Parsnips

[ideasguy]

Many thanks for that info Eric. I have a good crop of Carrots this year and also Parsnips.
We've pulled and have used some already.

I find parsnips are a hit or miss thing - hard to germinate some years. I now suspect its because they need more water after sowing (and they got plenty of that this year!)

Having read your "tip" on reusing the patch after digging your spuds, I may just sow some more Beetroot
I have only a small drill, now being used.
Need to check out the sowing time for carrot seed remaining (I'd like to grow some more!).

[Palustris]

There are ways of getting good germination from Parsnip seed. Needs to be fresh seed, it does not store well. Sow it on damp kitchen towel. Then when it germinates cut the towel into little squares and plant them as far apart as you wish the Parsnips to be.
Or. germinate in warm water, mix the germinated seed with wall paper paste and pipe it into drills in the ground.
Or. Take out a drill where you are going to sow your seeds, deeper than normal and fill it with peat Water that , sow the seeds and cover with soil.
Or. Try all three.

[ideasguy]

Good tips there Eric.
So good, I've split this out from another thread (where the discussion originated) so it has its own dedicated topic.

I may well have used the third method you mentioned Eric.

Most veggie instructions talk about raking to a fine tilth and sowing into warm soil.
I looked up the internet and couldn't find that for sale when I was about to sow
I sure don't have any of that in my garden in early spring - ever 

Instead, I made a raised drill and used a spade to make that that shallow trench in the muck and applied a layer of compost, wet it, and sowed.
Which method do you find works best for you? 

[Palustris]

I get the Boss to do it, that way I am never disappointed.
I have used all three methods in the past with equally good results. The wet peat one is the least work so go with that one these days (or so she tells me!).

[ideasguy]

I like that option best Eric.

Next question - do you thin to the recommended distance - one per spot?

[Palustris]

Yes, otherwise we get lots of tiny ones rather than reasonable sized. If you do the thinning when the soil is very wet and the seedlings are very tiny you can actually replant the thinnings, as long as you do not break or damage the tiny tap root. You can sow them in modules and plant out too, again as long as the tap root is not compromised in any way. I have heard of them being sown in cardboard tubes and allowed to get to a decent size before planting out, remove the cardboard if you do this and again do not disturb the roots. Never tried that myself though.

[ideasguy]

The transplanting sounds like a lot of tricky work Eric.

I thin mine out, but not as much as recommended. I then pull strong looking ones when they have grown to about half "usable" size (poke around in the soil to test) and quite young and tender, to arrive at the specified spacing. We have had a dinner with the thinnings - some quite large.

As for carrots, I thin them much the same method, but the thinning is a gradual thing - we like to eat them raw (after a good wash of course ) They are now a respectable "dinner size"

I wouldn't recommend this method, I hasten to add. The allotment folk would probably be horrified at the suggestion