What it is
Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is in the Apiaceae (Carrot) family. A sweet, hardy root that gets sweeter after frost. Like carrots, it demands deep, loose soil.
How to grow it
It wants full sun, water it even, and give it deep, loose, stone-free soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0-7.0. Space plants about 3-4 in apart. Expect roughly 100-130. Cool-season; frost-sweetened.
How it's used
Parsnip is used: roasted, mashed, soups, stored.
🔎 How to identify it
- Ferny celery-like leaves
- Long cream-colored taproot
- Sweetens with cold
Edibility
PartsRoot
UsesRoasted, mashed, soups, stored
CautionWild parsnip foliage can cause skin burns; handle cultivated tops with care too.
🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.