Success with parsnips

Parsnip seed on damp kitchen towel















A germinated parsnip seed ready to be
potted on into toilet roll inners















Pre-germinated seed growing on.


After a couple of years of trying to grow descent parsnips with little success, this year we have gone down the route of pre-germinating the seed on wet kitchen towel and then planting the germinated seeds into toilet roll inners until they are ready to be planted out. The planting out must happen before the root reaches the bottom of the toilet roll inner otherwise it will become distorted and fork. Some 70 seeds have been sown into toilet roll inners and will be planted out in about 10 days. The rest of the pre-germinated seeds will be planted directly into the soil and when harvested a comparison will be made as to size, quality and yield. It may be that the seed works just as well once pre-germinated being planted directly rather than messing about with the toilet roll inners. Time will tell. In either case, nothing will be planted out until the weather improves.