Wednesday 17 February 2016

Sowing parsnip seeds in loo roll inner tubes


My packets of parsnip seeds say they can be sown from February.
My packets of parsnip seeds have obviously NOT looked at the weather we have had over the last couple of weeks.  Winter has thrown every conceivable form of horrible weather at us - rain, sleet, snow, frost and really strong winds ....meaning that the soil is still cold and very wet and if I were to sow parsnips seeds they would most likely not germinate.  This is  not a veg patch ready for seed sowing of any sort:

Green Rosie Life - growig parsnips

Ideally to get large parsnip roots you need a long growing season so what do you do to achieve this when the soil isn't ready for early sowings?  As parsnips are a root crop they do not take kindly to being transplanted therefore starting them off in seeds trays in a warmer place is not an option ... but there is a variation that does work: sowing them in long biodegradable pots where you plant out the whole thing in the ground when soil conditions are better and the pot rots away leaving the parsnip root to grow on undisturbed.  However these biodegradable pots are quite expensive so why not use the next best thing .... that's free too ... loo roll inner tubes.

Green Rosie Life - growing parsnips

You simply stand the inner tubs in a plastic container of some sort and add compost.  Parsnip seeds are big enough to allow you to sow one per tube and then cover with about a centimetre of compost.  Water sparingly if the compost is dry and place somewhere warm to germinate.  Even when warm parsnips seeds can take a while to germinate so be patient.  Oh and always buy your seed fresh each year as parsnips seeds do not keep well and most will not germinate from an open packet left over from the year before.


Green Rosie Life - growing parsnips

After germination move them to a greenhouse/polytunnel to grow on and once the weather improves and the soil warms up and dries out you can transplant the whole tube in rows leaving 10-15cm between each one.

This method also works for other vegetables with long roots or which do not like being transplanted e.g. sweetcorn and flowers such as sweet peas.  However it'll be a while before I start my sweetcorn off as, unlike parsnips, they will not stand cold weather.

In other news luckily cabbages are frost/snow hardy!


Green Rosie Life - savoy cabbages

If you fancy giving this method a go why not pin me for future reference?


Green Rosie Life - growing parsnips in loo roll inners


How are things in your garden?  Have you sown anything yet or is winter still firmly in charge?  Oh and if you are wondering why on earth you'd want to be out gardening at this time of year why not have a look at this blog post I wrote about the advantages of growing your own fruit and veg.  It might inspire you!



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17 comments :

  1. Oh now that's a good idea - I'll have to try that, not because it's especially cold around here but because the bed that's going to grow parsnips hasn't been built yet!!

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    1. Excellent - it is a good way to get things going when the garden is not yet ready for seed sowing.

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  2. The loo rolls put a big smile on my face as we use them to make bird feeders! You're always making me dream of some day having a fruit and vegetable garden. When I do I'll know where to get all the best tips.

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    1. I hope you do get your fruit and veg garden - you could always start with cress in a windowsill!

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  3. I've tried the same with sweet peas and that worked well. Those cabbages look pretty with the snow, hope you don't have too much of it.

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    1. Thanks for the heads up, I have just sown sweet peas in some more loo roll tubes.

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  4. Such a fantastic idea, I need to get me some parsnips, I love them.

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  5. Neat idea Rosie, recycling the tube like that!
    My garden is sodden, everything round here is pretty water logged, even the local gardens have had to close whole areas off. Roll on the sunshine I say!
    Thanks for joining in again Rosie xx

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    1. We were sodden but a few days of strong north winds have dried the soil out really well. But more rain is forecast for later in the week.

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  6. I love the use of the toilet rolls. If you get a minute please pop this on Trash2Treasure with me, I'm always after new ways to use loo rolls and other junk, this is a great idea.

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    1. Thank you for linking up, I've learned a lot about planting veg in this post too, you really are the expert with some handy tips.

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    2. Not sure about being an expert - I am still learning!

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  7. I'm nearing the end of my gardening season as it's almost summer here. i used the loo roll method for planting seeds as they don't like being moved with the heat

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    1. Good tip there. And as you end your gardening season we are just about to start.

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  8. that is so interesting! i had no idea. hope the weather has lit up for you a bit. it's all over the place here too

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    1. Hopefully it will mean we will get a lot more parsnips this coming year. Last year was a disaster!

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