Cold hardiness & minimum temperature

Is Parsnip (Pastinaca sativa)cold hardy? Hardiness zone & min temp

Also called white carrot, wild parsnip.

About Parsnip

Pastinaca sativa · also called white carrot, wild parsnip · edible

Parsnips are long-season biennial root crops grown as annuals for sweet starchy white roots. Need 110-140 days and improve in flavour after frost. Direct-sow only; transplants fork. Foliage causes phytophotodermatitis — wear gloves on sunny days.

A biennial root crop, Pastinaca sativa, native to Eurasia and domesticated from wild parsnip; grown for a thick tapering taproot that can reach 10-12 inches long.

A long-season crop occupying the bed for most of the year; delay digging until after hard frost or through winter for the characteristic sweet, nutty flavor.

Cold limit: USDA Grown as an annual in zones 2-9 · RHS H7 (7-21°C)

Sources: extension.umn.edu, extension.illinois.edu, rhs.org.uk

What parsnip's hardiness rating actually means

Hardiness works differently for parsnip: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". Its RHS rating of H7 means: Hardy in the severest European continental winters. On the US scale that maps to USDA Grown as an annual in zones 2-9 — the zones where it can be left outdoors year-round.

New to these scales? The USDA hardiness zone map explained covers how the zone numbers work, and you can find your own zone with the zone finder.

Minimum temperature — and what happens below it

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

Concretely, for parsnip as it gets too cold:

Light frost (around 0 to −2 °C) damages or kills tender summer crops outright; cold-hardy types take a few degrees of frost.
The plant does not "survive winter" — its life cycle simply ends, by design, when frost arrives or it finishes cropping.
A surprise late spring frost can also kill young transplants set out too early, before the season even starts.

Can parsnip go outside or overwinter — and where?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost.
In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window.
Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

Work back from your local frost dates with the frost-date calculator: the last spring frost and first autumn frost are what really decide when parsnip can be outside. US growers can check USDA zones; UK growers should use the RHS hardiness ratings, which match the H7 figure above.

Frost protection for borderline parsnip

Parsnip is right on a hardiness edge in many gardens, so if you are pushing it, these measures buy it the margin it needs:

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks.
Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost.
Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.

Parsnip hardiness — frequently asked questions

Is parsnip cold hardy?

Hardiness works differently for parsnip: it is grown as a seasonal crop, not overwintered. The question is not "what zone" but "how long is your frost-free growing window". A seasonal crop, not a perennial. Parsnip is grown Grown as an annual in zones 2-9; you sow after the last frost and harvest before the first one, then start again next year.

What is the minimum temperature parsnip can survive?

As an annual crop, its "minimum temperature" is the first hard frost — that is the end of the plant's life, not a survivable low. Many types are also damaged by light frost (around 0 °C).

What hardiness zone is parsnip?

Parsnip is rated USDA Grown as an annual in zones 2-9 and RHS H7 — Hardy in the severest European continental winters.

Can parsnip survive winter outside?

Time it to your frost dates: sow or plant out after the last spring frost, and aim to harvest before the first autumn frost. In short-season zones, start it indoors or under cover to stretch the effective growing window. Hardier crops in this group can be sown for an autumn or overwintered harvest in mild zones — check the specific crop.

How do I protect parsnip from frost?

Use fleece, cloches or a cold frame at each end of the season to dodge a borderline frost and add growing weeks. Have row cover ready for an unexpected late spring or early autumn frost. Know your local last- and first-frost dates and count back the crop’s days-to-maturity to schedule the sowing.