[shokkyy]

When I read through the 'How to Grow Food in your Polytunnel' book, one thing that struck me is that there was no mention at all of parsnips. Does that mean they don't work well in tunnels? I was hoping to do some in there because the mice always get them outside.

[mumofstig]

Parsnips need the cold to taste sweet, don't they?

The mice will get in the polytunnel anyway 

[shokkyy]

Yes, they will, but I think traps will be more effective there, and they've just got less places to hide a hole there. I tried growing them in buckets but they don't seem to have grown very well.

[arugula]

We get plenty mice in the polytunnel. 

[AlaninCarlisle]

I imagine parsnips will be fine in the polytunnel, although as someone commented, you won't get the sweetness. I intend growing a few in mine as an experiment after the success I had with celeriac (the sages said it would be too dry in the tunnel for it). I also grew great chiogga and standard beetroot in there

[solway cropper]

I now grow all my parsnips in containers and start them off in the greenhouse before putting them outside. That way you can give them a flying start AND let the frost get them, although I honestly can't tell the difference between frosted and unfrosted ones!

[MoreWhisky]

I grow fantastic parsnips out in the open , once you have germinaton there no need to molly coddle them.

[shokkyy]

Yes, I grew some parsnips outdoors this year that were doing well, until the mice discovered them and ate every scrap of them, along with the carrots. And the trouble is that in a big bed, no matter how many traps you set you'll never get all of them. I live in a rural area and there's a very big population of mice and voles outside. My thinking was that the polytunnel beds would be smaller, in a more confined area, so a few strategically placed traps should at least keep the number of mice to a minimum. I did grow a few in a bucket, just to see how well it would work, and they just haven't got very big, I'm not sure why.

[Squibbs]

I will be growing parsnips next year in my polytunnel - no help now though. However the polytunnel is not significantly protective from frost unless you take other measures, so I don't image the sweetness would be much reduced.

But we shall see...

[SkipRat]

I grow fantastic parsnips out in the open , once you have germinaton there no need to molly coddle them.

Got to agree, they will do just fine outside. Another thing to consider is that they have quite a long growing season so will tie up that part of the tunnel for quite a while. It maybe more frugal to grow a more expensive crop in the tunnel space.

[Squibbs]

For me if its not in the polytunnel its eaten by the chickens.