If you look closely, you can see some stubborn grass roots in the foreground. The close-up is a volunteer that sprouted this spring. I haven’t planted anything in this area – yet.

This looks familiar.

I kept thinking, “They’re not carrots. They’re not radishes. Parsnips?”

I did a little research online. The foliage certainly looks like parsnips. But how?

I planted carrots and parsnips in that area last year. Most likely, a handful of seeds didn’t germinate last spring. After hibernating through a warm and wet winter, the seeds were ready to burst.

And burst they did. Here’s one I pulled up to test the theory.

Parsnip. Indeed.

I’m planning to plant tomatoes there. Supposedly tomatoes and carrots are good companions; maybe parsnips will do well with my tomatoes, too.