[Michael D]

Hi all has anyone  ever  sowed parsnips seeds in toilet rolls, on a window sill , then planted them out  when time to.

[compostqueen]

Yes, there's probably lots of threads on here about it so have a look in the veg section.  I use loo rolls all the time and they're fine 

[Swing Swang]

Yes to toilet rolls, no to windowsill - they're quite happy in an unheated coldframe - SS

[mikem]

I have successfully started the seeds on damp kitchen roll paper above the boiler in an old ice cream container to check that the seeds were viable.  Once they showed signs of growth I very carefully (my wife's tweezers!) sowed them in the toilet roll inserts and put outside.  However the hardest part, in my opinion, is transferring them to the soil without disturbing the root.  Whilst the toilet roll insert should disintegrate I split mine down the side first with a Stanley knife and then very carefully bury the toilet roll insert beneath the level of the surrounding soil so that the whole of the cardboard remains damp and therefore it disintegrate.  The root grows quite quickly so you need to transfer it to the allotment before the root shows out of the bottom of the toilet role insert or else the parsnip root is likely to split.

[savbo]

but see recent discussions about malformed parsnips due to tiniest damage to the new roots

[Kristen]

I personally don't think that loo rolls are tall enough for Parsnip. I do mine in newspaper pots which are 6" to 7" tall and its a close-call when I plant out whether the tap root has appeared (and I plant out as soon as the third leaf arrives, so the plants are still "tiny" at that point).

I'm going to try putting loo rolls around my leeks this year - to blanch more of the stem. (Some kind person told me that once the leek is well above the first loo roll you can squish the end of another a bit, and thus balance it on top of the first, to get double-height-loo-roll blanching

[robbodaveuk]

Try using kitchen rolls for Parsnips, they are too long as they are for ordinary parsnips, but you can cut them down so they are still longer than toilet rolls.

  Robbo.

[rowlandwells]

I've tried toilet rolls newspaper pots and peat pots they did the best in peat pots the only downside to that was that some roots where coming out of the pot probably because i left them a bit late to plant out 

i sowed two seed per pot when they came up i pricked out one leaving one to grow I've got parsnip  but there not that long so i intend to grow them in peat pots again this year but dib then into a hole filled with compost and sand mixture before the roots come out the bottom of the pot

I've had some good advise on this site for growing parsnips so hopefully depending on the season we should have good parsnips  maybe 

[Jono]

I got this tip from one of the ladies at the allotments when I struggled with parsnips. Tried toilet rolls and it worked really well.

Have received quite a few funny looks when coming out of various loos in the offices at work clutching empty rolls.