Topic: Planting summer vine squash between parsnips?

[hannah.louise.uk]

I have just sown some exhibition parsnips, following the guidance for 16" between rows. Now I'm thinking that I'd like to sow something between the rows  to give a bit of ground cover.
Struggling to find recommendations. I'm about to put up trellis for my summer squash- delikates. They are small vine squash. The position shouldn't shade the parsnips.
Is there a reason to not do this. Or what should I think about planting instead!

[galina]

I have just sown some exhibition parsnips, following the guidance for 16" between rows. Now I'm thinking that I'd like to sow something between the rows  to give a bit of ground cover.
Struggling to find recommendations. I'm about to put up trellis for my summer squash- delikates. They are small vine squash. The position shouldn't shade the parsnips.
Is there a reason to not do this. Or what should I think about planting instead!

I know nothing about exhibition parsnips, however, the squash is a big feeder and even if it would not actually swamp the parsnips it could take nutrients away and the exhibition parsnips would go short because of it.

[hannah.louise.uk]

Thanks. I hadn't thought about that aspect. Just that vines can go up and parsnips go down. Does that mean for catch cropping the space my only options are radish or lettuce?

[galina]

Thanks. I hadn't thought about that aspect. Just that vines can go up and parsnips go down. Does that mean for catch cropping the space my only options are radish or lettuce?

Trying to think of ways of how to do it!  Perhaps there should not be any crop at all to do right by the parsnips.  But if you are not absolutely sold on the biggest sizes, then for the extra food that the squash needs perhaps you could construct little boxes around each squash plant, perhaps something like two bricks wide and two courses high.  These could be filled with premium compost to feed the squash plants and topped up without taking away from the parsnips.   

................ and welcome to the madhouse! 

[hannah.louise.uk]

Thanks for the welcome. I've been a lurker for a while now.
I think the squash idea is probably a no go. Just curious to see if people normally leave such a big gap empty - we only got the plot in July so didn't grow any last year. I'm 8 months pregnant so would far rather grow something in the space than hoe it!

[Digeroo]

Welcome to A4A from me too

The other problem with the courgette family is that they do not put up with competition and deal with weeds.  They are allelopathic and kill other plants.   So the parsnips will probably die.   Now if you want to clear a weedy patch then squashes are a good choice.

If you are short of space, I would suggest putting the squash next to your early potatoes and as you harvest the spuds then the squash will take over the space. 

[kGarden]

My Parsnips chuck up loads of foliage, so don't have much of a weed problem under them anyway ... although I have a large plot so I don't push hard for productivity.

Have you thought about growing show Parsnips in barrels of sand (with potting-compost cores)?  Seems to be the popular choice for the aficionados.  Allotmendiary (think I've spelled that correctly) on YouTube has info, and tells you exactly how he does it / what fertilisers he uses, whereas most, I think, treat such informations s a Trade Secret!

[goodlife]

If you do want to grow you parnips on the ground and don't want to keep the soil between the plants bare resulting weeding...like you mentioned about the 'catch crops' with salad things...you could also sow some 'green manures' or shallow rooted annual flowers. Flower like poach egg plants won't compete too much with parsnips..yes they will self sow but are very easily removed should you not want them around following year. Phacelia sown thinly would work and you should you not want it to flower it is easily broken down and left of surface as mulch to stop weeds growing.
You could leave some to flower too..to give something for the insects and make the bed look pretty

[Vinlander]

This reminds me of the "three sisters" method for growing corn, climbing beans and squash on the same plot.

When I tried it straight the corn suffered - I think mainly because we don't grow the 2m+ types of corn (for storing and parching) they grow (or used to) in the semi-tropical Americas - and also probably because we don't get strong sun to support 3 such vigorous plants in one place anyway.

However the spirit of it sort of works if you scale all 3 right back by combining sweetcorn with trailing gherkins and borlotti nana (they are supposed to be dwarf but they sort of half-climb).

So my point is parsnips and gherkins might work - but I'll probably just stick with sowing the parsnips closer and putting up with smaller roots (say max 500g).

Cheers.

[hannah.louise.uk]

Thanks everyone for the welcome and advice. It's our first spring on the allotment so still getting our heads around planting the space.

[titus a duxas]

I have found that annual spinach grows well between rows of parsnips a nice cool growing place in the heat of the day

[Vinlander]

I have found that annual spinach grows well between rows of parsnips a nice cool growing place in the heat of the day

Very interesting:

Do you plant out well-grown spinach seedlings? or are they row-sown? Parsnips take a while to show but they can put quite a spurt on - so if the timings allow row-sown spinach to thrive then it would be even more useful.

I imagine that if they are row-sown ones they'd have to be spiny-seeded winter spinach to get going in the cold?

Cheers.

[titus a duxas]

Hi Vinlander
Row sown or module sown will work its a matter of playing around to see what works best.
Sometimes if the parsnip leaves are taking over I remove 1 or 2
 Summer spinaches works best for me Once the distances between the rows has been sussed then its sorted

[Paulh]

When the parsnips get going, there's no unshaded space between the rows and they out compete most things. Radishes would work between them (anyone know a better radish than Sparkler 3 btw?). But my problem is getting the parsnips to germinate!

[Robert_Brenchley]

They're very sensitive to drying out, and since they're so shallow, that happens easily. The best way I've found is to put the seed in, water well if the soil's at all dry, and put a plank on top of the row. That comes off as soon as the seed start to germinate. A sheet of clear plastic might be better.