[vanessa.xx]

I sowed parsnip seeds directly into my lovingly prepared bed on 20th April and thanks to all the torrential rain we've had over the last week they are now all up, my problem is I sowed about 6 seeds into each hole because I've read so much about bad germination but it seems they have all germinated  and I now have little groups of seedlings so when is the optimum time to thin them?

[JayG]

As soon as possible to minimise the possibility of disturbing the remaining ones, but probably best to wait until the first true leaf appears just to make sure you're pulling out the right seedlings! 

It doesn't matter if they break off when pulling them out, in fact it's probably better to do it that way (or just snip them off with scissors.) If they are not too close together you may consider it prudent to do it in two stages "just in case."

I have actually successfully transplanted thinnings to replace gaps, but you need brain surgeon's hands and loose sandy soil to avoid damaging them, so for most people I wouldn't recommend that unless desperate.

[Salmo]

I agree with JayG. The earlier the better. I usually leave 2 at each station until I can see they are properly established( first true leaf a good size) and then take the weakest one out. Snipping off or pinching with thumb nail disturbs less.

[vanessa.xx]

Thanks Jay I was so worried I would have none and now I have loads and no gaps so not even going to try moving any, I think I will reduce them to a couple in each hole then wait till they have true leaves before culling to one  are slugs/birds a problem for parsnips seedlings. My hubby thinks i'm mental the amount of effort and worry I've put into parsnips 

[JayG]

I don't think parsnips are slug's favourite food, but you can never say never about any plant at the seedling stage, and the same goes for birds who may have an experimental peck (just testing, of course, but probably fatal for such tiny plants!)

Once established they're pretty bomb-proof, although I have found clusters of hundreds of tiny caterpillars on the odd leaf from time to time (never found out what they were but luckily it hasn't happened often.)

[Beetroot queen]

Didn't need to thin mine at all because the germination rate was 0, why is it I can't seem to grow a parsnip. 

[gremlin]

How do the commercial growers do it?  They have to sow a field full.   They cant crawl around a whole field on hands and knees thinning them.

Do they just sow single seeds in a very thin line, then ignore them for six months, and sort out big and small parsnips on a factory conveyor belt when they plough up the field in winter?

[Beetroot queen]

How do the commercial growers do it?  They have to sow a field full.   They cant crawl around a whole field on hands and knees thinning them.

Do they just sow single seeds in a very thin line, then ignore them for six months, and sort out big and small parsnips on a factory conveyor belt when they plough up the field in winter?

Oh that did make me laugh, maybe the farmers do thin out on hands on knees. 

[vanessa.xx]

Made me laugh too, I put thinning them out till tomorrow I got down on my hands and knees but couldn't bring myself to do it to the poor little things 

[salmonking]

Didn't need to thin mine at all because the germination rate was 0, why is it I can't seem to grow a parsnip. 

same here!!

[Headgardener22]

Didn't need to thin mine at all because the germination rate was 0, why is it I can't seem to grow a parsnip. 

same here!!

I know this might be an obvious statement, but what depth do you sow your seeds at? 0.6-2.0cm is the stated commercial depth. Too shallow or too deep and they don't germinate.

[GrannieAnnie]

I usually only sow a seed ever 4-5 inches and don't bother to thin.  Then if there are gaps where one doesn't germinate I stick in another seed for a later crop.

Sometimes I've had bad parsnip crops, but was really pleased with last year's!

[heygrow]

Well it's my first year growing parsnips and I sowed 3 seeds per station and they pretty much have all come up now, apart some disturbance from a mole 
I just thinned them out today, but they are only very small (a couple of small leaves and 1/2 inch high), so I was not sure if they were too small, but advice here makes me feel better.

[Salmo]

How do the commercial growers do it?  They have to sow a field full.   They cant crawl around a whole field on hands and knees thinning them.

Do they just sow single seeds in a very thin line, then ignore them for six months, and sort out big and small parsnips on a factory conveyor belt when they plough up the field in winter?

Oh that did make me laugh, maybe the farmers do thin out on hands on knees. 

Parsnip seeds are coated in a clay pellet so that they can be mechanicaly sown at the required spacings. The clay contains insectacides and fungicides which protect the seedlings in their early life. The weeds are controlled with a sophisticated programme of spraying.

This technology has been available for about 40 years. Before that the seed was sown thickly along the rows. When it emerged someone would go along every row hoeing out the weeds and thinning out the parsnips to the desired spacing. This same process was also applied to sugar beet/onions/carrots. Often the menfolk went along first, hoeing out the weeds and roughly spacing the plants. The womenfolk followed on behind on their hands and knees thinning to one plant per station and removing any remaining weeds. Hard work and acheing backs.

Times were hard but the high labour demand meant good extra income during the Summer months. One feature of root growing areas such as the Cambridgeshire Fens was the gangmasters who would supply a gang of labourers paid on a rate per acre. These were either travellers or more usually Irishmen brought over for the Summer. These days there are still gangmasters who supply much of the labour to pick and pack vegetables but the people involved are mainly Eastern Europeans

[moose]

When I was a kid I remember one of the farm workers would go round the area with a tractor and trailer to pick up the local women to do the "singling". Swede, beet and mangle were the crops we had.