GardenBiennial Root Vegetable · zones 2–9 · 12 varieties
Parsnip
Pastinaca sativa
Apiaceae — the same plant family as carrot, celery, parsley, dill and 5 more here. Relatives share pests and diseases, which is why rotation plans group by family.
Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is a biennial root vegetable for USDA zones 2–9. It wants full sun and pH 6–6.5 soil, with about 1–2 in of water weekly. It matures in about 100–180 days from sowing. Watch for parsnip fly and leaf blight. Below: its full sourced profile from 4 extension sources, plus a planting calendar timed to your frost dates.
Typical dates for zone 6b — set your zone or ZIP for yours. This calendar assumes the crop is direct sown. Timing is a guide from the crop's sourced growth stages; confirm with your local frost dates and extension before you sow.
What we will not put a number on
We do not give a feeding rate for this crop, and that is deliberate rather than a gap. The figures published by extension services are pounds of nitrogen per acre for a production field — they do not convert safely to a raised bed or a pot without knowing your soil test and your fertilizer's analysis, and guessing errs toward burning roots. It is also why every chart you find online disagrees with the next one.
We give watering as a depth per week rather than gallons per plant, because that is how it is actually measured and how the published figures are written. A gallons-per-plant number depends on your spacing, your soil and whether the plant is in a pot — so it would look more precise than it is.
Site & soil
- Hardiness zones
- 2–9est
- Sun
- Full sun
- Soil pH
- 6–6.5
- Soil texture
- Sandy, Loam, Well drained
- Frost tolerance
- Very hardy
No published figure for the temperature frost starts to hurt it, the temperature that would kill it and a heat limit. We looked — where a number is missing here it is missing from the research, not skipped. The crop’s frost and heat tolerance above still applies.
The plant
- Mature height
- 12–18 inest
- Mature spread
- 9–12 inest
- Growth rate
- Moderateest
- Spacing in row
- 3–6 in
- Between rows
- 12–24 in
- Planting depth
- 0.25–0.5 in
- Container size
- 5 galest
- Support
- Self-supportingest
- Grown from
- Direct sow
Water & feeding
- Water needs
- Moderate
- Water per week
- 1–2 in/wk
- Critical water
- Germination, Root sizingest
- Feeding
- Moderateest
Timing & fruiting
- Days to maturity
- 100–180 days from seed
- Harvest cues
- Root shoulder visible
Planted again for autumn
- Sow by
- mid Jul typical · zone 6b
100 days to maturity from sowing, counted back from the first frost above. Not published for anywhere in particular: it is your own frost date and this crop's own figure, which is why it works wherever you are. A days-to-maturity figure is a catalog number for a good season rather than a promise, and a cold month moves it.
Edible parts per source: root.
Compiled from the extensions cited below. Which ones actually show up depends on your region — your extension's local list is the last word.
Different parts differ — the edible part is the root; the notes below flag other parts or preparations.
PeopleSap causes photodermatitis
Recorded exactly as the source states it — not medical or veterinary advice. If a person or animal may have eaten a toxic part, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or your vet / the ASPCA line (888-426-4435).
Open one and add it to your garden — it lights up here. The rest of the 12 are in the full list below.
| Variety | Type | Days | What it is known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Albion F1 | Hybrid | 120 | Johnny's Selected Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| All American Heirloom | 105 | Urban Farmer describes this askeeps a long time after picking | |
| Andover | Bayonet | 120 | |
| Cobham Improved Marrow Heirloom | 120 | ||
| Gladiator F1 | Hybrid | 110 | |
| Halblange White Heirloom | Guernsey | 120 | |
| Harris Model Heirloom | 100–120 | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking | |
| Hollow Crown Heirloom | Hollow Crown | 105 | Urban Farmer describes this askeeps a long time after picking |
| Javelin F1 | Bayonet | 110 | |
| Lancer | 120 | Fedco Seeds describes this askeeps a long time after picking | |
| Panorama F1 | Hybrid | 110 | |
| Turga Heirloom | Wedge | 100 |
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center
- NC State Extension
- University of Minnesota Extension
- Utah State University Extension
We compile bare facts from these university-extension and horticultural sources, never copied prose. 12 of the 20 values on this page carry a citation. The rest are marked est; hover one and it says why — either nobody publishes a figure we could point at, or a person set it and attached no source. Figures vary with climate and seed source; confirm with your local extension before you buy.
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