Topic: Parsnips as a reliable dry season crop?

[Vetivert]

Pulled up the first of this year's parsnips yesterday as curiosity got the better of me. Admittedly premature as the autumn is still warm and the tops are still a lush green.

They were sown 1st June (Gladiator F1) and took ages to germinate so I didn't expect much, really. I did water them over the worst of summer, but not consistently.

They were a very good size and not woody! I had to leave a length of taproot in the ground for the largest, must've gone down a metre at least.

If the whole patch yields parsnips like these then they would have done better than the potatoes, in less than half the area, with less watering, and much less effort (no earthing up and they were in a no-dig bed).

Perhaps parsnips are a vegetable to consider more often with our changing climate. As much as I adore home grown potatoes, I will be swapping over some of the maincrop's space to parsnips if the yields are right.

[Tee Gee]

I had to leave a length of taproot in the ground for the largest, must've gone down a metre at least.

I guess this is the reason for your success, i.e. the taproot has got down much further than most plants can do and found moisture

[Beersmith]

We enjoy baby veg, especially small young beetroot and parsnips so I make small test diggings quite frequently. My parsnips really struggled through the very hot and long dry period. The roots remained very thin throughout.  What was surprising was how much growth they have packed on once reasonable rainfall resumed.  Mine have now reached parity with normal years and given the mild and damp conditions currently might have got even bigger with a bit more daylight.

Similar with the carrots (albeit reduced a lot by an early badger attack and some split roots). Gardening is always surprising.

[BarriedaleNick]

Here it is very hard to get parsnips and our soil is useless for growing them.  They really aren't grown here because of the dry hot summers but I have an old bath filled with sand and old compost so I'll see what I get - it wont be much but hopefully we can manage a Christmas dinner. 

Is there a variety that is shorter and fatter rather than long and thin?

[Beersmith]

Here it is very hard to get parsnips and our soil is useless for growing them.  They really aren't grown here because of the dry hot summers but I have an old bath filled with sand and old compost so I'll see what I get - it wont be much but hopefully we can manage a Christmas dinner. 

Is there a variety that is shorter and fatter rather than long and thin?

Well they certainly don't like hot and dry conditions, so I'm intrigued to know how much daylight and rainfall you get during your winter?  Also what are typical winter month temperatures?  I wonder if a vegetable like parsnips might do reasonably well if grown " out of season" possibly sown in the autumn and harvested in early spring?  I remember as a youngster one particularly cold dull and wet summer  - horrible as a youngster - but that year my old dad's parsnips were huge.

[BarriedaleNick]

Parsnips may do better sown now, I like that idea but I also like them for Christmas.  People do plant carrots in September so I might have to give it a go.  Which means I need to get the other bath out and fill it with sand and compost!
Rainfall is high over winter or should be - temps are mild for the most part with Jan and Feb maybe giving some ground frost.  Daylight hours - 9h25m at minimum and we hot 10 hours in late Jan..

[tricia]

A quick Google suggests White Gem and  Gladiator. Don't grow parsnips myself. They are cheap enough to buy in season - me being a one person household!

HTH

Tricia