Hollow Crown
Apiaceae
Parsnip
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Hollow Crown dates to the 1820s in England, where it was the standard parsnip for both flavor and yield. Its name refers to the depression in the crown where leaves attach.
Parsnips are a perfect PNW crop — they love our long cool season and taste best after frost. Hollow Crown is a classic heirloom with long, tapered roots. The flavor of a Bainbridge-grown parsnip harvested in November after frost cannot be matched by anything from a store.
Direct sow in early spring (March-April) — parsnips need the entire season (110 days). Germination is notoriously slow and unreliable: sow fresh seed every year (parsnip seed loses viability quickly), plant 1/2" deep, 9 seeds per sq ft, and be patient — they can take 3-4 weeks to emerge. Keep soil surface consistently moist during germination (cover with burlap or board, check daily). Thin to 3-4" apart. Parsnips are light feeders — avoid fresh manure which causes forked roots. Harvest after several hard frosts — cold converts starches to sugar, making them sweeter than carrots.