[NAFEX] OT parsnips
Karen Tillou
arboretum at homeorchardsociety.org
Wed Nov 21 14:18:02 EST 2007
that's been my experience too - commercial root crops, esp. long ones
like parsnips and carrots, are generally grown in VERY sandy soils,
where the roots stay perfect shape, and heavy amounts of water and
fertilizers need to be added, as the sand doesn't hold on to
nutrients the way heavier, clay soils do. try doing some double
digging, using a broadfork to break the soils up deep down next
spring, and adding lots of organic matter (every year...) to get and
keep your soils light enough to grow less-alien roots. the deeper and
fluffier you can get your soil, the better you'll do. don't hurt
your back.
karen tillou
oregon city, OR - zone 8a and wet
On Nov 21, 2007, at 8:20 AM, William C. Garthright wrote:
I am just digging up my first parsnip crop. It looks more like
science fiction than it does like a store parsnip. There is a very
broad (8 or 9 inch) crown which is maybe 5 inches deep and then
disintegrates into a twisted mass of roots suitable for late night TV
SciFi movies. What happened?
Um,... aliens? :-)
Sorry, I couldn't resist. I don't know, but I planted carrots this year
(carrots! what was I thinking?) that ended up that way. But this was in
heavy clay soil that hadn't been worked before, and it turned into a
brick in our hot, dry summer. How is your soil there? If it's too hard,
the root might have trouble forming a nice round shape, and just expand
where it finds cracks and crevices.
Just an idea. I've never grown parsnips myself.
Bill
--
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it
would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples
might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal
time in physics classrooms. - Stephen Jay Gould
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex at lists.ibiblio.org
Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on
web sites.
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you have
permission!
**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can
be used to change other email options):
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafex
File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!
NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/private/nafex/attachments/20071121/2cbc03fe/attachment.html
More information about the nafex
mailing list