Topic: Root crops started in pots or modules

[Garden Manager]

Does anyone do this?

In the past i have had problems geminating things like parsnips, carrots and beetroot in the open ground so started sowing them in either modules or (in the case of parsnips) cardboard tubes. At first this method was sucessfull and it allowd me to control the environment for germination. OK the crops werent perfect (mishapen roots where they got rootbound on occasion) but it seemed to work.

Recently and particularly this year things seem to have gone wrong, with the warm weather the greenhouse has become too hot at times for hardy crops to germinate and the first batch of all my root crops grown in  there seem to have failed. I kept them covered and shaded to stop the seed drying out and overheating but have overdone it and caused seed to rot or seedlings to damp off. Added to this i have recently discovered i hve been using a MP compost which isnt very good for seed sowing (or plug plants). So I am now looking at starting again, having now 'lost' nearly a month of growing time. Going to have to try direct sowing again i think.

Anyone else had similar problems?

[bluecar]

Hello Garden Manager.

I started my parsnips in newspaper rolls filled with MP compost in the greenhouse and had no problems. I didn't realise MP compost was a problem with seeds and plug plants.

Regards

Bluecar

[BarriedaleNick]

MP compost can possibly be an issue if it is too rich in nutrients for the roots of seedlings or sprouting seeds.  Some people mix it down with sand, vermiculite or old compost for that very reason.  Personally I never find it to be that much of an issue.

I do beetroot in root trainers bit sow snips and carrots direct.  Parsnips can be funny about root disturbance but the loo roll/paper roll method seems to be fine as you don't mess with the tap root.  Carrots just don't seem worth it but I always sow direct covered in coir or sand but germination can be a real issue - I had to over sow several times last year...

[strawberry1]

swedes and beetroots work very well started in modules. I sow 3 beetroot seeds to a module and wait until they are full of roots before planting out. The modules are small, 12 to a tray. I like the way they push apart when growing. Swedes do best from my root trainers, I like them to go out bigger as slugs love them. Carrots direct sown in tall raised beds or tall containers. Parsnips direct into the ground, guernsey this year and they are all up

[antipodes]

Since I followed the tip about planks, I have had better root crop results. Lay down a plank or planks the length of your row and sow just next to the edge of the planks. I think that the wood keeps the soil moist and protects against too much disturbance. last year I got my first crop of carrots like that!

I agree, beets don't seem to mind being transplanted.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I put the plank on top of the row, then move it at the first sign of germination. The crucial thing is to keep the seeds damp, so water well before placing it.

[Garden Manager]

its not all MP compost that is a problem, just this particular (different) make/brand that has caused me problems. My normal MPC has usualy germinated my seeds fine. Even if using MP Compost were an issue with certain seeds the way around it is to use MP compost in the bottom of the pots/modules, but add a layer of seed compost for actual sowing into. That way you get the best of both worlds. Didnt do this with my roots this time. Should have followed my own advice really. LOL!

[George the Pigman]

I had awful problems germinating parsnips & carrots on the clay soil on our allotment. Eventually I hit on a successful technique. I make a drill about 3 inches deep and fill it with spent compost from last years greenhouse plants, pots & hanging baskets. Then I sow them in these.

[ancellsfarmer]

Not had any problem germinating beetroot,parsnips , kohl rabi in modules in Wickes MP compost (40 to standard seed tray size.Using fresh "Real seeds",40 seeds in equals almost always 40 seeds up !
Issues with getting the plug out of the module were resolved by dropping the tray about a foot, sideways on . This was not a deliberate act initially,
However the parsnips resisted the temptation of striking down the 16" or so that the naturally sown batch achieved, but grew well and healthily ,producing roots as wide as they were long but with several tap roots somewhat as a horses tooth, bewildering the kitchen staff !
It is not a technique for establishing these crops in ideal conditions but a tolerable way to make the best progress when facing natures hostility.

[chriscross1966]

I start parsnips off in toilet roll tubes pushed into 24-cell module trays, three seeds per tube, thin to best one once they're up, plant out once they've got a couple of leaves, gets me decent roots, one tray will be a row of 20 which is more than enough parsnips for me for a year.... use the modern F1 shorter rooted varieties though, not some old monster like Hollow Crown, Kohl Rabi adn swede I just start in 40-cell modules adn pot on into 12-cell ones (ad d a bit of lime and bfb to the mix) , carrots I tend to do in troughs for the stump-rooted forcing types, deep pots for some early Nantes types that I start in the GH in late february, then when then rootrainers clear of beans in May I start off some Autumn Kings, one per cell in seived topsoil, with some BFB in the bottom layer, They plant out at final spacing in July under protection, but then won't need touching again until harvest...

[Garden Manager]

All parsnips up OK now. Panic over. Was just about to sow more too. That would have been annoying, not to mention a headache as to where to put them all!.

Have resown carrots and beetroot. Beetroot in modules as before but different compost and variety. Carrots multisown into deep pots to plant out rather than modules.