Kitchen Garden Forum

Help only 3 parsnips!
Last year worked so well with a pink napkin in airing cupboard. This year new tank and no heat so tried propagator with seeds in damp napkin in a plastic bag. Only 3 germinated.
Where am I going wrong?

Carrots and spring onions also not up yet.

Any ideas?
Penny

I decided all this faffing about with tissues and airing cupboards was because they need it warmer than usually reckoned. Warmed the ground with a cloche for two (sunny) weeks, lined drills with potting compost and watered, left for another couple of days, station sowed the seeds, laid slug pellets and put the cloche back on. Came up like weeds in just over 2 weeks - sowed April 15th, plenty showing by this weekend when I watered them and renewed the pellets.

Evening Penny,

May I ask as you don't say,
Are you using fresh seed this year, as parsnip seed is only good for one year?

yes, all new seed..

Penny

Hi Penny

I don't know what you've done wrong, but if you can get to your local Wilkinson, buy some Palace F1 (Johnson's seeds) which I have used again this year.

I had 100% germination (again) within a week using damp kitchen roll in a plastic box on the windowledge. If you can start some off immediately there's still time, just, to get a crop.

I also bought another packet and sowed a couple of rows outside which are now showing after a month (no cloche).

I've tried a good many varieties and had anything from 100% failure to a sprinking of seedlings. Now I will only use Palace.

I tried the tissue/loo roll system again this year and had a rather disappointing result. However, it was last year's seed as I only have space for a short row and didn't think it worth buying a new packet. I'll look around for Palace next year. Does anybody know why parsnip seed goes off so quickly? Would storing the seed in the freezer or fridge make any difference to its germination rate?. Have any trials been done on this?
I feel it such a waste to throw older packets of seeds away. I seem to have loads of them in my seed boxes, some several years old and apart from parsnip normally continue to get good germination from most things.

Mine were another F1 called Albion from Wallis.

Hi Primrose

I know I keep banging on about Palace F1, but if you do buy a packet and save some for the next year, with the speed at which it usually germinates on kitchen roll, you'll know very quickly if the seed is viable.

Primrose, parsnip seed is one seed you should always buy fresh every year, it goes off very quickly. I use lots of other seeds for two or even three years running, but never parsnips.

Our soil is heavy clay and we usually have good success in germinating parsnips on our plot.

We drag out a shallow trench which we water well and then fill with a general purpose compost. The seeds are sown in this and watering regularly.

We set two seeds to every station and this year we will need to thin the seedlings as most have germinated!

Hi Chantal. Thanks for your advice i bought some palace parsnip seeds from wilkinsons. I set two rows across the garden3 seeds to a station and ihave got two good rows whith out a miss.That is the best iresult i have had for years i set 3 times last year.

Good to hear OC.

I station sowed two rows of Palace F1 alongside my pregerminated grown in tubes parsnips and after 3 weeks I have two rows of parsnip seedlings with no misses

My tube grown parsnips are now 2-3" high and looking good.

I gave the remaining half packet of seeds to my allotment neighbour and all of his have germinated too

I too have often had to resow other varieties and in some years had no germination at all; another allotment neighbour sowed another variety 6 weeks ago and hasn't had a single seedling come through.

Of course, once you get more experienced, one is able to grow all varieties.

Our variety was Galdiator which had excellent germination too

Many thanks for all tips - ignoring the gloating!
Penny