[harry]

I've had my allotment for nearly six years and I'm now quite successful apart from my favourite veg, parsnip. No success at all. Help would be appreciated.

[Snoop]

Can you explain the problem a bit more?

Is it that you can't get them to germinate, for example? If so, a lot of people (including me) sow them a bit later than the seed packets suggest. That way the soil is warmer and they seem to get going more readily.

[Salmo]

Let the soil warm up. Especially this cold Spring.

Make a shallow drill. Drizzle water along the bottom. Sow 5/6 seeds together at 6 inch stations. Cover and tamp down firmly with the back of a rake. When they have 2 true leaves thin out to a single plant at each station. Snip them off rather than pulling them out.

They may take some time to emerge so it is useful to sow a few radishes in between. These come up quickly and mark the row so that you can hoe the weeds and know where to expect to see parsnips emerging. Also they are a nice bonus crop.

[harry]

Thanks for the help, it is germination I can't get right. Last year I tried the radish idea and finished up with a lovely row of radishes and no parsnips. Does it help to sow in small pots and transplant ?

[m1ckz]

NO  they dont transplant well at all

[sunshineband]

The key is definitely waiting for the soil to warm up. I don't usually sow mine until the end of April, even down here in the soft Sarf, and as Salmo says, they do take some time to germinate even then.

Using radish seed as a row marker is useful, but I only put one seed in every six inches or so, literally just to show where the row is.

I sow the parsnip seeds relatively generously, but I like the sound of station sowing and snipping off any extras

[m1ckz]

i just leave a string line down   lol

[harry]

Thanks for all the help, I'll leave the sowing untill it warms up and sow in stations. I'll let you know how I go on.

[steved]

The no faff brigade will no doubt balk at my method of sowing parsnips, but, like you i LOVE them!
I hammer a 4ft pole down at each station and then wiggle around in a circle to create a conical hole, i then fill this with MPC and sow 3 seeds per station, my ground is clay and stoney, despite seiving until ive conteplated suicide!
I get really good parsnips this way, but as has been mentioned, the soil needs to be a sight warmer than it is now, i usually sow early April, but not this year, even then they take a good 3 to 4 weeks to germinate. As they are station sown its easier to see which are weeds and which are not.
Many people on our site sow into toilet rolls in the greenhouse, but before you see the seed leaves the roots are already out of the bottom and therefore stunted.
Pre chitting on damp kitchen roll in the airing cupboard is a good method, but you have to get them in the ground as soon as you see movement, which for me is no good as i cant get to the plot midweek before theyre ruined.
Hope this helps

[Twitch]

This will be my 5th year, and I have/will sow them on the day of the grand national.
Allways  double dig in spent compost from potatoes in bags in to my clay soil.
Never had a failed crop

[booklady]

I adore parsnips, and you can now buy them here in France - they used to considered only animal fodder -  but I always grow my own.  I wait until mid April, or at least when it is warmer, and do the radish method.  Cutting off the surplus seedlings is a great idea as they don't appreciate root disturbance when thinning.  I weed and mulch when they are off to a good start, and leave them in the ground, pulling only when I need them.

[fatbelly]

I used to have poor Parsnip germination but the past few years I have done the following and it works great.

1st wait until early April before i sow or even late April if its still cold. I sow 3 or 4 seeds in each hole then cover gently and water. My final job is to tamp down the soil with the back of my rake. When they pop up i usually get 1 or 2 per hole that make it and I will snip the less strong seedling and not pull them.

 

[harry]

Someone just suggested using compostable pots and bury the whole pot when they germinate

[Tenhens]

Similar idea , use toilet rolls direct to the soil  ,  cut in half, this helps with hoeing. 

[mumofstig]

Don't go out and buy compostable pots  make some from newspaper.
I use these a lot 

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=11390.msg145648#msg145648