The fat lady's singing loud and clear

[Florence Fennel]

Well friends, my quest to sprout parsnips is finally over! I have 2 rows of parsnips in the raised bed. I will have loads of thinning to do, because in order to get the parsnips (5th attempt this year) I bought a new packet of seed and sowed the whole packet in 2 x 3 ft rows!! I am absolutely made up. I can't believe it - I have parsnips.

[zazen999]

Don't thin them for a while, I got a good lot of baby roast parsnips a couple of weeks back.....


ETA: Forgot to say - WELL DONE!!!!!

[Aileen35]

The germination time is crazy! well done, I got some too, first time lucky cant grow carrots to save miself! dunno why

[Snadger]

The germination time is crazy! well done, I got some too, first time lucky cant grow carrots to save miself! dunno why

Ask the guy who won 10 million on the lottery! (Now grows carrots,With a little help from Peter Seabrook of course!)

[jacob]

Don't thin them for a while, I got a good lot of baby roast parsnips a couple of weeks back.....

How long do you have to leave them to get a useful baby parsnip? The few I thinned at the weekend (I'm not very good at thinning, can't bring myself to do it) were miniscule and have been there for maybe 7 weeks?

[zazen999]

How long do you have to leave them to get a useful baby parsnip? The few I thinned at the weekend (I'm not very good at thinning, can't bring myself to do it) were miniscule and have been there for maybe 7 weeks?

About 3-4 months....to be honest with parsnips I'd leave them be until early autumn and then thin them if you want babies. 7 weeks is nothing in a parsnips's life history.

[Florence Fennel]

They're still growing and looking closely they are about 2" apart, so it paid off sowing the whole packet because they haven't all germinated. They are inbetween rows of carrots in a raised bed which I am about to fleece over - will they be ok? Sits biting nails and humming until a reply comes along.

[BFG]

I've never failed to germinate parsnips. Well, they've never failed to germinate themselves (from at least a year old seeds, maybe 2). I think it's my inattentive and forgetful manner. I don't even realise they've taken months to come up usually.

Getting to eat them is another matter. Some rodents completely hollowed them out the 1st time (didn't realise until I tried to harvest them!) and the 2nd some really ugly bugs ate them. 3rd time lucky. 1 shouldn't tempt fate, but they're looking good this year. Well, if you ignore the ant aphid farms!

I've only got a 12" square pots worth. Thought I'd try a tub after the rodent incident.

[taff]

they will grow a lot taller than carrots. You may need to increase the netting height.
and congrats

[edited bit - my carrots haven't grown much at all, so to be honest, I only know how tall parsnips grow...about mid thigh height on a 5' 8" person]