parsnips yyyyyyyyyy wont they grow!

[screwbylil]

ive only had my plot for a few months and have tried to grow parsnips, out of a row of about 30 seeds ive got.......wait for it 3!!!!! germinated.Wot am i doing wrong and is it now 2 late to try some more, all the seasoned guys around me are doing great so ive got to try and catch up and do it for the girls. any advice please

[Norm]

You're not doing anything wrong, they're just ba****ds to grow. Leave 'em alone, they'll poke their soul-destroying heads through the soil when they feel like it and not before. Think yourself lucky. You have 3 out of 30. They probably have a row from 3,000,000 seeds!

[yoanbob]

Yup,3 is good going, 'parsnips are right moody'

[Alice]

When did you plant them. Mine took a month to germinate. If it fails try the toilet roll method next year.

[middlefield]

My advice would be to tend carefully to the few that have germinated, let them run through to next spring and set to seed. Once they go to seed, collect the seeds and sow.

Once you have a strong parsnip seed that is used to local conditions you will get far stronger rates of germination. Its a longer term strategy, but seems to work much better than shop-bought seed.

[Two_Sheds]

Once they go to seed, collect the seeds and sow.
Once you have a strong parsnip seed that is used to local conditions you will get far stronger rates of germination. Its a longer term strategy, but seems to work much better than shop-bought seed.

The problem is getting one to grow so that it can go to seed! Vegetable Seeds : Parsnip Seed
I've had best results by sowing into loo rolls in the unheated greenhouse, then planting out, but I still only have 8 plants. Germinating on damp kitchen towel was hopeless...I got 6 viable seeds out of 2 diff.packets (all in date).

[areia]

im not doing toooooooo bad with the loo roll method got 7 out of 12 was only experimenting to see if i could grow the buggers took a month, its all the impressive mushrooms ive had grow from the loo roll and the soil thats shocked me

[Chilli-Head]

Sounds like i'm not the only one who can't get the little sods to grow. I got a packet, stuck them in the ground in march and not a single one has appeared, and now the weeds are growing were i planted them, so i'm trying to weed the bed and not pull any tiny parsnips out with them! However up to now there aren't any, its almost june, they CAN'T take this long to sprout!!!

[screwbylil]

thanks for all your advice, ill keep at it anyone now when last chance to so is

[screwbylil]

moody parsnips i like that lol think mine have got pmt

[lottielady]

Last year I had loads a happy accident and they were fab but same as you lot this year not one has popped up I am so cross as I had banked on them with my turkey at Xmas.

[rainbowbrite]

please don't laugh at me; this might sound really thick but what is the loo roll method?

[Spuds up]

ive only had my plot for a few months and have tried to grow parsnips, out of a row of about 30 seeds ive got.......wait for it 3!!!!! germinated.Wot am i doing wrong and is it now 2 late to try some more, all the seasoned guys around me are doing great so ive got to try and catch up and do it for the girls. any advice please

I don't think you are do anything wrong. They are very hit and miss. A couple of years ago I had two good rows. LAst year I got 3 parsnips and in my first year I got 1.

The first year was even more frustrating as more than one plant started to grow after a long wait. Such a long wait that I had nearly forgotten about the parsnips and ended up hoeing through several of them.

This year I have two rows planted and know sign of them yet!

[Norm]

please don't laugh at me; this might sound really thick but what is the loo roll method?

Fill a bog roll middle with compost, set a seed in the top and hope it grows. If it does, shove the lot in the soil The roll will disintegrate and the parsnip will grow without the roots being disturbed. Tried it a couple of times but it made no difference.

[rainbowbrite]

ah, thank you, i thought there was a massive secret being kept from me!