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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Digeroo on May 15, 2011, 22:31:39

Title: Can I mulch parsnips?
Post by: Digeroo on May 15, 2011, 22:31:39
With the drought continuing everything is drying out again.  The rain last week is already a distant memory.

I can I mulch up my parships with recycled compost?
Title: Re: Can I mulch parsnips?
Post by: antipodes on May 16, 2011, 11:24:10
The farmer that sells me organic veg tells me to mulch everything, regardless, so I think that it would be ok to mulch your parsnips. I mulch everything with used straw from my local stables.
Title: Re: Can I mulch parsnips?
Post by: goodlife on May 16, 2011, 12:19:06
I can't see why not.. ;)..after all they are root crop and supposed to be bellow the surface..
Title: Re: Can I mulch parsnips?
Post by: Ben Acre on May 16, 2011, 17:33:45
na dont bother the longer the drought the longer the root. even if like me you may have to harvest them with a crowbar.
Title: Re: Can I mulch parsnips?
Post by: Ian Pearson on May 17, 2011, 08:46:06
I mulch parsnips with partially composted woodchip, but it's not yet the time (for me anyway). I'll wait until the plants are bigger so that I can safely apply 4 inches of material around them. Also, I'll mulch after heavy rain to keep the moisture in. Mulching dry soil is a stable door/horse bolted scenario.
Ben Acre is right tho'; parsnips' extremely deep roots will follow moisture down as the surface soil dries out so they are pretty good at resisting drought. That said, severe drought might reduce the eventual eating quality.