Hello
Newbie here
I've just been reading through an old posting "What do parsnip leaves look like?" (2004) and thought you might be interested in how I transplant my veg.
I grow most of my seeds in "peat pots" (old loo roll tubes). That way I only grow in situ whatever germinates and the cardboard breaks down adding to the soil.
Just off to read other posts
Cheers Jan
Last year I molly coddled my parsnips. I made a special raised bed with only the finest quality sifted soil. Sowed a couple of rows and got a few to germinate. Made a load of paper pots and sowed one to each in the greenhouse and got another few to germinate. Wrapped the whole bed in industrial cling film to keep the wind off as well. Total parsnips for the year... Nine.
Talking to an old timer on the plot adjacent to me about them and he said he just scrapes the first inch of frost off the soil, sows the seed and has never had any trouble.
So this year I did the same. There wasn't actually any frost at the time but I just made two drills, sowed two rows and now I got two full 15 foot rows showing. I did give them a good stiff talking when I sowed them though.
Hi Jan, welcome to A4A, the forum where you can find out everything and anything about growing veg and a whole lot more.
Yes, I tried the loo tube method this year for the first time, put them in the ground last week and they are looking healthy. I'm hoping that finally I've solved the problem of having several parsnips all twisted round each other. I just find it impossible to thin them efficiently.
Have just used some more tubes to try the same with carrots. I wonder - would root trainers do the same trick?
I chitted mine till the first roots appeared, then planted them. It's going to be interesting to see how many come up.
hiya, JanAdy..welcome to the site..we chitted ours, we've had 60% germination this year so lots of parsnips..yum ;D
I jsut saved my own seed and because I had so much, I put a generous pinch - 4-5 seeds at least, in each of the 186 stations. I think 186 loo roll tubes would be too much work. I am hoping for a huge thinning job in a few weeks but nothing has shown after ten days yet.
We are chitting and putting them into loo rolls then out...
Welcome to the Site JanAdy......
;D
Welcome to the nut house JanAdy.
I sowed mine direct last year and had a great crop. This year I thought I'd try chitting then planting, not sure yet but I think i prefer direct sowing
I have lots of Hollow Crown and Javelin parsnips germinated in loo rolls which are - on average - about 1 1/2" tall. Not all of them are showing a true leaf yet. How long should I wait till I plant them out. The raised bed is all prepared and ready.
Tricia
I chitted mine on kitchen paper then put them in root-trainers put 1 row in 2 weeks ago intending to fill any gaps with the others but they all took so I put the other row in last week. I did cover them with fleece to protect them from frost and the local wildlife
marg
I just planted out my 'snips' in their loo role tubes yesterday. Worked great but took 2 months to start growing.
I've just done mine direct to the ground today. No frost but it did hail with marble sized hailstones about 1 hour after sowing ! ;D ;D ;D I guess that's just as good?!
I have always believed that you can not transplant Parsnips or Carrots with them forking, so i would be intrested in results from any one who has done this.
I actually transplanted some very small parsnip seedlings last year, I just couldnt bear to throw away the thinnings. If the holi is deep enough and the root not too long it seemed to work ok. No forking with mine :).
Wont be doing it again though, it took ages and not nice for your back :(
I'm not doing too well on parsnips this year at the moment.
Trying a second batch to chit which aren't doing it. Not sure about the ones i've sown in the ground. Think I left them a bit late.
Quote from: Rosyred on April 28, 2008, 18:47:07
I'm not doing too well on parsnips this year at the moment.
Trying a second batch to chit which aren't doing it. Not sure about the ones i've sown in the ground. Think I left them a bit late.
I wouldn't say it was too late, I'm going to sow one or two more rows during the week.
Having had nearly a complete failure in 2006 and a total failure in 2007 with parsnips directly sown into the garden I thought I woulod try root trainers this year rather than direct sowing. They were started in the GH and a result, 100% germination. The very small plants were transplanted into the garden yesterday and the main root had hardly reached the bottom of the module. Today they are looking fine but the ultimate harvest will show success or ailure. Any parsnips, no matter how small, will be an improvement on the last two years.
I scattered the a bed with beetroot seed and parsnip seed added more soil watered and forgot. Still pulling parsnips ;D
Having had mine in the airing cupboard on top of the boiler for 2 weeks and them doing nothing, I gave up on them and moved them out to the greenhouse. That was about 10 days ago. I've now got loads of sprouted seed to pot up. So far managed to do about 90. It's making up the newspaper tubes that takes the time.
made a drill, poured them in on saturday..covered them over...now wait and see what happens!
Parsnips do fork if you transplant them but they can also fork when grown direct into the ground.
They are still all right to peel, cook and eat, at least you are getting parsnips which can be hard to germinate.
Put them into the ground as soon as they show using the loo tube. This way you control where they get planted as well as getting a result. It is not actually transplanting, they stay planted where they were started you just give them more growing space.
Too much richness can make them fork too.
I think that the farmers must grow them directly into compost because we can now get some used parsnip and carrot compost delivered to the allotment because the grower uses fresh stuff every year.
No wonder they cost so much in the shops. Fresh compost, scrubbed, manicured and wrapped in plastic.
I prefer direct sowing, tried loo rolls last year and although they were good they grew far too big for my liking, not that long but great big fat things.
Cambourne's way works if you have the space as my neighbour does her's that way every year and she gets brillint crops.
Not too late to sow parsnips.
Sinbad