Parsnips

Parsnip sowing this weekend

I have been warming the soil for several weeks.

I made furrows in the soil. I used a broken broom handle. At recommended spacing, my son placed the seeds in the furrows and then we covered the seeds up. Watered them and then covered them with fleece to stop any stray pests getting to them and to continue the warmth strategy.

I hope I am not to early! But with it being full moon, I wanted to try it. I am going to try and get the carrots in today (sunday) too.

Please share your plantings!

 

Hi badsal havnt planted anything outdoors yet but have made a few sowings indoors of lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes and cabbages. Last year i sowed a row of parsnips on 11th feb after 6 weeks nothing had happened and i dug over the row. 2 weeks later they germinated and grew on but the results werent that good. It was worth a try anyway. This year i might start my parsnips of indoors then plant them out. The soil here is really wet and cold

 

I'm the same as you, Kevin. I've sown my tomatoes, just 3 of them, unlike last year.. (Gartenperle - a change from gardeners delight).

My veg beds are all dug over, but far too wet and waterlogged to rake yet. Next step will be get that done, and a cover over them.

Since I'm quite far north, I probably won't sow in the ground for another couple of weeks.

 

I have sown a row of parsnips and radishes in the ground and they seem to be growing. SO FAR !!!

 

On my parsnip packet, I notice, just as I was about to sow them, It says that by leaving sowing untill April I reduce the chance of canker. Any one know why? As I was champing at the bit only to be stopped in my tracks so to speak.

 

Don`t know if this helps oldwinegum but it`s all i can get from my book.Parsnip canker:Soil acidity,presence of fresh organic matter in the soil,root dammage and irregular rainfall.
Treatment:None.
Prevention:Lime soil.Don`t sow too early.Do not grow a suseptable variety on the same site.
Maybe...the longer you wait the more time the dung has to rot down and hopefully by April the whether isn`t so irratic??

 

Hi Elainefiz.
As the dung is 5 years old, If this is the reason I will go for Global Warming Rules and sow this weekend. This is the only reference to it I could find also.
From the seed providers marketing point of view I would have thought it was a very strange 'advantage'

 

I grew parsnips last yr and they were lovely.I dug the soil a while back where they were and there was still loads of manure surfacing.I`m not complaining but,I don`t get it.I think that maybe if you get canker on your parsnips,carrots etc.,maybe the canker is already in the soil?I read it can stay for 10 yrs!