Shhhhh, (whispers quietly) parsnip question

[binley100]

I wasn't aware P*****ps were male..........

Must be - the problems they seem to cause.

[Jeanied]

Must be - the problems they seem to cause.

Nice one Binley!

[binley100]

Nice one Binley!

Takes a bow ........

[Caro]

Hmmm. My p*****ps were quite small last year. I think most men exaggerate the size of them

[coreopsis]

Must be - the problems they seem to cause.

You'll either get Tender and True or Gladiator-hmmm-which one to go for?Any recommendations?

[lottie dolly]

has anyone tried cerial boxes/any finer cardboard,cut up and either gaffer tape or tie with whatever you got,string,tights ext.....so you get some longer tubes,just an idea,

[Bigmallly]

Must be - the problems they seem to cause.

We're only doing our jobs...............

[Two_Sheds]

has anyone tried cerial boxes

Actually, that's not a bad idea: you could sow what, about 6 parsnips in one box, and plant the whole thing in the ground

[Two_Sheds]

I too sow direct, last year in April, which worked well

My soil is stony, so most of mine would fork if I sowed direct. Carrots too

[Dane End Dolly]

I have the worst clay soil ever, so i do not even consider sowing direct, i tried in pots last year, but some vandals came and broke them, so this is my 2nd attempt, really want it to work

Kx

[snuffer]

I read somewhere that if you open a v-shaped trench , fill it with compost and then plant into that . Just a thought may be quicker than making individual holes.

That is my prefered method for parsip and carrots.

Push blade of spade into soil and rock it back and forth. Keep doing this along the length of your row until you have a long V shaped trench. Fill this with compost and sow seed directly into it.

Use a general purpose compost. It's not very rich and so will not encourage roots to fork. Making the trench removes all stones and so removes another reason why parsnips fork.

Don't sow to early. Late March, early April is plenty early enough for a crop that is going to be in the ground for the rest of the year.

[Liza]

Agrees with snuffer and Binley....

Although I start mine on wet kitchen roll and plant when sprouted, I collect up all the soil from all the mole hills on the site and fill the trench with that the buggers have some uses

[Bigmallly]

I like the idea of 6 nips per cereal box, will deffo be giving that a go this year.

[WeeGarden]

I like the idea of 6 nips per cereal box, will deffo be giving that a go this year.

Will that be sufficient spacing between parnips? Just wondering because it will be my first time growing them, so any info is useful info!

[Bigmallly]

Will that be sufficient spacing between parnips? Just wondering because it will be my first time growing them, so any info is useful info!

Trial & error WG, maybe 4 or 5. Maybe only 2 if you want thick nips.