[lochnesslass]

ive tried to grow these for the last 3 yrs and no joy.
in the ground directly and in biodegradable pots to transfer.
im in the north of scotland so not sure if this makes a difference.
really would like some for Christmas dinner this year! help

[JayG]

You haven't described exactly what went wrong with your parsnips, but pressing ahead anyway the problems with parsnips are 1) seed loses its viability more quickly than most other veg seeds 2) They are are very slow to germinate in cold conditions, despite which... 3) They need a long growing season to fully develop which means sowing them early!

This could well be a problem where you are.  

I delay sowing direct until the middle of April. which works well here - where you are it could be a good idea to sow indoors in toilet roll tubes or paper pots to make sure they germinate, but be ready to harden off for planting out quickly or the tap root will already be out of the bottom and getting ready to fork!

I'm no fan of peat pots (if that's what you meant) as they can take a long time to rot away, a particular problem for parsnips as far as the bottom of the pot is concerned.

[lochnesslass]

thanks, only a few germinated to start and those that did got no bigger than a biro pen in width and only abot an inch long!

[Yorkie]

I would avoid the biodegradable pots, and sow direct in the next few weeks.

What's your soil like?

The often-suggested sowing technique is to sow about 3-4 seeds in a cluster every 8" or so - this allows a better germination chance and you can thin out any that duplicate.

Depending on the soil, you might find it a good idea to water the trench / hole before sowing.

And, as JayG says, always use fresh seed.

[sunshineband]

and if your soil is still very cold, you could warm it up first with cloches for a week or two 

[goodtogrow]

hi,  I agree with others about delaying sowing until soil temperatures are up, which could mean delaying as late as May where you are.  I've lost too many sowings by following instructions on the seed packet (sow February!) and I'm in the South.

Also wonder if early sowings attract slugs - their numbers are greatest during the early season following egg hatching after winter, I think, and that's why frogs spawn early cos food supply is greatest in early season for new population?

Anyway, by trial and error the only way I get parsnips is by sowing direct, late, and cos they go in shallow I cover the seedrow with a light thatch of straw and twigs to stop the breeze from drying out the surface where the seeds lie.  But I have to wait for settled, dry weather when slugs are less numerous (frogs!).  Works well for carrots too.

[Yorkie]

It is sometimes also suggested to grow a quickcrop between the seeds - I did spring onions last year, some others use radish etc.

This crop germinates more quickly, and is harvested before the parsnips get too big - it does mean that you know where the row of parsnip seeds is, and don't weed them by accident!

[Schubunny]

I did parsnips in March last year and around march the year before. Had good crops both years although some forked. This year I put them in yesterday and before that I made a deep thin hole with a big dibber and filled with compost and then put a couple of seeds on top as I don't have many left as I tried doing some in paper pots and they haven't come up. If I get gaps hopefully the paper pots can fill those. I sow radishes in between to help me see where the row is and to maximise space.

[solway cropper]

I've used a similar technique to schubunny.

Because my soil is stony I've grown my parsnips in deep containers for the last few years. I'm putting some back out in the open ground this year by using the hole-boring technique. By ramming a long pointed steel bar into the soil and waggling it slightly you can get a lightly tapered hole which is then filled with a mix of fine compost and sharp sand. Two seeds are sown for each hole and these are thinned to leave the strongest seedling if all germinate. My holes are about 15 inches (37.5cm) deep.

[Ian_A]

straight into the ground from now onwards - 4 or 5 in little holes/stations.
And use cocktail sticks to mark out where each station is for ease of identification from weeds.

Then thin once germinated.

And any that havent, simply put more seeds in those empty stations later on.

They do not need to be done in loo rolls or pots but you can do them in the biodegradable pots if you dont let root go all the way down - and as with planting anything with these pots, simply tear off the bottom when planting out so the roots go straight into the soil easily

[lochnesslass]

thanks everyone for the fab advice, will be trying the dibber method this time and i like the coctail stick idea.
my soil is kinda heavy but we are puting in a  raised bed this year so should be better.
i will be holding off on planting until the soil heats up anyway so probably a good month or even two yet.
cant wait to try them now.

[Yorkie]

I would advise that you do get them in by the end of this month.

They need a decent length of time to grow before the weather draws in.

[sarajane]

Luckily my 'snips are fine (probably due to reasonable soil) but a guy on our site uses the method like Schubunny and Solway cropper and grows show bench parsnips.

I like the idea of putting cocktail sticks where the seeds ae too.

Fingers crossed for perfect veg for Christmas dinner