I thinned out the other two varieties of radishes and parsnips this morning, so I have more to add to my comments on the viability of the practice.

First off, the rows I thinned yesterday had perked up quite a bit and were looking good. It made the other rows look even more overgrown.

The first variety I thinned was on the other side of the bed. The radishes were the ‘White Icicle’ variety. I can say that this is NOT the right variety to interplant with parsnips. The leaves are much larger than other varieties, resulting in more shading of the parsnips. The roots are also very long, resulting in more soil disturbance when pulling, and there were basically none of the ones that I pulled that were ready to eat, even as baby radishes.

The middle rows were ‘Cherry Belle’ radishes. Very different! The leaves were much smaller and more lobed, leaving more gaps for sunlight to get through. The radishes were also much more developed and pulled out of the soil much easier.

Once all the radishes are out, we’ll have to go back and look at germination and how our stand of parsnips looks. For right now, I can say that the quick maturing round varieties with smaller leaves are a better option for interplanting with parsnips.