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I followed the tip on germinating parsnip seeds on wet kitchen paper in the airing cupboard, the question now is do I have to harden them off before planting?

MikeB

I would think so Mike, from cosy warm airing cupboard to cold, frosty outdoors

would be a shock to any poor plant.

I'm sure someone else could advise you better, as my parsnip growing expertise

could be written on the back of a stamp  ;)

Debs

It is pretty early for parsnips at the moment I would say and they wont like to me moved outside at the moment, especially given the current temps at night.

I tend to sow mine direct in a compost drill in April. I get good germination and decent crops with no worries about transplanting.

Jerry

Hi Jerry,

I'll try your method if this lot fails.

MikeB

This thread is fascinating. Are you saying that you have problems sowing by normal methods Mike? Whilst I have had poor germination in some years, I think this has been down to poor moisture levels, so the germinating seeds struggled. To my view, sowing on paper then transplanting seems a lot of effort for a crop which has such a long period to maturity anyway. If you are growing a couple of dozen parsnips, then this is no great hardship, but I will grow perhaps 200, so the difference in effort is noticeable. I tend to sow around mid March, as the soil is warming up, and have reasonable success. The only problem I suffer is the same as everyone, that of weeds, but I throw a few radish seeds in as markers to help see the rows for hoeing.

Please don't misunderstand me though please, I am not being critical of your methods here, on your original question, I would tend to allow a period for hardening off.

Good luck anyway.

Hi Curry,

Last year I had very poor germination success with my parsnip seeds and so it seems did other members of this forum (trouble is I can't find the original thread),  the consensus of opinion was to pre-germinate the seed in an airing cupboard to achieve better results.  In my case I have obtained almost 100% germination and it only took 6 days. I was expecting 2 to 3 weeks and the weather to have improved in that time.  So now I'm stuck with early plants.  Good news is if worse comes to worse I've more than enough time to repeat.  When I do plant I intend to use the other tip given of using a stake filled compost hole to plant in.

MikeB

I have been successful in growing parsnips for the past three years, though last year some of them did fork.  I prepare the bed by digging out  long deep holes in which I place a sawn off piece of drainpipe which I fill with compost.  Inside the drainpipe I plant two parsnips seeds just in case one of them doesn't germinate and when the seedlings come up I choose the stronger looking one.  It seems to work for me and I think the only reason some forked last year was because I didn't dig a deep enough hole.  I usually do this in April or early May.  :) busy_lizzie

Thank you for that explanation Mike, it seems to make more sense now, and at this time of year there IS time to attend to things like this. You don't say how many plants you intend to put in, I think I would be inclined to take the risk of putting them out (at least some), albeit with fleece or cloches to ease their shock?

Curry

Other advantages of the compost drills are:

1. The row is marked perfectly and it is very very easy to see the seeds/seedlings.
2. The compost, being dark in colour, traps solar heat and warms up faster than my clay soil.

I use this method for all my parsnips and carrots and never have a problem.

Jerry

Hi, I intend to grow about 80 odd.  I finally found the original thread ' Yummy parsnips ' where if you look several people were having trouble with germination.  The planting method I intend using was given in the same thread by tony

quote author=newtona2 link=topic=15368.msg155303#msg155303 date=1135708849]
For anyone who's had problems - like me last year - with parsnips either not growing very large, or growing like alien multi-legged tennis balls (!!), I suggest you try what I did this year:

Get a big stake or fence post
Chanfer off the corners to give you a reasonable point
Push about 12"-15" into the ground, twist a bit, then pull out
Fill hole with bagged compost mixed about 3 parts compost to 2 parts sand
Sow two seeds on the top of the compost/sand mix
Make the next hole about 6" away from the edge of the first.
Repeat.
Cover the whole lot with a very thin sprinkling of more compost and sand mix

When they germinate, remove the weakest looking seedling (if both germinate)


I did this for the first time this year - to much ridicule from one of my fellow plot holders - and also sowed another lot as normal, in the same raised bed or well sifted soil.

Results?

The parsnips sown in the dibbed holes we universally long, straight and nearly all a decent size (about 10" to 12" long, about 2" to 3" across at the top.

The others grew well, but several are small and stunted, several have multiple appendages, and none are as big as the other lot.

All were Tender & True.

I'll certainly be doing the same again this year - as will my vocal neighbour!

Tony
[/quote]

Hopefully mine will be as successful.

MikeB

I normally plant parsnips in March; last year I had nil germination, replanted in April, and got very little. I think that was down to the cold weather; I should have waited till may. I'll be watching the soil temperature this year. I wouldn't even be thinking about it this early.

Quote from: Robert_Brenchley on February 10, 2006, 10:39:08
I normally plant parsnips in March; last year I had nil germination, replanted in April, and got very little. I think that was down to the cold weather; I should have waited till may. I'll be watching the soil temperature this year. I wouldn't even be thinking about it this early.

That was the point in germinating them in the airing cupboard, no uncertainty.

MikeB

The compost drill method sounds excellent, I will try this with half of my drills I think, then I should be able to compare. My soil is extremely stony, so I gather I should benefit from this technique.

Thank you

Making a hole & filling it with compo works perfectly but it's way too early for parsnips now, I sowed mine in mid April last year & they're the biggest I've ever grown

I plant mine striaght in the ground in about mid april.

Try putting in a few more seeds, I always put about 5 seeds in a little ring about the size of a 20p, and space these groups about 6~7 inches. Normally only 1 or 2 will germinate in each group - but you only need one..

Before planting i go over the drill with a drag (basically a fork with the tynes bent in a right angle) i can lossen up the soil quite deep with this, and i reckon this helps to stop fanging.

am I right in thinking that like carrots they will fork if soil has been manured ? :-\

Yes, but they may fork for other reasons too, eg stones.

So long as the manures had the whole winter to rot in the soil, I would'nt worry to much. Stones are much more of a problem on my plot.

my allotment neighbour has created a WHOLE carpark from the rock that came out of his plot!!!!

mine is the same>:(

I always end up with chisel beach in the middle of my plot after making my seed beds.