DIY Network

Planting How-To Planting How-To From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-122

Planting at the right time and in the right way is essential for producing healthy, tasty parsnips and radishes. Here's what you need to know:

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

• Parsnips are cool-weather vegetables, so start sowing about two weeks before the first expected frosts in your area. The slow developing parsnips may need a little help breaking through the soil and marking the row, so be sure to plant the radish seeds along with the parsnip.

• To sow the parsnips, you place two, 2 x 2’s in a raised bed 18 inches apart (figure A). Then push down on the 2 x 2’s to make two perfectly straight rows about 1/2" to 3/4" deep. Next, place two to three seeds in the row, 2 inches apart. Be sure to drop a radish seed every foot to mark the row (figure B). Cover the seed by pushing the soil back on top of them. Be sure not to compact the soil on top of the seeds this could prevent them from germinating.

• If you want to grow huge parsnips or if your soil is stony, you should dig individual holes, fill them with compost and sow into these holes. To do this, use a post hole digger to dig into the soil about 2 feet (figure C). If your soil is hard you might want to soak the ground with water first. This will make it easier to dig your holes. Fill the hole with compost and then placed two to three seeds in the hole. Cover the seeds with ½ inch of mulch to help prevent weeds and hold in moisture. Be sure the holes are 8 inches apart. Finally, mist the seeds with water.

• To plant a single bed of radishes, you should plant radish in a sunny spot in ground that has been well-worked. You should turn the soil over several inches deeper than the length to which your radish should grow. On a raised bed, it is better to broadcast the seeds.

• To broadcast sow radish seed, you sprinkle or spread the seeds across the area you are planting. Seeds fall randomly and do not develop in rows. This method takes only a few seconds to do but you will have to spend more time thinning the seedling as they grow in. Be sure to cover the seeds with a fine garden soil.

• If you prefer, you can sow the seeds in rows about ½ deep and 1 inch apart and you also cover the seeds with a fine garden soil. Once the seeds are planted, give them a good drink of water. You should see seedlings emerge in only 3 to 4 days.

• In the heat of summer, you’ll need to keep the soil from drying or from being compacted by pounding rains. If the seeds are compacted, the seedlings will not be able to break through the soil. You can keep the beds moist by covering them with a ½ inch layer of mulch. The mulch will also help keep weeds from growing.
  

  	Figure D
  	Figure E
  	Figure F

• Once the seedlings break through (figure D), you should thin out every other plant to stand 2 to 3 inches apart. And don’t throw the seedlings away – you can eat the thinnings that are large enough. Be sure to keep the radish well-watered. If the radishes do not get enough water they will become tough and bitter – they’ll have a woody texture and taste hot!

• Because radishes have such a short growing period, weed control isn’t necessary nor do they suffer from many pests or diseases. Root maggots can sometimes tunnel into radishes and at the first sign of any of these small white maggots, pull up the infected plants and destroy them.

• Once parsnip seedlings are up and large enough to handle, you’ll need to pull the radishes that marked the row. You will have to pull up a few parsnips to check the root size. You should thin the parsnip seedlings to 2 to 4 inches apart. It is important to thin the seedlings before crowding impairs their growth. You should thin large varieties 4 to 6 inches apart depending on the size of the variety of parsnip you planted.

• To thin the parsnips, first remove all of the radishes that help mark the rows. When the seedlings are 1 to 2 inches tall they can be thinned to 4 inches apart. You can use floral shears to snip off the tops of unwanted plants at ground level (figure E). Cutting the tops off the plants will stop their ability to continue producing food and energy. Pulling them may disturb the remaining seedlings causing damage to their roots.

• Although parsnips are a hearty crop, they still need a good supply of water and prefer very slightly damp ground (figure F). Make sure parsnips get 1 inch of water every week from rain or by watering. Uniform watering is important for good root enlargement. If no rain falls for 7 to 10 days, apply 1 inch of water per week.