Parsnips
An old-fashioned standby, parsnips have been taken up by both TV chefs and the restauranteurs in recent years. Modern varieties have now got resistance to canker bred in, and the flavour hasn't suffered. But remember - like sprouts, parsnips need the nip of frost to bring out their flavour. If you make the effort to get them in early thinking you'll be able to enjoy them in late summer, think again. Dig them too early and you'll be disappointed by their bland, pappy taste. Wait till October at the earliest before lifting them, and you'll find they are both sweet and richly flavoured.
Parsnips do grow best in well-drained, deep soils, but you can get pretty good results on heavy clay too. If growing on clay, or if you haven't got deep topsoil, choose one of the shorter, conical varieties rather then the long narrow ones.
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You don't want them to look like this, do you?
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Parsnips are notoriously slow to germinate (taking up to 4 weeks to show), and this is the main source of difficulty for gardeners. First principle is, start with fresh seed. Books will tell you only brand new seed will germinate, but in fact you'll get resonable germination with year-old seed as long as it's been stored well. Wait until the soil has warmed up and create a fine tilth (crumbly, soft-textured soil). Ideally you shouldn't sow until the soil temperature reaches 5degC. A soil thermometer is a couple for quid (Wilkinson's usually have them in season) and as many seeds need to go into warm soil to do well, it is money well spent - especially when you remember the price of seeds.
Books and seed packets will tell you to sow at any time from late February onwards. Sowing this early is asking for trouble, as Kent usually gets a really cold spell at some time in March. And you don't want you parsnips till autumn anyway (see above). Better to wait until late March if the weather has warmed up by then, or even early April. In 2013 you'd have been advised to wait till late April!
Germination can be unpredictable, and one problem is that, as the seedlings are so slow to show, by the time you realise you have germination failure, it may be too late to get another row in. One way round this is to sow twice, putting in two rows about a fortnight apart. Ideally, use two different varieties to spread your chances.
Germination can be unpredictable, and one problem is that, as the seedlings are so slow to show, by the time you realise you have germination failure, it may be too late to get another row in. One way round this is to sow twice, putting in two rows about a fortnight apart. Ideally, use two different varieties to spread your chances.
Parsnips need to be at least 6ins (15cm) apart to grow to a decent size. Thinning the seedlings early enough is vital. Once you have thinned, look again after a week or so as a second flush of seedlings may have come through as the weather warms. For more about thinning seedlings, CLICK HERE to go to "The best way to thin out SEEDLINGS"
If you sow a full row, you'll end up throwing most of the seedlings away (no, you CAN'T transplant them!). One way to save seed is to "station sow" - put a pinch of seeds in at 3in (15cm) intervals. That way you'll only waste a few seeds.
If you sow a full row, you'll end up throwing most of the seedlings away (no, you CAN'T transplant them!). One way to save seed is to "station sow" - put a pinch of seeds in at 3in (15cm) intervals. That way you'll only waste a few seeds.
Some gardeners like to get round all these germination hassles by pre-germinating their parsnip seed. Click here to go to an easy video showing how this is done.
If your computer doesn't like viewing videos, here is an article.
If your computer doesn't like viewing videos, here is an article.