Growing in Mackay

Best time to plant parsnip in Mackay

Pastinaca sativa

Sow parsnip in Mackay in Feb to Sep.

The parsnip is a relative of carrot and parsley, grown for its long, cream-coloured taproot. It is a biennial usually treated as an annual, and the root turns sweeter once winter frosts have passed. Left until its second season, the plant flowers and the root becomes inedible.

When to sow in Mackay

Mackay, QLD is in the subtropical zone. Its months for parsnip apply here without a frost adjustment.

Broadly matches local guides, with some differences.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Mackay

Mackay frosts in fewer than 1 year in 10, so frost doesn't hold back any planting here.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
12mm
Plant spacing
20cm
Row spacing
60cm
Height
30cm
Germination
About 21 days
Time to harvest
110 days from sowing
Frost
Semi-hardy, protect from hard frost
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
biennial, usually grown as an annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Parsnip elsewhere

Parsnip across Australia