SOW: Good fertile soil, well draining and not too stony. Sow seed in threes, 15cm (6in) apart. If three germinate then reduce to one seedling.
WHEN TO SOW: Not as early as some books and seed packets suggest. February is too early if sowing direct. Wait until March or early April to sow for better results.
AFTERCARE: Remove excess seedlings. Keep well watered if weather turns dry. Hand weed between the plants.
HARVEST: From September onward the foliage will start to die off and you could start to lift. They will stay in good condition if left in the ground so no hurry to harvest all in one go.
TOP TIP
Sometimes parsnip seed is a bit temperamental to germinate, so you could sow some seed on moist kitchen paper and place somewhere warm. Once the seeds have just started to germinate you can plant these out.