Alongside of the permanent bed, plant parsnips and salsify. Parsnip
seed germinates slowly and quickly deteriorates by age, therefore early
sowing and seed of unquestionable freshness are of primary importance.
The subsoil should by all means be thoroughly loosened by the subsoil
plow, unless it is naturally of a loose, friable texture. When it is
borne in mind that parsnip roots grow wholly under ground, and when
well grown measure over eighteen inches in length, the necessity for
this will be seen at once. Sow in drills and thin to five inches apart.
Parsnips may safely be left in the ground all winter, as frost greatly
improves them in saccharine quality.
Salsify or oyster plant, as the name implies, possesses the flavor of
the oyster to a marked degree, and is highly esteemed by many on this
account. It should have the same treatment in every respect as directed
for the parsnip, and like it, too, is improved by frost. In the ground
adjoining the parsnips and salsify, plant such vegetables as lettuce,
spinach, radish, peas, bush beans, onions, kohl rabi, early cabbage,
cauliflower, early potatoes and sweet corn. These mature nearly in the
order named, and in time enough to be succeeded by other vegetables
which will be mentioned hereafter.