01 - 30 November

22 November 2025

Time to check our parsnips – good tops, but what about the roots

We got a message on Saturday morning letting us know a delivery of manure had arrived, so we headed down to the allotment that afternoon to shift it and spread a layer over the weed control fabric. It felt good to make a start on the winter prep. So far this autumn, we haven’t lifted any parsnips. They put on plenty of leafy growth, but we had no idea what was happening beneath the soil. After a run of frosty nights last week, with temperatures dipping below freezing, we decided it was time to dig up a few and see whether they’d produced any decent roots.