Parsnips in plugs

My allotment attempts at parsnips over the last two years have not been as successful as i would have wished. Indeed I think others on the plot have also suffered. This year I am going to try and start them off in a plug tray and see if that increases my success rate. has anyone tried this method with any success and if so what would they advise me?

Thanks Majfran7, when do you sow your seeds in trays?

This year I have bought a seed tape in the hope of having more to eat. One last year

You would be better off using root trainers or the cardboard inner of toilet rolls. Parsnips grow a long tap root fast and you should aim to get your plants in the ground before the root touches the bottom or they could fork. Also if using toilet roll inners you can plant the whole lot and there is no disturbance which parsnips dont like.

High Johnheeng if we grow in toilet inners when do we sow ,weve never had an allotment before and the turnip packet says sow outdoors in the south in March ,so if we do the inners when do we start,or how long do they need to be in the inners before planting out as you can tell were complete beginners with Turnips,the only ones iv ever had came out of the oven roasted in honey so this year we are doing it all ourselves Hopefully that is and do we begin  them in coldframes

Alan

Alan4711. I am going to start some off over the next couple of weeks and am going to try three methods. 1. The toilet roll holders. I have already put some soil in to warm up over the next couple of weeks. 2. use a plug tray and watch for when they start to get close to the bottom. 3. Try to plant 4 or 5 seeds in a deep rose pot. The idea being I can just tip up individual pots and harvest enough for a meal. I will also try a couple of traditional rows on the allotment but make sure I warm the soilup forst with some polythene and reduce risk of seed rotting. This is part of the fun for me trying out different things

Hello Alan4711 Turnips can be grown in plugs at the time stated on the packet. The reason for starting things off in plugs, root trainers etc. is that you can grow to a reasonable size before putting them in the ground. This stops slugs etc eating your seedlings before they produce good growth. Also they can be started off with protection from any frost.