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  • Parsnips in flower buckets

    Today I emptied one black plastic flower bucket of parsnips and the pic shows what I achieved from a March sowing in the greenhouse and no thinning out. Sixteen seeds sown and sixteen germinated with a combined weight after topping and tailing of just under 2 lbs.

    Placing the buckets on soil allows the taproot to go through the drainage holes in search of more food and water.

    I normally thin to 8 or 12 per bucket which gives bigger roots but still about the same weight overall.

    As the buckets are 10 inches in diameter I can get 12 in a 10 foot row and should get a yield of 24lbs+ which is much higher than my efforts when growing directly in the soil.

    I make my own compost but if you had to use shop-bought stuff it might work out quite expensive.
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  • #2
    Wonderful harvest. I have done just the same as you. Morrisons flower buckets (with the bottoms sawn off) placed on a container. The tops on mine have fallen over but thought I should leave harvest until frosts happen. Nevertheless if mine look as good as yours I will be more than happy.

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    • #3
      Well done Solway Cropper not a bad return for a few seeds what parsnip were they. I won't know how good mine are till I start harvesting ( once there has been a frost). Mine are in 6ft rows which means I need to harvest about 15lb to equal your harvest. I will let you know how I get on.

      Ian

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      • #4
        Goji,

        mine were Palace F1 but last year I had similar results with Tender & True.

        The reason I emptied these out early was that I fancied making parsnip soup and didn't fancy waiting another couple of months to do it.

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        • #5
          Originally posted by solway cropper View Post
          Goji,

          mine were Palace F1 but last year I had similar results with Tender & True.

          The reason I emptied these out early was that I fancied making parsnip soup and didn't fancy waiting another couple of months to do it.
          i tried some in the ground and as veg patch is old victorian area,the topsoil is over 3ft deep(dig down to subsoil,the soil level is at waist height),we have pulled two up and they have been a really good size,now waiting for the frosts to work their magic,and i will then measure some of them..has anybody got any special ways of growing them in the ground to increase the crop?...roasted with beef.........i am drooling now...

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          • #6
            Oh, I have parsnip envy. I only have 4 that have survived (issue with germination followed by surviving seedlings frying in the sun...erm, and my lack of watering...). I might try something like that next year as I can only dream of lovely straight roots! I will also be using Palace next year, used them last year and germination rate was great. Those that survived this year (yup, all 4) were also Palace from a re-planting effort after the initial 'nips failed to germinate.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Brengirl View Post
              Wonderful harvest. I have done just the same as you. Morrisons flower buckets (with the bottoms sawn off) placed on a container. The tops on mine have fallen over but thought I should leave harvest until frosts happen. Nevertheless if mine look as good as yours I will be more than happy.
              Hi there, can I just ask, how much do Morrisons charge for their flower buckets? Do you just go in and ask someone if you can buy some, or ...?

              I'd love to hear more about this!
              Diagonally parked in a parallel universe!
              www.croila.net - "Human beans"

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              • #8
                Dunno about morrisons, but ASDA literally throw theirs in a skip once they're empty.
                Terrible waste.

                If you go in and ask, they happily give them away.
                I got 5 just last week.
                Could've had more, but only needed 5 at the time.

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                • #9
                  Whaaaat?! They just chuck them out in a skip? YOu're joking?! What a criminal waste!
                  Diagonally parked in a parallel universe!
                  www.croila.net - "Human beans"

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                  • #10
                    Originally posted by Croila View Post
                    Whaaaat?! They just chuck them out in a skip? YOu're joking?! What a criminal waste!
                    I wish I WAS joking.
                    Literally. In a skip. Nice environmental policy ASDA...

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                    • #11
                      Morrisons charge 99p for 8. If Asda throw them away but you are entitled to help yourself I suppose it's another way of recycling. I totally agree that should be recycling them for their own use but there again there is always a cost involved.

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Brengirl View Post
                        Morrisons charge 99p for 8. If Asda throw them away but you are entitled to help yourself I suppose it's another way of recycling. I totally agree that should be recycling them for their own use but there again there is always a cost involved.
                        Seeing as a lorry turns up with the flowers in buckets, I don't see the hardship in taking the empties back on the return journey...

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                        • #13
                          Totally agree considering when stacked they take up little room.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by El Greeno View Post
                            Seeing as a lorry turns up with the flowers in buckets, I don't see the hardship in taking the empties back on the return journey...
                            I think it's because they are not built to be reused, they are very flimsy and easily broken.
                            If they built them sturdy enough to be reused, I suspect it might work. Most of the flowers come through Holland I believe, the lorries could take them back, but the distribution network at the other end I'm guessing, wouldn't work.

                            It does seem daft we are wasting our oil on things like this.


                            Solway cropper, a very impressive crop, I remember I advised someone to put no more than 4 parsnips in a flower bucket once (maybe you?) looks like I was wrong there!
                            Question. If you fill the pot with compost, what is the difference to digging a hole in the ground bucket sized and growing them in there? In fact that should be better as they need less watering and there is less to go wrong watering wise, also the side roots can go out sideways?
                            I just can't see the point of growing them in a bucket above ground, unless I am missing something.
                            Last edited by womble; 03-09-2010, 06:06 AM.
                            "Orinoco was a fat lazy Womble"

                            Please ignore everything I say, I make it up as I go along, not only do I generally not believe what I write, I never remember it either.

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by LolaLou View Post
                              Oh, I have parsnip envy. I only have 4 that have survived (issue with germination followed by surviving seedlings frying in the sun...erm, and my lack of watering...). I might try something like that next year as I can only dream of lovely straight roots! I will also be using Palace next year, used them last year and germination rate was great. Those that survived this year (yup, all 4) were also Palace from a re-planting effort after the initial 'nips failed to germinate.
                              Me too with the parsnip envy - I did put them down them in suitably stoneless compost, but then ignored them completely and I guess the whole watering thing should have been better looked after during the dry weeks we had this summer - we're not used to so much dry weather! However, a few did run to seed so I've good hopes for next year.
                              Last edited by maytreefrannie; 03-09-2010, 02:20 PM. Reason: spelling corrections
                              My hopes are not always realized but I always hope (Ovid)

                              www.fransverse.blogspot.com

                              www.franscription.blogspot.com

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