Topic: parsnips

[paddy]

Hi all , has anybody tried starting parsnips off in toilet roll inserts, my parsnips are a complete disaster this time and this is something i have heard of but never tried.

[Froglegs]

News papper would be better as it would rot a bit quicker letting ya parsnips grow on into the ground. :)

[glow777]

yep they work ok but I tested a few ways this year and pre germinating is the way to go IMO

do a search for parsnips for Feb/Mar last year theres a few useful threads

[manicscousers]

we're going to have a go at starting them off in rootrainers so's we can see if they germinate  :)

[sweet-pea]

I had great success with my parsnips this year for a change.  I used a new method to me.  Basically, I made a deep hole in the ground first with a bamboo cane, wiggling it around, and then made it bigger with a thicker stick.  I then filled the whole with compost, packing it down. On top of the compost I sowed 3-4 seeds and lightly covered with some compost, and watered them. I then left them, and at least one of the seeds at each station germinated, where there was more than one, I removed the weaker ones leaving just one seedling per station.
I am now digging up fantastic parsnips, 3-4inches in diameter at top and coming out at around 14-16 inches long (although still a lot left in the ground), and they are beautifully straight :-)
I'm going to try a variation on this method with my carrots this year too.

SP x

[SMP1704]

Same here Sweet Pea - I also used 'Parsnip Pits', with 3 seeds per pit, in addition to the compost, I mixed in some sharp sand.

Also had brilliant carrots earlies were Amsterdam Forcing and then Autumn King - dug whole bed over with compost and sharp sand.

I fleeced the early sowings of carrot and parsnip - parsnip took ages to germinate but once they got going there was no stopping them :D

[SteveJ]

I followed Sweet Peas method last year after hearing about it on A4A, and it worked a treat.  My 'snips  are similar in size to SP, with lovely long tap roots and no forking. 

However they are now beginnning to start to regrow due to the mild winter, so i need to get the last ones out of the ground before they get too woody.

[saddad]

Have used root-trainers and had success but be warned if you wait for a true leaf they will already be out of the bottom!
 ;D

[paddy]

After reading all the information i think i am going to try some seeds in toilet tubes and some like sweet peas way. I have struggled with germination in the past but i am so impatient that if my seeeds have not germinated within a matter of minutes of sowing them i am brushing the soil for signs of life ( not really that bad). Many thanks for all the feedback

[Andy H]

I had great success with my parsnips this year for a change.  I used a new method to me.  Basically, I made a deep hole in the ground first with a bamboo cane,

first few years I used iron bar and had massive snips but this year was a bit of a failure, complete opposite. :( :( :(

[busy_lizzie]

I made a long hole and filled it with compost and sowed about three seeds in it, but unfortunatley only 4 parsnips seedlings came up out of 24 sites. So this year I intend giving the toilet roll holder pre-chitting seeds a go.  My lottie neighbour did it last year and he had a great crop which made me very jealous. Did think that the hot weather might have had something to do with my failure and perhaps I didn't keep the areas watered as much as I should have.  :-\ busy_lizzie 

[Robert_Brenchley]

Mine never got started, and that was down to the cold spring.

[Merry Tiller]

This year I never bothered with the crow bar method, I  just sowed them in rows as per, the parsnips have been OK but not as big as normal

[Ricado]

have nice sandy soil here, good for germination of everything, including parsnips.

Two good years already, perfect germination.

A handy tip, when sowing i mark the line, draw out a small drill with a cane, then to ensure even depth, run your thumb and forefinger from one end of the line to the other to even out peaks and troughs in the drill.  Then space seed evenly, rake over to cover and lightly firm with the bottom of a rake.

[nickhitch]

tried toilet rolls last year with little success,,the few that did grow however were a good size..in the end made a V shaped drill in well dug soil,dropped 3 seeds together every 9inches and covered with general compost...had excellent germination and just left the strongest plant to grow on and pinched out the other 2.....i found it was an excellent to germinate carrots as well so long as the compost was kept well watered and not allowed to dry out..

[cornykev]

We used a long piece of timber  moving side to side to get the depth for the drill then covered with potting compost, my mate got his building trowel out and smoothed off like he was screening a floor. Laugh I nearly fell over but the parsnips were big and delicious and still have loads in the ground so who's laughing now.    ;D ;D ;D

[cornykev]

Forgot to say we planted carrots and beetroot the same way.    ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[tuinman]

Hello folks

I heard that if you put some seeds in a little plastic bag with a little wet sand, they germinate and you can just pick them out and plant them. I think i'll try it this year, would be great not to have to thin the carrots.

Has anyone tried this?

[louise stella]

Hello folks

I heard that if you put some seeds in a little plastic bag with a little wet sand, they germinate and you can just pick them out and plant them. I think i'll try it this year, would be great not to have to thin the carrots.

Has anyone tried this?

You can do the same thing - using Vermiculite!

LOuise

[supersprout]

Hello folks
I heard that if you put some seeds in a little plastic bag with a little wet sand, they germinate and you can just pick them out and plant them. I think i'll try it this year, would be great not to have to thin the carrots.
Has anyone tried this?

You can do the same thing - using Vermiculite!
LOuise

Thank you both, will definitely try with outdoor sown carrots - it's been years since I had a good year for direct sown carrots, have been driven to sow in modules :(