Produce > Edible Plants

Parsnips

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Fleur:
I have had a delivery of well rotted manure which has been spread over the vegetable garden, can I put it where parsnips are to be grown or will this cause forked roots?

rdak:
I don't think parsnips (and carrots) like newly manured ground. I plan on growing some next year and am not going to manure where they're going. I believe they also like the soil to be fairly compacted and preferably free of stones.
This is all knowledge acquired 2nd hand, but I'm sure all those here with 1st hand knowledge will chip in...

budgiebreeder:
No don't manure the ground where these crops are going or they will indeed fork.You are perfectly right also about the soil being stone free. I have found light sandy soil best for carrots.Just had some of this years crop mashed with swede for dinner as a matter of fact. Very nice they were too.

Hugh_Jones:
If you want perfect parsnips, make sure that the ground is firm (not compacted), then use a long dibber (or even a crowbar) to make a hole about 18 inches deep. Wiggle the dibber about a bit to expand the hole to about 3 inches diameter; sieve some nice light to medium loam through a 1/2 inch sieve and fill the holes with it, then sow 4 or 5 seeds per hole, to be thinned out to 1 when they germinate. Repeat at 8 inch intervals along the row.  You`ll grow whoppers that way.

Otherwise you can do like me, sow them thinly in rows and thin out to 6 inches, and get nice medium sized ones.

Incidentally, carrot fly will attack parsnips quite readily when they can`t get at the carrots, so if you live in a bad carrot fly area protect them during the summer.

Palustris:
But why do they grow fanged in fresh manured soil? I always though it was because they did not have to go down looking for moisture and nutrients, but I wonder. Right about the carrot root fly, they play havoc with ours.

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