Parsnip

Sun

Full sun; tolerates light partial shade, usually with smaller roots.

Water

Keep the seedbed consistently moist during germination, then water deeply during dry spells without waterlogging the soil.

Soil

Deep, loose, well-drained soil, ideally sandy loam, with stones removed. Avoid compacted ground and freshly manured beds, which encourage forked roots.

Height

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m) in the cropping year; 3-5 ft (0.9-1.5 m) when flowering

Spread

1-1.5 ft (0.3-0.45 m)

Flowers

Flat-topped clusters of small yellow flowers in late spring and summer of the second year.

Foliage

Coarse green leaves divided into broad, toothed leaflets; foliage dies back in cold weather.

Growth

Slow to germinate, then moderate; roots commonly need 100-150 days to reach harvest size.

Care needed

Medium

• Cold hardy
• Low allergen
• Edible

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.5 ft (0.15 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

   full size

Full size in one season.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Toxic

Native to

the UK

Invasive in

the US and Canada

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Slow

• Sow fresh seed directly where the crop will grow; transplanting can damage the taproot.
• Keep the seedbed moist for the two to four weeks germination may take, sometimes longer in cold soil.
• Thin seedlings to 4-6 in (10-15 cm) apart and weed carefully while they are small.
• Water deeply during prolonged dry weather; mulch lightly once plants are established.
• Use mature compost before sowing, but avoid fresh manure and heavy nitrogen feeding.
• Wear gloves, long sleeves and eye protection when handling foliage, especially in sunshine.

Pruning. No routine pruning is needed. Unless saving seed, remove any flowering plants before seed ripens, wearing protective clothing to avoid contact with sap.

Lift roots from autumn once their shoulders are roughly 1-3 in (2.5-7.5 cm) wide; cold weather usually improves their sweetness. Loosen the soil alongside each root with a garden fork rather than pulling the leaves. Roots can remain in well-drained soil through winter where the ground stays workable, but lift them before spring regrowth makes them woody.

Late winter

Buy fresh seed and prepare a deep, stone-free bed when the soil is workable.

Spring

Direct-sow once soil begins warming; keep the seedbed moist while waiting for germination.

Late spring

Thin seedlings and remove weeds before they compete with the crop.

Summer

Water during dry spells and inspect roots and foliage for pest or disease damage.

Autumn

Begin lifting mature roots; in mild-winter climates, sow an autumn crop if local conditions allow.

Winter

Harvest as needed where soil remains workable, or store lifted roots cool and moist where the ground freezes hard.

• Plant in straight rows in a kitchen garden for an orderly, productive bed.
• Use the coarse green foliage alongside finer-leaved carrots and onions in a potager.
• Grow in deep raised beds where native soil is shallow or stony.
• Allow a small, closely managed seed-saving group to flower in an edible garden, away from paths and seating.

Garden styles it suits: Potager (kitchen garden), Cottage garden, Farmhouse, Edible landscape, Homestead and Traditional.

Plant it with: Onion, Leek, Lettuce, Radish and Pea.

Wildlife: Second-year flowers attract hoverflies, small bees and parasitic wasps. Prevent seed escape, particularly where wild parsnip is invasive.

• Poor germination: use fresh seed, sow into warming soil and prevent the seedbed from drying out.
• Forked or stunted roots: remove stones, loosen compacted soil and avoid transplanting or fresh manure.
• Carrot fly: protect crops with insect mesh from sowing, securing the edges, and rotate the growing site.
• Parsnip canker: choose resistant cultivars, improve drainage, rotate crops and remove affected roots.

The cultivated root is edible for people. Sap from leaves and stems contains furanocoumarins that can cause severe, delayed skin burns and blisters after sunlight exposure; this hazard applies to people and can affect dogs, cats and horses on exposed skin. Keep pets and livestock away from cut foliage. The edible root is not generally considered poisonous to these animals, but that does not establish every part as safe to eat.

Where it spreads. Escaped plants spread readily by seed. Wild parsnip is invasive across much of the northeastern and midwestern United States and southern Canada, including Ontario and Quebec, especially along roadsides, in grasslands and on disturbed ground. Cultivated plants belong to the same species; prevent unwanted flowering and seed production.

• Wild carrot (Daucus carota)

  Wild carrot has finely divided, fern-like leaves and usually white flower clusters; parsnip has broad, toothed leaflets and yellow flowers.

• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)

  Poison hemlock has finely divided leaves, white flowers and usually purple-blotched, smooth stems. It is extremely poisonous; never identify an edible root from root appearance alone.

• Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum)

  Giant hogweed has enormous, deeply lobed leaves, huge white flower heads and thick, bristly, often purple-blotched stems. Its sap also causes serious sunlight-activated burns; do not handle a suspect plant.

Pastinaca is the Latin name for parsnip, and sativa means cultivated.

Propagation. Direct-sow fresh seed in spring, or autumn in suitable mild-winter climates. Seed loses viability quickly, so buy or save a fresh supply each year; seed saving requires overwintering selected roots and allowing them to flower the following year.

Accepted botanical name

Pastinaca sativa

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Alaska and the lower 48 states.

Native range

Albania, Altay, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Central European Rus, Corse, Czechoslovakia, East European Russia and France.

Measured

Soil pH 6.5 to 7. Average height 43 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.