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Parsnip Companion Planting
Pastinaca sativa
Carrot (Apiaceae) -- cool season
2 beneficial companions
0 antagonistic relationships
Good Companions for Parsnip
OnionAllium cepa
BeneficialPest SuppressionDocumented
Onion volatiles deter carrot fly (Psila rosae), which also attacks parsnip (same Apiaceae family). Same olfactory masking mechanism documented for carrot-onion intercropping.
Parsnip is attacked by the same carrot fly that targets carrot -- allium protection applies equally.
Sources
- Effect of intercropping with onion on the behaviour of the carrot fly Psila rosae -- Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (1984)
RadishRaphanus sativus
BeneficialPhysical SupportSupported
Radish germinates and matures quickly, marking slow-germinating parsnip rows (parsnip takes 2-4 weeks to germinate). Radish is harvested before parsnip needs the space.
Sow radish and parsnip seed together. Radish marks rows and breaks soil crust for parsnip emergence.
Sources
- Relay and sequential cropping systems for small-scale vegetable production -- HortTechnology (2007)