panorama, and Warrior. Pelleted seed is available for some. Fresh seed matters with parsnips, since viability drops quickly. Loose, deep soil free of stones gives the straightest roots.