Allotments 4 All

Hi all,
         I have used the toilet roll tube method to sow my parsnips, they have been growing on well with 100% germination ;D I noticed yesterday that the tap root was showing through the bottom of the tube, have I waited to long to plant them out? will they now just fork everywhere when I do?Any thoughts?

                                                               Adrian.

i havent done this with parsnips but i did try it with carrots and they forked very badly every single one of them so i would imagine parsnips will as well but hey try it and see what happens.
alan

This is the method I use.

Get them in

NOT in ground with too much manure or they will resemble monsters from outer space. (still edible though)

Almost as soon as the seedlings have emerged from the soil/compost in the tubes, they need to go into the ground.

The growth below "ground" in the tubes is anything up to 20 X the growth above!

And don't forget to water them in...

I sow my parsnips directly by making a deep parsnip shaped hole with a rod and filling it with compost before sowing 4-5 seeds in the centre of the opening.
My suggestion would be (and I have no idea whether it would help at all to avoid forking, but might be worth a try) if you dig a hole that is deeper than your toilet tubes and fill the bottom with the same compost you used to fill the toilet rolls, before then interting your toilet tubes.  My thinking is that the compost at the bottom will bea easier for the roots to grow through, and less of a shock as it is the same growing medium.
But as I say this is just a though and not a tried and tested solution!

They definately need to go in now.  Once the roots show through the bottom the time is right.  Ensure the soil is loose underneath the toilet roll tube to at least the same depth again to prevent forking.