seed chitting time

On a warm windowsill, with fresh seed, and using the damp kitchen-towel method, the first parsnips will normally start chitting after about 3 days.  The slower ones will continue to chit over the next week or so. After that they seem to be duds. 

The ideal germination temperature for parsnip seed is 20C, for sweet corn 25C - you don't need to be too picky about it, a warm room should suit both of them.

Sweet corn should germinate within 2-3 days - pot them up as soon as you see the roots appearing to avoid them either drying out or getting damaged. Make sure that the paper they are chitted on is damp rather than soaking wet or they may rot.

I did try chitting parsnip seed last year and it took about 5 days for germination to take place - I don't plan to do that this year as I had a few failures even of the germinated seeds, and it was all quite fiddly, so I'll go back to my usual method of 'station sowing' a pinch every 6-8 inches (spacing seems to depend on what mood I'm in at the time!  )

Edit: Secret of good and relatively quick parsnip germination outdoors is to leave it quite late - at least another week for me where I am.