good for you, Donna. I don't know how to advise you to make the growing season longer. Here in MI, right in the middle of its range, we plant them in spring and let them grow the whole season. You need to plant them earlier, but earlier for you means soil that is too hot (they germinate best at 68F, and will not germinate above 86F). So, either do as we do, plant in spring outside, and be prepared for monster roots next February, or seed them indoors and transfer to the garden immediately in July. Perhaps you can use some part shade in the culture, but I don't have a good idea how.

They are worth the effort. I appreciate all root vegetables, but parsnips are my favorite. They have to go through a few freezes to be at their best, if not, they will be like those in the store. They are also great for self-seeding if you have the space.

Did you get frost?

Weren't you supposed to leave some to go to seed if I remember the discussion?

Donna, you're terrific! With your results, I might be ready to put the memory of those awful grocery store parsnips to rest, and try some of my own.

donnabaskets, congratulations on your success. I am impressed that you could get a parsnip harvest in your climate.

I do agree that a couple of good frosts sweetens them up and makes a big difference in eating quality. The only good parsnips I have ever had are the ones I have grown myself. I only know of a few other people that like them. Everybody else I know hates them or more likely "thinks" they hate them, and will not give them a chance. Their loss...

I love chopped parsnips in soup, parsnip slices fried in butter, and in a vegetable medley with carrots and turnips. My favorite way to use them is to grind them up and cut them into ground beef. Mix in egg, cracker crumbs, chopped shallots, and sour cream. Form into thick patties then cook on the grill. Delicious.

I also love parsnips. I left just one plant to go to seed last year and got hundreds of seed from it. I've given alot away but need to find homes for about 300 more. I hate to let them go to waste. As I understand, they need to be used the first year after collecting. Perhaps I'll find a local community garden to donate them to.

To win over those that think they dont like them, I started dicing them the same size/shape as potatoes in soups and stews. After people raved about how wonderful the dish was, they find out the truth...devious but it worked ;)

soilent, I never thought of grinding them and adding to meat. Wonderful idea!

My problem is I forget about them for the most part. So in late spring there is a great deal of this kind of display:

{{gwi:9270}}

I planted parsnips in the early spring. They grew all summer. I just dug the rest of them up on Saturday. they were so sweet and delicious. I have them in the deepest part of my square foot garden - about 11" deep. They got the frost treatment for sure. The winter has been warmer here, or maybe the frost would have eventually rotted them.
Keski

PN Brown, it looks like we are both in the same zone in MA. When did you plant your parsnip seeds? I bought some seeds and was going to give them a shot this season. Thanks!

On another site, someone said to try parsnips.
I had to wait for them to germinate, so I planted radish seeds between the parsnips to mark the seed row.
I ate the radish while the parsnips grew.
I only got two to mature & one died, but the other went to seed. It was beautiful & fun to grow.
My kale was easier to grow, but not as easy as the Bull's blood beets.

Hi Michelle, I am actually z7 (martha's vineyard) which I didn't quite realize when i first signed up for GW years back.

In any case, I don't plant my parsnips, unless you call pulling out dry plants covered with seed and whipping them about "planting". So seed goes all over in late summer and then some germinate in fall and some in spring. Some make decent edible roots and many others bolt without making a useful root. If i was a rigorous plant breeder I would make sure that no early-bolter was allowed to make mature seed so that I was selecting for the trait of not bolting. But that is way, way too much tedium for me I have found.