parsnips sown in toilet roll tubes

[red]

does it work? or does the transplanting still disturb them too much?


I never have much luck with planting seeds straight in the ground

[Tay]

I can't offer any advice re: growing them in toilet roll tubes, but I had read that root veg should be sown where it is going to grow as they don't transplant well. Given my efforts with starting off onions in seed trays prior to transplanting, I'd have to agree with this. As parsnips often seem so difficult to germinate, I'd say the best thing is to persevere and sow lots, then be prepared to thin lots.

[red]

I sowed beetroot in modules before I read you are not sposed to do that.. and they came on just fine. then again they are not tap roots like parsnips...

[the.fee.fairy]

I can't see much probem, because you're not distubing the roots to plant them, as long as the roots are not stickng out of the bottom of the toilet roll, then they're not actually being moved, or changed in any way.

Its worth a try! To be honest, looking at people's disastrous parsnip results, it seems that anything's worth a try!!

[Wombat]

Yeah, what Fee said!

Just make sure you don't leave 'em too long or the toilet roll falls apart! (speaking from expereince here!)

Nev

[ohareward]

I thought this may help with growing parsnips. This is taken from a book I have.
Cultivation.
An open, sunny position is required. Parsnips can be grown in heavy soils, but they prefer light ones, and although they do best in fertile soil, do not sow them on freshly manured ground ( the parsnips fork). Sow in soil that was manured the previous season or dug in the autumn. Always use fresh seed; last year's is unlikely to germinate. The seed should be station sown at 15 - 20cm (6-8in)intervals in 1cm (1/2in) drills. The rows should be 30cm (12in) apart. Do not sow too early - the soil should be at least 7 degrees C - but they do need a long growing season, so sow as soon as you can. Parsnips are slow to germinate so sow a few radishes between the stations of parsnips. These will appear quickly and mark the line of the rows, making it easier to hoe without accidentally disturbing the germinating parsnips. In heavy or stony soils the parsnips may fork and produce stunted growth, rather than the desired conical shape. To avoid this, make holes with a crowbar at each sowing station, moving in a circle to make an inverted conical hole in the ground. Fill this with potting compost or good loam and sow the seeds in this. Thin the seeds to one to each station as soon as they are big enough to handle. Keep free from weeds. Water in dry spells because sudden rain after a prolonged dry spell may cause the roots to split. In very cold climates cover the rows of parsnips with straw during the winter.

Harvesting
Parsnips can be harvested from autumn onwards. Although they can be harvested befoe the leaves die back, most gardeners wait for this. Many gardeners also wait until after the first frosts, because these make parsnip taste sweeter. Dig the roots from the ground with a fork. In heavy soil or if the parsnips have deep roots, take care or the fork may slash through the flesh rather than lifting it out of the ground.
Happy planting

[taralastair]

I did this last year and it worked very well. Had some absolutely massisve parsnips! Few things to bear in mind

Loo rolls will dry out very quickly. I packed them into a square plastic container to hold them together and then once showing watered from the bottoms.

Pasnips are SLOW to germinate. THis means your loo rolls may start to break down before they have even started to germinate. One way around this is to germinate them btw damp kitchen roll in a dark place. Then once germinated plant them in the loo rolls.

Hope that helps.

Tara