Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 17:10

Title: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 17:10
I sowed the carrots and parsnips at the same time, straight into the bed.

Photo shows carrots on the left and parsnips (or lack thereof) on the right.

(https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-ekJZoKhlZkg/U6VYacTk4II/AAAAAAAANCk/Q15qBm5Jne8/w1002-h565-no/IMG_20140621_105733_566.jpg)

I know parsnips are slow to germinate, but do you think they've just rotted in the ground? There is zero sign of germination, whilst the carrots are growing away happily.

Should I give up and plant something else in there? Or should I wait...?

Thanks for any advice!

Lizzie
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 21, 2014, 17:11
When did you sow them ?
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 17:14
Mid-April, at Easter.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 21, 2014, 17:15
Probably a lost cause then :(
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 17:18
 :( Ah well, at least I know I can use the space for something else then.

Thanks for your quick reply.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 21, 2014, 17:23
My parsnips have failed this year too  :(
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: m1ckz on June 21, 2014, 17:27
only put mine in a week ago   there just showing through better late than never lol
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 17:30
My parsnips have failed this year too  :(

Oh no!  :(

only put mine in a week ago   there just showing through better late than never lol

I didn't realise you could sow them now. I might try sowing some fresh seeds then.

I tend to stick a bit too religiously to what it says on the packets!!  :wub:
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Aunt Sally on June 21, 2014, 17:50
They take about 110 - 120 days to grow to maturity. 

Touch and go sowing now but some small roots are better than none :)
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: TheWhiteRabbit on June 21, 2014, 20:38
My first sowings failed completely...not a sign of germination. I resowed a week or so ago and they're all coming up - I figured that something was better than nothing and I'm not bothered about monster sized snips anyway.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 21, 2014, 20:44
That settles it then. Tomorrow I'm re-sowing the parsnips!!

If they come out really tiny, I'll just pretend they were meant to be baby parsnips. They're sweeter that way, right?  ;)

Cheers guys  :)
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Beetroot Queen on June 21, 2014, 20:44
Mine were late but hey I have greens that made me happy enough. Just got to get at least one parsnip and I can die happy.

NEVER managed to get them to grow before
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: WhiteWolf on June 21, 2014, 20:50
If we "chit" some seeds is it worth going for it?

WW  8)
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: AnneB on June 21, 2014, 21:13
I have given up sowing parsnips before the beginning of May, they never germinate properly for me earlier in the year.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: chillimummy on June 21, 2014, 23:07
I tried chitting them weeks ago and nothing seemed to change so threw them away in the end as they looked bit off. Going to sew some direct with radishes and hope for best as seed packet open so nothing lost! x
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: peedee555 on June 22, 2014, 00:50
grew some big ones last year but they been pretty slow this year but getting there
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: jaydig on June 22, 2014, 09:28
My parsnips didn't do very well this year either - but unlike you, my carrots were a 'no show' too. Had one last try at sowing carrots last week, with some cheap seeds from Wilkos, and they were up in a few days, unlike the seed that I had left from another supplier which I sowed in a row alongside the Wilkos carrots. I can only think that my original seed was duff.

In fairness to the supplier of the seed that failed, when I e-mailed them about my lack of parsnips and carrots, they said they will replace both for me this October.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: LilacSandy on June 22, 2014, 09:35
None of my parsnip or carrot have shown so I have gone back to my tried and tested, chitting on damp paper then putting a germinated seed into a plastic water cup, I wait till the green leaves are about 1" high then plant out.  Late this year but will double up the amount I plant out to make up for it, should still get them about the size of a large carrot and at least I will be able to pull them up unlike other years.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: alancas on June 22, 2014, 10:46
I read an article in grow your own mag it says to get old broom handle sharpen end and make hole about 15 inches deep move stick around at top to make it wider then fill with compost and sow seeds all mine germinated this year,mix fbb in compost before filling hole.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: GrannieAnnie on June 22, 2014, 10:52
15 inches? wow, never sown them that deep before!  :ohmy: Still, anything worth a try!

My first lot didn't germinate, apart from 6 plants out of 6x8ft rows!  But a few more from the 2nd sowing, and it was all fresh seed!

Carrots seemed to take forever too, but they are doing okay now.  Beetroot is a bit sparse too, but hey ho, anything is better than nothing!   ;)
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: alancas on June 22, 2014, 11:02
don't sow seed 15 deep fill hole first then sow about 1 inch deep
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: GrannieAnnie on June 22, 2014, 11:17
Oh yeah, that'll teach me to read post properly!      :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: 42cherries on June 22, 2014, 13:47
Thanks for all the replies folks. It makes me feel a bit better that it's not just me that's struggling  :wub:

This morning I made a narrow trench about 8" deep, filled it with compost mixed with a handful of FBB pellets. I gave it a really good drench of water and then sowed the rest of the parsnip seeds from the packet, which had been soaking overnight, about 1" deep. Covered them with dry compost and soil.

Fingers crossed a least some of them germinate!
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: barley on June 22, 2014, 17:08
its been a bad year for getting root crops to germinate

my dad has grown veg for 50 years and said he can't remember a year like this for poor germination  ???

only about 50% of all my crops have germinated  :(
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: Mr Dog on June 22, 2014, 21:18
Another one with failed parsnips, carrots and beetroot. Have been chitting parsnip seeds the last week or so in the hope of getting something of a reasonable size. The new seed I purchased this year isn't even chitting whereas 3 year old stuff is sprouting away merrily  ??? Beetroot seedlings are now sprouting in modules and I'm going to have one last go at carrots in the ground this week with a change of variety.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: AnneB on June 22, 2014, 21:38
I have had a similar poor experience with beetroot.  I have had to have several attempts to get things growing and then growth is slow.  Nothing to eat yet.

However my carrots and parsnips are magnificent.   I don't sow until the first week in May for these.   Most came up, and the replacements to fill the small number of gaps are also up and growing well.   There isn't anything I have done out of the ordinary other than sowing relatively late, but I always do so now, getting better results.
Title: Re: Are my parsnips a lost cause? (photo)
Post by: simonwatson on June 23, 2014, 08:33
If we "chit" some seeds is it worth going for it?

WW  8)

I find chitting works for me. You get to put seed in the ground that you know is viable and they tend to come up quicker and more reliably. You've got to keep an eye on them though as the best conditions for chitting are also good conditions for mould.