How long do Parsnips take

I planted my parsnips on the 20th in fresh seed compost in fibre pots and place in the greenhouse which is not heated.How long should they take before something appears.

 

Yes bought the seed the same day I planted them I used seeds which I had bought the previous year but according to the packet it said use before 2016 and never got anything had to buy another packet.

 

Fibre pots are rather shallow for sowing parsnips, bog roll tubes are better, and even then it's a bit of a rush to get them planted out into open ground before the root reaches the bottom, because if it does before having open ground beneath it'll grow into a deformed, stunted root.

I've previously timed germination of seeds sown in bog roll tubes left in a polytunnel and it's always been around three weeks, might be earlier in a greenhouse.

Three weeks to the day:



If sowing more than one seed per pot/tube, remove all but one ASAP, or they'll twist around one another in an 'embrace of death', don't leave fibre/cardboard projecting above ground level or it'll wick moisture away from the seedling, plant out as soon as shots appear as there's only about 2 or 3 days before the root hits the bottom of the tubes, spacing tubes apart helps reduce mould (but doesn't eliminate).

N.B. I plan my sowing so that the 3 week germination period ends when I'm available to check for germination and be able to plant out into a prepared bed, avoiding the mistake of sowing 3 weeks before taking a week's Easter hols!

 

And if using bog roll tubes, more essential stuff, get them the 'right way up' or they'll unwind/fall apart when they get wet:

 

What you tray you using to hold your tubes @Scrungee? Guessing a free one but did it hold yoghurts? I don't fancy walking in tesco with bog roll tubes to measure up!
Mine always fall over or mould up straight away.

 

Here are some of mine,growing since before Christmas after germinating on top of one of my tonne compost bags where I had chucked the tray of home harvested and dried seeds.A rat had been in the tray and pooed on them so I chucked the whole lot out only to find they germinated as easily as anything... A few more weeks and they will be about ready to plant out in the ground

 

I've used 2 types of trays in the past. Free, used ones from GCs used to hold tiny pots around this time of year, which tended to be non-UV stabilised and would only last a season or so, plus the 20 x round cell trays previously sold in Poundland and 99p Shops, and which I still have loads:

 

I did have a large cardboard box full of toilet roll holders which then got put into the recycling bin.I do have several of what Scrungee suggested.Do you put the compost straight into the tray of fill the pots and put the pots into the tray.As I will not have enough toilet roll holders in time to plant are there any other suggestions

 

You can always use Kitchen roll insides,cut in half.I use old vending machine cups but not too sure what sort they have in vending machines nowadays

Some people also use root trainers that you can buy from garden centres and I think they come in different sizes...

 

The compost only goes into the tubes. I drop some in (about third depth?) then use a short length of broom handle to tamp in down so it wont fall out the bottom, but not so hard it might restrict root growth, then add/gently tamp more seed compost above up seed sowing depth, sow 3 seeds and cover with more compost. Top of soil filling should be set below the top of tube to provide space for watering.

N.B. If sowing more than one seed, only one can be allowed to remain after germination. Pinch out the others and continue to watch out for additional seeds germinating after planting tubes out in open ground.

I understand some people make tubes from newspapers, wrapping, around a suitably sized cylindrical object, sliding off and tucking some of the ends in. I've not done this myself, but I'm sure it's been posted previously on this forum and I'll have a look for a link to it see EDIT. The tubes must be constructed of something that will rot and permit the root to both expand and grow through the bottom without any obstruction.

EDIT: Check this post Tips for growing Parsnips

P.S. Last year I successfully trialled planting the Parsnip tubes through holes in Mypex woven plastic weed suppressant membrane and achieved a crop of decent sized roots at every station and without the need for any weeding throughout the growing season, a huge improvement on my first attempts at sowing in open ground with failed germinations and those seeds that germinated then being out competed by a flush of weed growth.

I would especially recommend this method to anybody with heavy, wet, cold clay soil, or those who've taken on overgrown plots with an extensive weed seedbank just waiting to stifle small parsnip seedlings.