Duchess
Parsnip in the UK

You'll want to sow fresh parsnip seed directly into the soil outdoors from March right through April. They don't like being moved about much, so direct sowing is always best. Get your ground ready first, make sure it's not too stony, because you're after nice deep, straight roots. Sow them about 2 cm deep, in rows about 30 cm apart. Space the seeds thinly, maybe 5 cm apart, because you'll be thinning them out later on. A little trick, if you sow a few radish seeds with them, the radishes come up quick, mark the row for you, and you get a bit of an early harvest before the parsnips really get going.

Once your parsnip seedlings are up and showing a couple of true leaves, it's time to thin them out. This bit is proper important, to give each plant enough room to grow a good, fat root. Aim for one plant every 15 cm or so. Just gently pull out the weaker ones, don't disturb the ones you're keeping too much. They don't need any fancy support, they're happy just growing straight down. For containers, to be honest, you'd need a really deep one, so it's usually best to get 'em in the ground.