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Planted 4 row of parsnips 2 weeks ago and had a look today no parsnips showing but the toilet rolls are coming on nicely, so has anyone a good recipe for toilet rolls please?

I've got parsnips in loo rolls on my windowsill - I think two of them have germinated, out of 12... Not a great result, is it!

Same here in NZ, I just sowed directly into the soil cos it said I could on the packet but I'm pretty sure that most of what's coming up are just weeds

Don´t parsnips take much longer than that to germinate? I have planted some straight out with radishes to mark the row....the idea being that when the radishes are ready to eat, the parsnips will be just starting to germinate. That was more than 2 weeks ago, perhaps a little more time is all that is needed?

I started parsnips in loo rolls on the windowsill back at the beginning of March. They didn't start showing at all until I'd just about given up hope for them, about 2 or 3 weeks later. All but one out of sixteen are growing nicely, all a little over an inch high.

Oh so theres hope for me yet.

Clara wrote:Don´t parsnips take much longer than that to germinate? I have planted some straight out with radishes to mark the row....the idea being that when the radishes are ready to eat, the parsnips will be just starting to germinate. That was more than 2 weeks ago, perhaps a little more time is all that is needed?

Radishes grow quick don't they, I sowed the seeds one day and before I knew it they had sprouted!
I planted parsnips and carrots direct to the soil here in NZ as the packet said I still could on the South Island but I dunno, I still keep watering the weeds in the hopes that they might be veg.

Yeah, parsnips are notoriously long to germinate. I think they can take up to 28 days. I start mine off inside by the window in loo roll tubes and only plant them up once I know they've germinated. Its more time consuming doing them individually but worth it. You can start them off on damp kitchen roll which is supposed to be quicker but I think you'd have to be really careful not to let them dry out at all. w.

my dad's theory on parsnips is by the time you have given up all hope of anything happening and buy more seed - then they will deign to pop theor heads up

***********NEWS FLASH***********

I´ve just dared to go out (we´ve had 4 days of driving rain) and there are signs of parsnips!!! I talked about this on the biodynamic thread as I´m doing an experiment, the first lot were planted 2 days before the full moon, which means they have been in the ground three weeks......hang on in there guys

Parsnips can take a while, in fact when I was digging around earlier I found some seed from last year had just germinated

Certainly don't ever remember having parsnips within two weeks.

Yep Parsnips take an age and the seed does not last well from one year to the next, so if (like me) you have used last year's seed, then perhaps they might not show at all

I put two seeds in each roll.. kept them in the warmth and still waited an age.

last year did do the radish and parsnip thing. by the time I had pulled the last radish the parsnips were showing.

I'm experimenting with germinating parsnip seeds on damp kitchen towel in the propagator.. then sowing them... saw it somewhere...

Many people chit parsnips first by placing the seeds between damp sheets of paper in a warm place. I can't recommend this from personal experience as not a single member of my family will eat them - there's usually at least one person who likes something enough to make it worthwhile growing it - but I do chit many seeds which are large enough to handle individually such as sweetcorn, so as a general method I know it to be reliable.

whats a 'loo roll'?..... and what's that smell!!??