Parsnip seedlings in seed pots

General tips / questions on seeding & planting

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Geoff
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I totally agree, no need for fiddly methods. I warm the patch up with a cloche and sow first week in April. The cloche also lets me use slug pellets. Plenty of time for them to grow to use as a Winter crop, the one I dug for today's dinner was over 2 lbs.
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retropants
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This year I sowed 3 seeds at 4 inch intervals. Germination was a bit patchy and I had to fill some gaps with a later sowing, but they are quite spectacular this year, largest nearly 3lbs!
PLUMPUDDING
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Before I tried the pelleted seed I did the sowing three seeds together in a compost filled deep hole made by wiggling a crow bar round and thinning them to one seed. This did produce some whopping big roots but was a lot of messing about. Our ground is quite stony, so if I didn't do this the roots were always forked badly.

I had bought two 12" deep raised beds - 4ft x 3ft and thought I would try the pelleted parsnips in one and pelleted carrots in the other. I made enviromesh covers for them both and they have been excellent. No thinning, no forking, and no carrot root fly.

The carrots were Artemis and the parsnips Gladiator which have a shallow crown and good canker resistance.

I hadn't heard of Mole's seeds until Johnboy recommended them but they are excellent and their beautiful catalogue has lots of flowers and a huge selection of vegetable varieties.
bill_j_smith
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Its interesting that you used a compost filled hole; I have read that parsnips don't like a freshly composted/manured soil and it causes them to fork.
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Chantal
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I tried all sorts of methods, including kitchen roll innards and pre-germinating using the JB method with varied results, but since I started using Johnson's Palace F1 (I buy them from Wilkinson's) seeds I've had no problems at all. So much so, that all around me are now using the same seed with similar results.

I've used them now for 5+ years, the germination has been brilliant and quick and I've also found that they are quite happy growing 2, 3 or 4 parsnips together rather than thinning to one seedling. They never seem to wrap around each other, the only impact is that the parsnips have a slightly flatter side when they've been against another parsnip.

The only issues I've ever had has been the occasionally forked root from hitting a stone.

I can't recommend them highly enough.
Chantal

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