Hollow Crown Improved parsnip
$4.00 – $10.00
(Pastinaca sativa)
A large and enthusiastic parsnip, about 3” wide at the top and 10-12” long, which is great as a solo dish or mixed with other root vegetables for a warming supper on a winter’s night. Parsnips become sweeter after frost, and are quite winter-hardy, so you can leave them outside and harvest whenever the ground isn’t frozen if you want to.
Biennial. Plant as soon as soil can be worked, at the same time as peas. Sow 1/2” deep, 2” apart; thin to 3-6”. Keep seedbed moist for 2-3 week germination. Make three plantings 7 days apart if you’re worried about moisture. Dig after frost, being careful to not break the roots off; flavour improves with freezing. Mulch 1’ deep if keeping in garden in winter.