Last parsnips

[Mrs Ava]

Cleared the remaining 'snips out today.  Not a bad haul for my first year growing them.  Dug up around 10 for Christmas and have been pinching the odd one or 2   :-\ since about september time, the inlaws took a carrier bag full home with them today and this is what I have left.  A fair old size too.  Plan to make some soup, have some during the week...chipped or roasted, then going to blanch and freeze the rest.

p.s.  2 litre bottle of cola for scale  ;D

[Mrs Ava]

[Mothy]

What whoppers EJ, they look wonderful!
We too love parsnips.

[aquilegia]

wow - just look at the size of those!

When did you sow them? Did you sow them direct or were these some of your transferred from cell jobbies?

I WILL grow parsnips this year!

[Sarah-b]

My goodness EJ! Can't believe it!!
Are they all woody when they get to that size?
What variety were they?

SB

[SpeedyMango]

Wow. Mine aren't that big, but I had some good ones over Xmas.

I've got lots left in the ground at the moment. Do you have to lift them now? Don't want to lose what I've got left.

[Mrs Ava]

They were called 'Tender and True'...or could it have been true and tender......  Sowed as the packet said and these ones went in directly.  They were squeezed in closely to my witloof, which I thought was a bad idea at the time, but both did amazingly.  And they are not the least bit wood, even the cores are tender.  The ones I sowed in cells came out like aliens, all balled up and crooked, more core than anything.

[Mrs Ava]

I lifted them as I believe once the weather warms up again they will start to regrow and then they will become woody and pretty much useless, plus I wanted to clear and dig and get ready for spring.

[Kerry]

wow EJ! they are whoppers, if this is your 1st year, then next year..................?!

[aquilegia]

ooh goody - I have tender and true this year. So I hope they do better than the avonresister i did last year.

[SpeedyMango]

I lifted them as I believe once the weather warms up again they will start to regrow and then they will become woody and pretty much useless, plus I wanted to clear and dig and get ready for spring.

Makes sense. I will have to do the same to mine when I get the chance. Haven't even been able to check on my lottie since the storms at the weekend. Might have to go and poke around with a torch tonight to see if everything's where I left it.

[Andy H]

We used Gladiator and they were large and tasty

[RSJK]

Like you Andy I grew gladiator, and am very pleased with them the flavour of them, this year I am trying pelleted seed  for the first time, think I shall plant them about 1" apart then thin them out to about 3".

[Andy H]

I used iron bar for hole about 18" apart and filled with compost sieved into it. three seeds on top and later thinned to best one.
1st time but worked well but the watering and rain etc sank them down a bit so I am having to scrape away about 4" of soil to find them :-\ but the black colour of compost easily shows where they are so it is then just a case of excavating a quarry to get them out!!! ;D