Parsnips

Is it stoney where your planting them........that could be the reason for Forking...............

Thanks for reply. No not stony and not all fork. Read could be too much manure but dont understand why?

Root vegetables will fork in their haste to 'gobble up' nutrition if the soil is too rich. You really need a stone and grit free not ultra nutritious soil.

Parsnips need deeply dug soil in which to grow, fresh manure is not recommended. You can bore holes and fill with prepared soil for long show parsnips.
Canker starts with cracking after a long dry spell, then heavy rain. A dressing of Lime on your ground should be done 2 or 3 weeks before sowing.
I have also used salt at 2 ounces per square yard.
Parsnips do not transplant.
Like all crops, preparation of the ground beforehand will give you the best results.

hi skipper,
we grew gladiator parsnips last year ( and the year before that).
no canker , huge parsnips as well . had a few forked ones this year, but they were a later crop in a different area of the same raised bed.but overall we rate gladiator and will be growing them again this year.
hope this helps...........steve

Re parsnips many thanks all who replied most helpful