Topic: parsnips going mad again

[manicscousers]

 ;D

[calendula]

lucky you, I'm still waiting for sowing number 2 to show - number 1 went awol  :(

[manicscousers]

pre-chitted these and sowed individually, love parsnips  ;D

[saddad]

Our first are growing strongly now, but were in the root trainers too long I'm expecting spherical ones... wide but short!  :-[

[Suzanne]

But the taste will be magnificent  ;D

I am ecstatic when I grow long straight roots, but they don't taste any better than those that look like some sort of alien invader, and definitely not as much fun. I could have sent some of my parsnips and carrots in the past to Esther Rantzen if she were still on the telly.  :-\

[Trevor_D]

They're quite my favourite winter vegetable! My first sowing (10 rows, 4 foot each) produced one parsnip! Second sowing (same again) did just as well!

Help! What am I doing wrong? Or should I take up stamp-collecting or bungee-jumping as a hobby instead?

[grawrc]

i have problems with parsnips too Trevor and they seem fairly random. Sometimes they germinate and grow an are large and delicious, other times they don't even germinate. I can sow them direct or in toilet rolls or in root trainers: it doesn't seem to make any difference. Anyway I still have a load from last year so I shouldn't really complain.

[Sinbad7]

Parsnips look so good manicscousers and I thought mine were good until I saw yours :)

[cornykev]

Looking good Scousers, mine all germinatated but there not as tall as yours.  ;D ;D ;D

[adrianhumph]

 Hi all,
           Trevor, look at previous threads about growing parsnips in loo rolls, I had problems in the past with them (parsnips not loo rolls ;D) This year a really brilliant germination rate of 98% & looking much like Manics. Let`s hope they are as good underground as they look above ::)

                                                        Adrian.

[Rosyred]

Mine didn't germinate this year either. Tried again and I can't see anything.

[GrannieAnnie]

This is my first year for growing the strange parsnips. Blame it on A4A.

They're growing in different areas just to see how they'll do. Some I did in loo rolls and some straight in the ground. The loo rolls solved the slug problem but it was amazing to see the wide range in germination rate some popping up weeks later than others. Very strange. The growth rate is also highly variable in mine- some seem 20 times larger than others ??? It will be interesting to see the final results come winter since my soil isn't very deep.

[Sparkly]

Our parsnips look similar and we started them ipre-chitted in loo rolls. We love parsnips too. I don't care if they end up forked, it has to be better than our harvest of 1 'snip last year!