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How to grow parsnips from seed
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Tuesday, 14 May 2019 at 3:00 pm
Delicious parsnips can be tricky to grow from seed. Follow our guide to speeding up the germination process.
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Parsnips can take several weeks to germinate, but it's possible to speed up the process. Follow our simple steps to pre-germinating parsnip seed to ensure bigger, more reliable yields, and look forward to parsnips roasted for the Christmas table, or in warming winter soups.
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You Will Need
- Parsnip seed
- Polythene bag
- Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
- Trowel
- String
Step 1
Tipping parsnip seed on to compost
Part-fill a polythene bag with moist, peat-free, multi-purpose compost and empty your seed packet onto the surface. There's no point in successionally sowing parsnips as you don't need to harvest them all in one go. What's more, parsnip seed stays viable for only one year, so saving seed could lead to wasting it.
Step 2
Mixing parsnip seed with compost
Mix the seed and compost together so the seed is evenly distributed in the bag. Tie the top of the bag together and place in a dark, warm spot such as your airing cupboard. Leave for around four days.
Step 3
Parsnip seedlings
After around four days, remove the bag from the airing cupboard and check on your seeds. They should have germinated, and small seedlings will be poking out of the compost.
Step 4
Planting parsnip seedlings in soil
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Make a shallow trench in well-prepared soil with stones removed. Remove the seedlings from the bag and place them 10cm apart in the trench. Cover with a thin layer of soil and water with a watering can with a fine rose attached. The seedlings should continue to grow in their new growing positions.
Sow seed in June for a crop of tender, baby parsnips at Christmas.
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