[Snoop]

Definitely use newspaper pots. They work really well. The commercial compostable pots don't break down fast enough for parsnips. Use jiffy pots or the like and you'll end up with all nippers and no parses.

[Alifink]

Last year I sowed when the seed packet suggested and got hardly any germination, sowed again in May and got lots of wonderful parsnips for Christmas.

One other thing regarding germination, Parsnip seeds don't keep very well so I buy new seed each year and check when the seeds were packed.

[Trikidiki]

Try putting strips of pallet wood along the rows on top of the 'station sown' seeds. The wood stops the compost drying out. You must check every day and remove the wood as soon as the parsnips show. As a lot of weed seeds emerge before the parsnips, these receive no light so wither before the parsnips emerge, therefore less weeding in close proximity to your 'snips'.

[harry]

I started this topic at the beginning of the year and followed suggestions from other members. At last agood crop of parsnips

[arh]

Thank you for the update, it just proves the old adage of many minds sort the problem.arh

[strangerachael]

One more thing to add - this year I allowed a couple of plants (on the end of the row out of the way) to go to seed, now I have unlimited free seed for myself and fellow plotholders - instead of paying for 2000 odd seeds of which I will sow about 20 and throw the rest away! Will definitely do the same again next year.

Re. the pre-chitting - I don't think there is too much rush to plant out the chitted seeds - you can leave the shoots to get quite long before planting, if you can't plant them out straight away.