Bob Hobden wrote:
Transplanting parsnips? Not usual to plant them other than in situ, where
they are to grow, as any root disturbance can cause the root to split and
IME they simply don't like it.

After years of failure, I bought parsnip seedlings last year, and
transplanted them into a row on the allotment. They worked fine*, but I had
assumed that all the splitting was due to the soil being too well manured,
not the transplant.