Germinating parsnips - a quick question.

[BigShot]

I'm starting my parsnips as described here but have a quick questions now that things are starting to happen.

When taking the seeds off the paper towels and putting them into another box headed for the fridge, is that just an empty box or one with more damp kitchen roll in the bottom of it?

Already I've got better germination than I had last year and I've only just started getting shoots poking out.

[FionaH]

If they have germinated and you have ground prepared, I would suggest you skip the fridge and plant them out

[BigShot]

I'd rather have a few ready to dig up at a time rather than a whole load at once though so I'm happy enough not to slow down the early starters so the others can catch up.

I've got ground, but not so much time right now. I may need to bung a few in the fridge so they don't use up all their stores before I get around to putting them in.

[Kristen]

I grow 50 parsnips a year, the seed packet has plenty of seed and I get good germination on kitchen paper. So I just put plenty of seed on the kitchen paper (well, I scatter them so that each has a little space, otherwise the roots would mat together), and then I prick out the first 50 germinators into newspaper pots, and plant out about 2 - 3 weeks later (as soon as the first true leaf appears, and at all costs before the tap root appears through the bottom of the pot) - but I have read that people plant them out straight from the chitting-kitchen-paper.

[FionaH]

Bigshot, snips can sit in the ground till you want to eat them.

[Kristen]

I'd rather have a few ready to dig up at a time rather than a whole load at once

You mean harvest? I plant all 50 of mine at once. I still have 4 or 5 left to harvest (although they will be a bit woody by now), so their "standing" time, once ready for harvesting, is pretty much "all winter" (although that may depend a bit on the variety; I've never gown anything other than "Tender and True", but I don't see that variety mentioned much on here, I think Gladiator is the name I see most often)

EDIT: Sorry, didn't see Fiona's post before replying.

[Two_Sheds]

I've never put them in the fridge

As the others have said, a packet has more seed than you need (parsnips are the one thing that needs to be bought new and fresh every season)

They aren't a crop to sow successionally either (like you would lettuce) ... once they're in the ground, you just leave them there until you want to eat them.

[Jono]

I'm experimenting with chitting parsnip seeds this year - did a bit of research before hand and not seen the fridge stage?

I harvested one last week that had been in the ground all winter, and it tasted fine. I don't think they're a crop to worry about growing successionally.

[cptncrackoff]

I'm also going to try germinating parsnips indoors, its strange as from a very early age my dad told me that carrots and parsnips mu8st always be sown direct.
He's a bit old school though.
Every year he followed the same procedure, sew parsnips, and in the same drill french breakfast radish to show where the parsnips are.

I have some tender and true and gladiator from last year.
Hopefully this year with the new raised beds I can avoid the small yellow maggot things that leave rusty coloured tunnels through the parsnips, last years entire crop wasted.

[Two_Sheds]

from a very early age my dad told me that carrots and parsnips mu8st always be sown direct.

Chit them, then sow direct

[BigShot]

I do like sowing things directly for saving on faff... but that extends to not sowing so much I have to thin, too. Especially with carrots, the less I need to thin, the happier I am.

It takes longer, but I tend to sow at final spacing and start a few backups in newspaper pots to put in where seed fails to germinate.
I've not thinned a carrot yet... unless you court the ones I scoff when I get peckish.

[Suky]

Last year and this, I chitted parsnips, sowed them carefully into loo rolls and planted out once there were true leaves showing but before any sight of the tap root showing at the bottom. You can't leave them sitting around 'cos that tap root shoots downwards like a rocket.

[Kristen]

from a very early age my dad told me that carrots and parsnips mu8st always be sown direct.
He's a bit old school though.

Nah, he's mostly right Transplanting them definitely requires care.

They need to be grown in a way that doesn't disturb them when transplanted, and they must not have got their tap root down, and out of, the container. You can sow the chitted seed, or grow it in loo rolls / newspaper tubes, but its then only a couple of weeks, three at the most (including hardening off) before they will need to be out, and will still be tiny - first true leaf only just appeared. So the tap root has already made 6" or more of growth before the true leaves appear

[Florence Fennel]

I'm sowing mine direct again, in pre-warm-watered drills, very thickly then thin when they're big enough. This worked last year, so hoping it does again.

[BigShot]

You can sow the chitted seed, or grow it in loo rolls / newspaper tubes, but its then only a couple of weeks, three at the most (including hardening off) before they will need to be out, and will still be tiny - first true leaf only just appeared. So the tap root has already made 6" or more of growth before the true leaves appear

6"?
Wow. That's very quick.
I was going to do newspaper pots too but I think I'll stick with chitted seed considering that. Thanks.

I'm sowing mine direct again, in pre-warm-watered drills, very thickly then thin when they're big enough. This worked last year, so hoping it does again.

I can't be bothered with thinning if I can avoid it. I know soing more thinly is a lot more work, but there's something about going back to thin that appeals to me far less than taking the extra time at sowing.

It's probably having to keep it in mind that I *need* to go back and thin that does it. I rather just sow them and forget all about it until harvest.

I really wish I'd known about pre-watering last year though. It was frustrating... though very funny... to see all the seeds float up to the surface as soon as I turned the watering can on them.