seed sowing

[steveg1966]

Seed sowing has anybody successfully started Swede parsnips and other root veg off in cells and planted on.

[steveg1966]

[manicscousers]

Beetroot, last year much to my surprise they did well. My mate gave me some swede in cells and I put them in to please him, biggest swede I've ever grown 

[Big Boy]

Bit early for swede, and parsnips will fork if the root touches the bottom of the cell.

[caroline7758]

I've sown parsnips in loo roll middles today. I've had more success this way then any other way, although that's not saying much!

[chriscross1966]

Round beetroots work particularly well, especially the monogerms like Moneta, the long-roots less so. I've grown plenty of carrots starting in modules, once again the shorter rooted varieties are a bit easier, so Nantes and the smaller Chantenays rather than Autumn King. I find it best to do them in loo rolls pushed into a 24-cell trays, or you can use root-trainers, especially with later crops once the beans are out of them.... I do also grow Parsnips starting in modules with toilet rolls, for the shorter ones like WHite Gem you get a decently sized root though it's not going to win any prizes, they're generally a raterh blocky cylinder about six to eight inches long and four or so across, then a tangle of forking... celeriac also works from modules, but isn't the easiest thing to grow on my lottie, might revert to groing them at home where they worked well three years ago...Kohl-Rabi also works well from module sowing, you don't need toilet rolls for celeriac, beetroot or kohl rabi, generally ust the carrots and parsnips.

[Macy]

I do parsnips in paper pots made around a bean tin. They have to go out pretty soon after you have a seedling though, as below ground is a lot longer than above ground.

I've always started my swedes in cells - i only recently read you shouldn't, but luckily my swedes haven't read it either and come out fine!

[chriscross1966]

I reckon that a lot of the "old wives tales" that we've received regarding sowing are a bit suspect... just because something has a root doesn't mean it won't growin a cell, at least for a while... plus, as a singleton, a 6" long, 4" wide parsnip is all the parsnip I can eat in two meals... the other advantage of growing carrots in big pots on the patio is that root fly tends not to find them....