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How can I tell when to harvest this parsnip

BobMcFishBobMcFish Posts: 66
in Fruit & veg
Hi there
This parsnip self seeded presumably from last year’s attempt to grow some. I have tried to find how to tell when it is ready to harvest. All advice is about a number of weeks after sewing but since I don’t know that (it appeared during winter) is there any other way or should I just dig down the side of it and take a look?
I left the hose for scale
TIA for any advice/ideas
Thanks
Bob

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    If you scrape the soil away gently at the base of the stalk, can you see the 'shoulders' of the root?

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobMcFishBobMcFish Posts: 66
    Thanks. I will try that
  • BobMcFishBobMcFish Posts: 66
    It’s about an inch in diameter so I presume it has some more growing to do?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Yes probably. If it looks like it may flower though, you might be out of luck - they are biennials so if a tiddler got left behind last winter - as opposed to a seed germinating this year - it may just flower rather than developing a decent root. Can't see a flower forming at the moment though, so you may be lucky
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited June 2021
    One possibility is a small root left in the soil from last year.  If that's the case, it will flower and go to seed quite soon rather than maturing into a useable root.  Parsnips wouldn't normally be ready until autumn - mine have only just emerged.  If that does turn out to be the case, it's not a loss as parsnip flowers are very attractive and I often move the odd over-wintered root into the flower beds.  :)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • BobMcFishBobMcFish Posts: 66
    Thank you all for your kind replies. I won’t get too excited about getting a usable parsnip but the flower sounds exciting 😀👍. I really enjoyed the sensational display of flowers from my purple sprouting broccoli. The bees loved them but they did become a bug hotel.  There is a baby parsnip growing near the other one. Perhaps that one will turn in to a usable one 

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