[rowlandwells]

as we get nearer to springtime he says with tongue in cheek I was seriously thinking about growing some parsnip swede and carrot seed  in peat pots to get them established before planting them peat pot and all in the razed beds obviously the peat pot will need to be the rite size to accommodate the growth and then hopefully the peat pot would rot in the ground as the plant grows

I did see some parsnip seed razed in a flower pot then tipped out and gently separated when big enough in a large pot this was for exhibition growing though

I just wondered if anyone had tried this method and if it worked before I give this a go any info much appreciated

[AlaninCarlisle]

Yes, I'm for this if we get good reports. It certainly beats 3 or 4 failed sowings of parsnip

[snowdrops]

By the time you see the shoot emerging the root is very long, if it’s in a peat pot & hits the bottom you will end up with forked parsnips🙁. A lot of people do them in tall newspaper pots or toilet roll middles. My advice is just wait until it warms up some more & then sow direct.

[mumofstig]

It probably would work for swede, where it is the stem that swells rather than the root - these can easily be grown in modules etc before planting out.
With the roots, parsnips especially, as soon as the root tip hits the bottom of a pot, of any description, it causes the root to fork, so you have misshaped roots, not a good idea IMO.
I grew parsnips in paper pots made around tall polish spray-cans, which are then planted as is. However, by the time the top showed just 2 leaves the roots had already reached the bottom of the pots causing forking.
I think the main thing is too wait for the weather to warm up before sowing them, they really don't germinate well in cold soil.
An old thread with a few different sowing methods is here
Parsnip and radish question in Grow Your Own - Page 2 of 3

Snowdrops beat me to it   

[victoria park]

Well, I've done the peat pot thing, or in my case the brown recycled paper pots from poundland ( the bigger ones ) , for years with consistent great results. Your own newspaper pots will do just as well of course.
Yes, you really have to be on the ball, and as soon as you see germination in your greenhouse or wherever, plant out the pots within a couple of days. If the weather is set fair at the time, as soon as I see one or two germinate, I plant them all out toute suite as the rest can't be far behind. Then water them as they really don't like to dry out. Just to be super duper extra careful, and probably isn't necessary if nice and wet and beginning to decompose already, I rip the bottom of the pot off before I plant. Oh, and I dib a big hole with a long spike first and fill with a handfull of compost before planting out each one. Sounds more trouble than it actually is and I can get out, say, 70 parsnips in a half hour. This way I get a 90% straight big parsnip return with next to no forking.
One more thing, with parsnips being notorious for their no shows some years when sown direct ( not liking to dry out at all in any way ), early pot sowings in the warm ( house or greenhouse ) give you plenty of time to resow should your first seed prove troublesome for any reason.
I wouldn't do the tipping out/individual transplanting thing with parsnips, but I do indeed do it with my early crop of carrots in trugs in the greenhouse, works a treat. Tease out, dib with a pencil, insert, and away you go.

[Pescador]

I'd go along with Snowdrops and MOS. Don't be impatient and sow direct when it's warm enough.

[Aidy]

Swede I have no probs with by sowing in pots, pricking out and transplanting when ready.

Parsnip I use the trusted method of pre-chitting them in kitchen paper, when they sprut they go straight into the ground, I am lucky, Blackpool is reclaimed beach so we have sandy soil and parsnips are always good and straight, this method I have used for many a year and works.

Due to the hassle of carrot fly I simply don't grow them

[rowlandwells]

very interesting replies to this topic and from what your telling me it all makes sense as we are all trying to achieve good results that goes hand in hand with good tasting veg and it goes without saying that gardening is hard enough without having crop failures

so thanks to all for giving me that  sound advise that I've taken on board for spring sowings 

[theothermarg]

After poor germination of parsnip last year (never had trouble before) I have been saving toilet roll tubes and certainly try this for early sowing anyway. I know later sowing catches up a bit but never so big

[afcb]

I'm going down the loo roll route, not one parsnip last year. Is this weekend to early for a cold frame sowing?

[snowdrops]

I'm going down the loo roll route, not one parsnip last year. Is this weekend to early for a cold frame sowing?

Definitely, going on your location & the weather conditions, they’ll be out of the bottom before it’s warm enough to plant them in the ground.

[DD.]

My grandfather's method of directly sowing a small pinch of seed (6 or so) at every station and then thinning out has never failed me. You always get at least one!

[Eblana]

My grandfather's method of directly sowing a small pinch of seed (6 or so) at every station and then thinning out has never failed me. You always get at least one!

That is the way I do it as well.  Has always worked.  Unfortunately I don’t have as much success with Carrots don’t seem to be able to get them to germinate and when they do the carrot root fly get them.

[AnneB]

I'm going down the loo roll route, not one parsnip last year. Is this weekend to early for a cold frame sowing?

I agree with snowdrops advice.  I never sow my parsnips until the first week in May.  I tried the loo roll method in the past, planting as soon as germinated.  That worked but was a complete faff compared with waiting until May and sowing direct - keep watered though if a dry spring.  Also space is limited as there are so many other things that do need to be pot sown first.