[RJR_38]

Partner took me to the local independent garden centre today (first time ever!!) so I made the most of it and bought plenty of things that I needed.

One of the things I did pick up as it was a good price was a tray of parsnip plants - there must be around 30 which I thought was good for £2.50 in case my seeds don't do well (partner adores parsnips). Anyway, the plants are around 1 1/2 -2 inches tall with 3-4 leaves each in polystyrene modular trays. There are often 2 or 3 to a hole.

I know that they don't like their roots disturbed and they prefer the cold so I am trying to decide what I should do with them. At the garden centre they were in the unheated greenhouse so for now I have put them in my little plastic greenhouse on the balcony so they aren't too shocked. Do you think I should plant them out soon or keep them in the greenhouse? I wasn't going to plant my seeds outside for another week or so yet...

[mumofstig]

They need to be out of pots and into the soil asap, before they fork - I'm inclined to believe they already will have forked, but you can only try  :blink:

[RJR_38]

I don't think they will have forked yet as although I am not an expert I have seen lots and lots of garden centres (and often chain places like wyevales) sell them like this. I was thinking about planting them out tomorrow but I just wasn't sure about the whole temperature thing with them having been in a greenhouse.

I still have all my seeds ready to plant in a couple of weeks anyway - I just thought that these would be a good head start

[DD.]

Just because a lot of garden centres do it, it doesn't mean it's good practice. Transplanting parsnips is, as you appreciate, a tricky business. Most people who do so grow them in loo rolls or paper pots, whereby you plant the whole thing.

I'm afraid to say that modules is the last thing I'd grow parsnip seed in, the root will hit the bottom in next to no time and there will be a lot of disturbance in getting them out.

It seems that a lot of places these days are just after your money and are not really bothered about the end result.

[RJR_38]

Mmm well I will harden them off over the next couple of days and then plant them out. For £2.50 for over 30 it is only the cost of a bag of parsnips and they were only going to be an added extra so it is not great loss if I do lose them.

[RJR_38]

Also, just thinking....does it actually matter if they fork? Are they just 'not as pretty' but still taste the same?

[mumofstig]

They become harder to peel and the fibrous core ratio increases - other than that no difference at all 

[Eblana]

Hi,

I bought some Parsnips in modules from our local GC last year and they didn't fork, they twisted up like a corkscrew  - I scrubbed them off and put them in soups but they weren't any use for anything else!!   You have nothing to lose at less than 3 quid for the tray of 30 but get them in quick if you can.

[RJR_38]

Ok, well thanks for that. I very rarely peel any veg anyway (and never parsnips) so thats not an issue but if fibrous then at least I will have a batch for soup and hopefully my seed grown ones will be perfect for roasting etc!

Tomorrows job will be continuing to remove all the stones from that part of my plot so I can plant them out then and lesson learnt...

[Aunt Sally]

You could always put a bit of fleece over them for a while after you set them out.

[Mark's Sussex Allotment]

I watched a video on YouTube about someone that did them in modules.

He did 5 video's and never posted the end result, as there was no end result - he ended up writing in the comments of the 5th video about the failure.

They look very pretty in the ground (and look like they are growing nicely) but you get no end product.

Apparently, they have hit the bottom of the module by the time the first 2-4 true leaves have grown.

Garden Centres should know better, but if I were you, i'd get them in the ground yesterday.

[RJR_38]

Ok, I bow to your superior knowledge. I went to plant out the parsnips and in the end only planted about half of them as the other half already had a 'corkscrew' tap root. The ones I did plant out didnt look particularly straight but it thought I might as well give them a go. Fingers crossed my seeds will grow when I put them out then!

[Aunt Sally]

When you sow your parsnip seeds sow them about 1/2 inch deep in pinches of  3 or 4 seeds spaced about 6 inches apart.  I usually sow a double staggered row about 6 inches apart.

When they germinate pull out the weakest of them to leave one at each position.