This root vegetable is an indispensable supplier of vitamins, carbohydrates, and mineral compounds. It grows in beds on almost every personal plot. But growing parsnips from seeds has many nuances, following which you can get large and tasty root crops.
Description of the plant
The name comes from pastus - translated from Latin “feed”, “food”, “nutrition”. A cultivated plant of the celery or umbrella family. Came from the Mediterranean countries.
It is a relative of parsley and carrots, but differs in the color of the root vegetable - not orange, but white or cream. The root vegetable has a sweetish taste and is highly valued for its aroma.
Parsnip bushes have large, rich green, single- or double-pinnate leaves, similar to celery leaves, with a delicate odor and tart taste. The stem is branched, empty inside. The root is taproot, thickened, round or conical. Flowering stems with yellow umbrella-shaped flowers appear in the second year in midsummer. All parts of the plant contain essential oil from 0.3 to 3.5%.
As a “winter” vegetable, parsnips are stored in cellars and are an excellent source of vitamins. Root vegetables include proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and fiber.
Note! Parsnips are an excellent honey plant, food for birds and animals, and improve the taste of meat and milk.
Popular varieties of parsnips
There are many types of this garden crop. They differ from each other primarily in the shape of their roots. Varieties with round fruits are considered more hardy. Regarding the timing of ripening, you can plant early, mid-season and late parsnips.
The most popular varieties:
- Round. Refers to early ripening. It is distinguished by white, aromatic pulp. The root crop is round and reaches a weight of 180 grams.
- White stork. Mid-season, high-yielding variety. It takes 116 days to mature. The root crop itself is cone-shaped, weighing about 100 grams. Juicy, tasty, tolerates storage well.
- Boris. Ripens in 120 days. The pulp is cream-colored, dense, juicy.
- Guernsey. It will take 10 days to get the harvest. For seeds to germinate, it is enough that there is + 2 outside OC. Conical root vegetable with creamy, juicy pulp.
- Gladiator. A mid-season species characterized by productivity and rapid growth. The vegetable has a sweetish taste and white flesh.The average weight of the root crop is 150 grams.
- Hormone. An early variety, it ripens in about two and a half months. Weighs 120 grams. The white pulp is very aromatic.
- Delicacy. Mid-season appearance. The root crop is round and large. The weight of one exceeds 300 grams. The pulp is white with yellowish tint.
- Culinary. Early ripening species, you can get a harvest in 90 days. The root vegetable itself is round, slightly flattened. Its weight can reach 150 grams. The pulp is slightly juicy, grayish. It has a bright aroma.
- Student. Late variety. Tolerates drought well. The root crop grows 25 centimeters. The structure is white, aromatic.
In addition to the above, there are other hybrid species and varieties of foreign origin. Any crop, parsnip among them, loves comfortable conditions. That is, optimal humidity, temperature, fertilizer, loosening. A responsible approach to cultivation will allow you to obtain a bountiful harvest of high-quality root crops.
Growing parsnips
Parsnip is a biennial plant: the seeds are flat, round in shape and light brown in color, about 5 mm in size. After sowing in open ground, it produces root crops, from which seeds are again obtained the following year. The seed remains viable for about two years.
You can leave a few parsnip roots to overwinter in the ground until spring, without visiting the dacha. Such agricultural technology ensures that with the arrival of warmth, they will quickly delight with lush greenery, which will bloom in June with small yellow flowers in umbrellas. Then the grains appear, which are collected until they fall off as they ripen. You can again grow parsnips from seeds next year.
Planting parsnips
This useful plant is sown in a pre-prepared area before winter before October 15th.Seeds (several pieces) are buried in shallow (about 4 cm) holes spaced 10 cm from one another. 40 cm are kept between the rows. The shoots that appear in the spring are thinned out - the strongest-looking plant is selected and left.
Timing of sowing seeds
Sow the seeds as soon as the ground thaws - most often in April, as this is a cold-resistant plant. Experts suggest soaking the seeds in warm water before sowing - up to 2 days, changing the liquid as it cools, then drying. After sowing, the seeds are covered with earth, trampled down and watered. Germination waits for about three weeks.
Since the ripening of root crops takes a long time, gardeners often grow parsnips with seedlings sown in March, then planted in open ground by mid-May. Parsnips are sensitive to replanting, so seeds of 2-3 are planted in paper or peat pots, lightly covered with a small layer of soil with a peat base and covered with film.
The crops are ventilated daily by moving the film for about a quarter of an hour. Sometimes growing seedlings need additional lighting. And it is demanding when it comes to watering: moisten the soil carefully, avoiding stagnation of moisture.
Advice! After two leaves appear on the sprout, the excess leaves in the pot are pinched off and not removed in order to avoid damage to the root of the most powerful plant.
Soil requirements
Parsnips love sunny beds and tolerate partial shade. The soil required is sandy loam and light loam with a neutral reaction, rich in humus. Acidic soils must be treated with lime. The best parsnips will grow after onions, cabbage, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, zucchini and pumpkins.
Preparing for landing
The soil for parsnips is prepared as follows: they dig it up in the fall, fertilizing it with rotted manure (half a bucket per 1 m²). In the spring, the digging is repeated, leveled and a high bed for seedlings is made. Sprouts can be planted in special depressions at the height of the peat pot, the distance between the holes is about 10 cm, about 40 cm is left between the rows. The bed must be watered.
Parsnip care
When working with parsnips, it should be taken into account that in hot weather the plant releases essential oil with a burning effect, so preference is given to the time before sunrise and after sunset. Gloves and protection of exposed areas of the body are also required.
Regarding loosening and weeding, it is carried out for the first time when sprouts appear or if it is clear that the seedlings have taken root. In the future, they hoe after rains and waterings. Remove weeds.
Fertilizer
During the entire growing season, it is enough to feed 3-4 times. Fertilize with an infusion of ash, a solution of mineral fertilizers, that is, in the form of a liquid. Fresh manure will reduce the quality of root crops.
Fertilizing with products containing a high nitrogen content - 7 and 28 days after planting the seedlings. Phosphorus and potash fertilizers - in July.
Treatment
With proper crop rotation and high-quality preparation of beds and seeds for planting, parsnips rarely get sick. The most common diseases include septoria and cercospora. They attack stems and leaves.
If a fungus is detected on root crops, the diseased units are removed, the rest are treated with Bordeaux mixture (one percent solution), Topsin - M, Fundazol.
Caraway moth, bug and striped stink bug are destroyed by Karbofos, Aktellik. Aphids - the most serious and insidious pest - Antitlin or Confidor (for Colorado potato beetles).
Watering Tips
Parsnips are moisture-loving garden crops. It requires irrigation 4-5 times in hot weather; in rainy weather there is no need to water. Parsnips react to a lack of moisture with poor growth, bolting and poor-quality root crops.
Excessive humidity threatens fungal diseases.
Cleaning and storage
In the fall, when the tops dry out - around October, the root crops are removed from the garden bed, dug up with a pitchfork, the leaves are cut off and dried. Sand is prepared in the cellar and vegetables are placed in it. The temperature is maintained up to +20 C, humidity - up to 85%.
If the winters are snowy and not very cold, the parsnips can be left in the ground until spring, cutting off the leaves and sprinkling soil on top. In the spring, left specimens are dug up before the leaves appear, otherwise the taste will deteriorate.
Parsnips are unpretentious and hardy, responding to self-care with excellent taste and vitamin properties. It is lower in calories than potatoes and more healthy than carrots. And does not accumulate nitrates. It is very necessary, beneficial and nutritious for humans.
