DIY Network

Pest Defense, Harvest Time Pest Defense, Harvest Time From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-122

To ensure a successful harvest, protect growing radishes and parsnips from potential pests and keep an eye out for the right time to reap....

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Protection From Pests

• Most parsnip pests and diseases are soil-borne can be controlled by crop rotation. The only insect of consequence is the carrot rust fly. Since the rust fly is attracted to the tell-tale odor of parsnips and carrots, you can plant onions or garlic nearby to disguise the smell of growing parsnips and carrots.

• Another way to repel rust flies is by applying wood ashes. You can mix wood ashes with water in a watering can – you then soak the parsnip bed once a week with the mixture. This mixture will help disguise the smell of the parsnips. Aside from mulching and regular watering, the parsnips can be left alone until harvest.

	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

Harvesting: Right Time, Right Technique

• Radishes are ready to harvest 22 to 70 days after sowing. They will usually push out of the ground about an inch when they are ready to be harvested (figure A). Spring radishes need to be harvested quickly once they reach full size. You can leave winter radishes in the ground so mild frosts can improve their flavor. They can’t survive frigid weather, though, so harvest all your plants before the first hard freeze.

• Radishes are usually harvested by hand when they are about one inch in diameter and relatively young (figure B). If you have larger radishes you can hand pull or dig them up. The radishes should be crisp with bright green leaves. To harvest them just pull up the small full-colored radishes. You then pull off leaf stems at the base and also remove the tap root. You can check the crispness of the radish by slightly squeezing the root. If the radish gives to pressure, the interior will probably be spongy and not crisp.

• You should harvest the whole crop when it matures. Leaving radishes in ground past maturity causes them to crack and hollow out leaving a bitter flavor that taste like dirt. Because radishes are very susceptible to wilting, you need to harvest when it’s cool and keep them cool. Once harvested, the radishes can be stored for up to three weeks if kept cool and damp.

• To store the radishes, first cut off the rest of the tap root and stem from the ends of the radishes. Then they should be washed and dried (figure C). Next, you should place the radishes in plastic bags and store them in the refrigerator. Fresh radishes not refrigerated will hold for only a day or two.

• Parsnips should be ready for harvest 100 to 130 days after sowing and when they have reached the desired size. You should wait to harvest until winter or after a few frosts have hit. The cold will change the starches in the roots into sugar making the parsnips sweeter. You can leave the parsnips roots in the ground through winter, digging them up as you need them. Or you can dig up the crop in early winter and store as a root crop.

• You should harvest when the roots are white, smooth, firm, clean and tapered and when they are about an inch in diameter. You should use a spading fork to first loosen the soil and then lift the roots from the ground. Be sure to be careful when digging for the parsnips. The spading fork may slash through the flesh rather than lifting it out of the ground. After you dig up the parsnips, leave the dirt on the roots until you’re ready to store them because they shrivel when exposed to air.

• You want to harvest the roots before the soil warms up and before new tops start to grow, or the roots will be bitter and tough instead of having their nutty-sweet flavor. Parsnips are very hardy and should be left in the ground until they are needed.

• Before storing your parsnips you need to clean them. Using a knife or scissors remove the green tops from the root. Also cut a small portion of the root off at the bottom to remove the narrow tip. Next using water and a vegetable brush you want to scrub the root clean and smooth. You may have to remove some of the feeder roots that don’t come off with the scrubbing. The parsnips will keep for weeks in the refrigerator.

• Unlike carrots, the flesh of parsnips is always eaten cooked. It’s a great hardy addition to soups and stews. Although parsnips don’t taste like meat, they have a heavy, filling quality that make you feel like you just ate a big piece of meat!