[3759allen]

can you or do any of you chit parsnip seeds?

this is my last year at trying to grow the things as i've had very little success in the past.

[JayG]

I have tried chitting parsnips and it works, but boy, are they fiddly to deal with? 

Germination problems can be largely avoided by using fresh seed (although I have got reasonable results using one year old seed) and not sowing too early - mine will be sown in the next day or so, 3 or 4 in stations about 6" apart in each direction.

If you haven't found the link elsewhere in the forum, perhaps now is a good time to post the useful chart showing the effect of soil temperature on the rate and speed of germination of several fruit and vegetable seeds - as you can see the effect of cold soil temperature on parsnip seed germination is quite spectacular! 

http://tomclothier.hort.net/page11.html

[3759allen]

thanks for the replies.

i will get them going today.

they are fresh seed this year. i have trouble with bunches and gaps when i direct sow so i'm hoping chitting may fix this.

[Mr Dog]

I've taken to chitting mine in the last few years - a pair of tweezers makes handling easier. I know everyone says to use fresh seed but I've not found I need to with this method: this year I got over 95% germination from seed bought in an end of season sale 5 years ago.

[Yorkie]

Parsnip seed does generally deteriorate every year, but one of the main things which will help it retain its strength after the first year is keeping intact the little foil packet that the seeds are contained in .