[willnbirdie]

Hi All

Sowed carrots and parsnips this year - parsnips germinated fairly well but carrots, well rubbish is not the word for it - if I am lucky out of 5 rows of carrots I may get 20  

Next year plan to grow the parsnip in old toilet rolls to prevent thinning etc and hopefully help germination - just wondered if you can grow carrots in the same way - probably in an unheated greenhouse.

Can anyone help

cheers

willnbirdie

[Adrian]

My carrotts took ages to germinate this year. I had all but given up on them but they eventually started popping up a few weeks ago. They're still growing quite slowly, really - but there's always hope!

Cheers,

Adrian

[woodburner]

Only a begginer at this, but I think the important thing with carrots is that they stay moist after sowing. The first lot I sowed in soggy march came up fine. The second sowing was followed by a dry spell and I didn't start watering until it had been dry for a couple of days, and they took four weeks to come up! and weren't exactly thick on the ground either.

[gingerdave]

i had no problem on the first lot - thick and fast.
second has been a bit slower - again possibly due to dry soil at the time. But doing ok ish now.

One question - when do you know to pull up for a 'normal' sized carrot - tried recently from the first batch and just got a stub of a very thin pencil!!

i'd really like to eat some!

[Runnerbean]

I have the opposite problem to you.
My carrots are coming up a treat, when i sowed them it was a bit windy and they are cropping up here and there over most of my plot!
The parsnips on the other hand, i sowed loads of them and i think i have got about seven or eight growing quite well.  It's only my first year so hopefully next year will be better! I will be after any tips anyone has to offer!

[Adrian]

Parsnips always seem more temperamental. I seem to b reasonably lucky, but I know several people who never seem able to get them to germinate. I'm sure there's plenty of magic tricks ....

As to knowing when to pull carrots, you can always gently brush aside some soil and have a peek at the tops of the roots: you should soon be able to tell if there's much there. Try and pull some when they're fairly small, so you thin as you go and get lots more from the same row.

Cheers,

Adrian

[muntjac]

see muntys tips on growing parsnips  

http://www.chat.allotment-garden.org/viewtopic.php?t=7045&highlight=parsnips