5 Signs It’s Time to Harvest Your Parsnips

Sweet, earthy parsnips are easy additions to the vegetable bed and delicious added to fall and winter dishes, roasted, mashed, and in stir-fries. As versatile as their carrot relatives, parsnips are a centuries-old crop that’s traveled the globe to take its spot as an underutilized seasonal delicacy.

The compact root vegetables grow well in the ground, containers, and raised beds. While slow to mature, patience pays off with a well-timed harvest. For the sweetest, nuttiest, and richest parsnips, explore the signs for optimal harvest readiness.

All American Parsnip Seeds

• Quick Growth with Early Harvesting Potential
• Rich Culinary History and Versatility
• Distinctive Flavor Profile
• Sweetness Enhancement through Frost
• Nutritional Benefits

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Parsnip Basics

Pastinaca sativa produces fleshy white, carrot-like taproots and fresh, leafy tops. Both are edible, and the roots grow several inches to one foot long. While you may enjoy parsnips raw and fresh, they’re usually cooked for sweet and savory goodness, as are the leaves.

The ancient crops appear as early as the Roman Empire. They traveled to North America with French and British colonists. The vegetables are high in vitamins B, C, E, and K, as well as folate, potassium, and dietary fiber. They belong to the Apiaceae family with carrots, parsley, and fennel.

Parsnips are slow to mature, taking about 100 to 120 days to fully develop. Sow the seeds in spring just before the last frost for an autumn harvest. They’ll be most flavorful after autumn’s first frost. In mild climates, sow them in late summer or fall for overwintering.

How to Harvest Parsnips

When all the signs point to readiness, dig the surrounding soil with a spade or fork, taking care not to damage roots. With soils loosened, lift the roots by the tops. Twist off leafy stems and wash parsnips with cold water for fresh storage.

Fall Frosts

Autumnal frosts are a major indicator that parsnips are ready to harvest. The hardy vegetables tolerate frost and even heavy freezes and taste best with exposure to several weeks of cold conditions. Chilly temperatures make the flavor that much sweeter as starches convert to sugars.

Let a few light frosts pass, even freezing the leafy tops, to capture the best flavor. When the tops begin to die back, the vegetables are ready for picking. 

It’s easiest to remove the roots before the ground freezes. You can also cover the plants with frost cloth or straw before a hard freeze for easy continued lifting.

Parsnips store well in the soil in cold conditions. To overwinter the roots, insulate with a few inches of mulch or clean straw. Harvest during the winter and early spring before new growth appears. 

Days to Maturity

After slow and steady development in the ground, the parsnips are ready to harvest in about 100 to 125 days, depending on the variety. Measure the “days to maturity” on the seed packet from planting to the date they’ll likely mature. If you’re like me, you may need to write this end date on the seed packet or calendar since 100 days is a long time. 

The days to maturity time frame is a good indicator of readiness to use in combination with other physical queues. It’s an estimate based on optimal conditions in moderate climates, whereas weather, seasonal variations, and localized situations may affect growth rates.

For a slightly earlier maturing variety, look to ‘All American.’ The creamy white tapers are ready in around 95 days. ‘Harris Early Model’ matures 80 to 90 days from seeding.

Mature Leaves

The leafy tops are excellent visual indicators of root readiness. The full greens may reach one foot tall and three feet wide, depending on the variety. Leaves resemble carrot tops but are more broad (less frilly and feathery).

The older leaves die down in late summer and early fall as the season progresses and with frosts. Dieback is a natural signal of harvest readiness.

Leaves disappear as winter sets in, but you can continue to harvest roots even in winter. Since the late-season foliage dies back, mark the crop to know where to pull.

Wet Winter Conditions

Parsnips thrive with consistent moisture during the growing season, but they don’t withstand saturated or waterlogged conditions. If your soils tend to stay wet in the winter from rain or thaw conditions, go ahead and lift the crop after fall’s initial frosts. With a long shelf life, they store for up to six months and freeze for 12 to 18 months.

Storage

The vegetables store well over the winter in a cool, dry space. Separate roots In a tray of moist sand in a cool environment like a root cellar or basement for long-lasting fresh storage. You can also flash-freeze them for over a year. Fresh parsnips last about three weeks in the refrigerator and, when cooked, about three days.

Freezing

Wash the tapers before cutting them into half-inch pieces. Blanch them for two to three minutes in boiling water, followed by an ice bath for the same length. Drain and transfer them to an airtight container or baggie for freezing, leaving half an inch of headspace.

To keep the pieces from freezing in a block for using smaller amounts over time, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet after blanching and cooling. Freeze the sheet until the pieces are firm, then transfer them to the container for long-term freezing.

Warming Spring Temperatures

If you’ve overwintered your parsnips, be sure to harvest the remainder in late winter and early spring before new growth emerges if you intend to eat the roots. Roots left in the ground too long as new growth sets become woody, dense, and fibrous. While not suited for eating at this stage, leave any plants if you hope to collect seeds.

As biennials, parsnips flower and seed in the second year if left in the ground. They produce umbel flower clusters that develop tiny seeds post-bloom. Collect the seeds for the next round of sowing.

As a means of preventing pests and diseases that target root vegetables, practice crop rotation by not replanting parsnips or relatives in the same location for a couple of years. Plant the next crop as far as spacing allows from the previous round.

Cool-weather-loving parsnips decline as temperatures climb toward 75°F (24°C) and higher. While seeds need warm soils to germinate, growth is best in cool climates. Ideal germination temperatures are between 50-70°F (10-21°C).