When to sow Parsnip in the UK
Parsnip is sown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the window is much the same wherever you garden in the UK.
Sowing and harvest dates by region
Parsnip is grown to the calendar rather than to the frost, so the same dates apply across the whole UK and every region below reads the same. Where a plant's timings do follow the frost, Plot shifts them from the Midlands and Lowland Wales baseline using Met Office average frost dates.
| Where you are | Sow outdoors | Harvest |
|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| South Coast and Channel | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| South East and Home Counties | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| East Anglia | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Wales and West Coast | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Northern England | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Northern Ireland | early March to early May | early September to late March |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | early March to early May | early September to late March |
Growing notes
Sow direct from March to early May once the soil is around 12C, using fresh seed every year, and never start it indoors as the tap root will not transplant. Roots are very hardy and can stay in the ground until needed, but a windowbox is far too shallow - it needs a pot at least 40cm deep.
At a glance
- Spacing
- 15 cm between plants
- Row spacing
- 30 cm
- Plants per m²
- 22
- Days to maturity
- 180 days
- Yield per plant
- 0.25 kg
- Sun
- Full sun
- Frost tender
- No
- Grows in a container
- Yes, 20 litres or more
- Minimum soil depth
- 40 cm
- Balcony rating
- 2 out of 5
What usually goes wrong
- parsnip canker
- carrot fly
- root splitting
- poor germination in cold soil
Companion planting
Grows well near
Keep away from
- carrot
- parsnip (previous year's ground)
Related guides
Timings cross-checked against RHS guidance for parsnip.