[snow white]

I went to dig up a parsnip.  The top was not visible. In fact it was four inches below the soil!  After ten minutes of carefully digging the soil away I had got nowhere.  I tried to fork it up and nearly broke the fork.  Now I sowed them as per normal so why are they so deep?  Think I will need a crowbar to get them out.  I don't remember having this problem last year!

[sunshineband]

The ground here is incredibly hard and dry. I think I would struggle to dig  a parsnip right now without giving it  a good long soak the day before.

I have furtled about and the tops of mine are certainly down deeper than I would have thought. Maybe they dragged themselves down to damper areas below? The tops are a decent width though.

Wonder what others' are like?

[Kristen]

We never harvest ours until after first heavy frost ... although a winter like last year and we won't get a harvest at all!

I wonder:

a) If that is a fallacy?
b) If I should just chuck them in the freezer for a few hours the day-before?

[Comfreypatch]

I thought I would see how the parsnips were doing the other day, the one I tried was quite deep to find and certainly took a bit of digging to get it up but it was a really good size. As you said the soil is very dry which made it more difficult to dig. I don't usually harvest them until after the first frosts, supposed to be sweeter then ? ? Last year I blanched and froze some less preparation for THAT DAY. Also do the same with potatoes, just throw them in hot oil and roast.

[JayG]

It's much easier to find endless repetition of the fact that parsnips are sweeter after a few frosts than an explanation as to why that should be. 

As far as I can make out, parsnips are naturally quite sweet whether frosted or not, but frosting results in some of the starch being converted to even more sugars, probably to produce a natural 'anti-freeze' to resist cell damage.

[Kristen]

It's much easier to find endless repetition of the fact that parsnips are sweeter after a few frosts than an explanation as to why that should be

As far as I can make out, parsnips are naturally quite sweet whether frosted or not, but frosting results in some of the starch being converted to even more sugars, probably to produce a natural 'anti-freeze' to resist cell damage.

I wonder how deep the frost penetrates?  Sure if we get a properly cold snap the ground will freeze, but the first few frosts of Autumn, are they really going to penetrate very far into the top of the Parsnip?  Enough to make a significant chemical change that impacts the flavour of the whole root?

I think I should wait until frost and dig up two, and freeze one for a bit, for a side-by-side test

[3759allen]

i can't see the frost penetrating that far, even with a hard frost (in the south of the country). i would have said this time scale has originated from when we had true seasons as to how long they will take to grow to the best size to eat, rather than actually having much to do with temperature.

just my opinion of coarse, i'm sure there will be a scientist out there who will give some sort of equation as to how temperature effects the crop.

will be interesting to hear about the trial.

[Nobbie]

Maybe it's just a reaction that is triggered when the leaves first get frosted to make sure the root is protected when the hard penetrating frosts come. They certainly have a different feel later in the season, almost slimey.

You hear the same said about sprouts needing a frost, but I had my first lot a couple of weeks ago and they tasted as good as any others I've harvested later.

[AlaninCarlisle]

Wonder what others' are like?

The best ever. The one I dug up yesterday was measured at 4 inches across and 18 inches deep. As for digging them up, a few years ago I bought a ditching  or drainage spade from Wickes for about a tenner. Could have been purposely made for digging up deep parsnips

[JayG]

I wonder how deep the frost penetrates?  Sure if we get a properly cold snap the ground will freeze, but the first few frosts of Autumn, are they really going to penetrate very far into the top of the Parsnip?  Enough to make a significant chemical change that impacts the flavour of the whole root?

I think I should wait until frost and dig up two, and freeze one for a bit, for a side-by-side test

I suppose it would be logical if nothing else to guess that the process of converting starch to sugar starts at some point above zero otherwise the anti-freeze effect would be too late to avoid cell damage in the roots. 

Perhaps you need 3 parsnips to test - one kept at room temperature, one in the freezer, and one in the fridge! 

[beesrus]

I reckon the "better after a frost" routine is just another way of persuading you to hang on until the roots are a bit older and more mature. Some years we don't get any frosts and the parsnips are still fine.

[Salmo]

Like a lot of plants that use their root for storage a parsnip changes from growing to dormancy when the first cold weather arrives and starch changes to sugar. A bit of growth continues whenever there is a mild spell.

I have developed my own parsnip digging method. Firstly, most parsnips have little of value in the kitchen below about 12 inches down where the root gets narrow. Yes it looks heroic to arrive home with a yard long root but the cook usually discards the bottom part as not worth peeling.

With a spade dig out a trench a spit deep alongside and close to the parsnips. wriggle the parsnips so that you can see where they are. Push the spade in the bottom of the trench at an angle so that the root is cut off as deep as you can manage. The root then pulls out easily leaving the useless bottom part behind.

[Kristen]

Makes sense that it is a Dormancy thing, rather than a Frost thing.  "Wait for frost" is probably just a "season describer".  We don't eat Parsnips early in Autumn, as we think of them as a Winter Vegetable (and are still clinging on to Summer ... ) so I'll stick with that, and assume they will be ready when we are

I don't worry about breaking the tip off my parsnips when I harvest them - there is only a mouthful left in the ground compared to the bulk of the root that I get out.

[Madame Cholet]

it makes sense on a survival point that you keep eating you other crops like beans and courgette and save the winter crops for leaner times

[snow white]

Well after a bit of rain I managed to get most of it out of the ground.  Haven't tried it yet though.