parsnips germination

[podfather]

i planted my parsnips back in feb, new to gardening so not sure how long they will take, i did buy the seeds last year and have read that they need to be planted the same year can anyone help

[selfraising]

I would think they will be okay, as long as its roughly within 12 months of buying them. I think they just become less viable; less likely to germinate.

[Lottieval]

Might be worth buying some new seed, I was taught that parsnips are one of the few seeds it's not worth keeping, they are slow germinators anyway and if they've been in the ground since Feb they might have rotted. For the sake of a decent crop now the weather is warmer and providing better temperatures for germination I'd get some fresh ones. You never know, you might end up with two lots and that's no bad thing, if you can't eat 'em all parsnip wine is great!

[pjh75]

If nothing has come up from a Feb sowing then I would assume they have rotted.. I however, have sown some of last year's seed (against advice that they only last one year) and they seem okay so far. I am intending to harvest them as baby 'snips, like what you get in posh restaurants!

[Jardiniere]

parsnips are my bete noire ...this year i have tried
last years seeds on paper...march sometime
last years seeds in a gutter ditto
last years seeds in root trainers ditto
new seeds on paper april
new seeds in toilet rolls early april
nothing yet ......

[HeyWayne]

I did mine in loo rolls last year and stuck them in the heated propagator (as I have just done with my carrots) and they germinated without much bother. I'll be doing the same again soon.

[Snadger]

Parsnips and parsley seeds are reputed to go three times to the Devil before germinating!

They take ages and are sporadic when they do germinate!

[Jardiniere]

well the devil allegedly lives in the bridge in Cahors just down the road so they should come up soon....

[lottielady]

I planted in Feb last year and nothing happened and then in desperation in April I sprouted the seeds on damp kitchen paper and then planted when sprouted I did get quite a good crop and have now learnt my lesson and to leave sowing until much later.

[bubblewrap]

Mine have been in greenhouse 6-7 weeks now no sign yet.

[StephenH]

I think I sowed mine in early March, and was pleasantly surprised the other day to see that they've appeared.

[Hans Mum]

mine have been on some damp kitchen paper for a couple of weeks and are just starting to show a small root, but only on about 20 of them and there must be 50+ still sat doing nowt.

[zazen999]

Mine are going in today in various places around the garden and lottie. Being sown direct, the whole packet.

[Eyren]

I'm still waiting for mine, sown in loo rolls a month ago - I think I'll sow a few direct on the lottie and hope the slugs don't eat them all...

[Jenegade]

Mine seemed to germinate quite quickly, within 3-4 days?! Must of gone to the devil and back pretty quickly Snadger!

I followed someones advice on here about putting them on damp kitchen paper, in an old margarine tub, which was then placed in the airing cupboard til they germinated. This also worked for Tomato, Cucumber, Sweetcorn (an experiment - not my main batch) and Courgette seeds. I'll also be doing the same now for my herbs, as they don't want to germinate in the soil!