Chitting Parsnips

Evening Folks

After some info as to when people start this, appreciate it will probably differ depending on location.

I start mine about a month before the last frost date, so end of April for me. Some pre-chit or like me straight into the ground, i put six seeds per station.

Parsnips need soil temps of around 41°f or 5°c to germinate

I start minea bout a month before the last frost date, so end of April for me. Some pre-chit or like me straight into the ground, i put six seeds per station.

Thanks Boss

Ok showing my ignorance definition of "station"?

Where you plant the seeds.... I put a bit of sharp sand in the bottom to aid drainage whilst germinating

Where you plant the seeds.... I put a bit of sharp sand in the bottom to aid drainage whilst germinating

Ok so you then thin to 1 presumably?

I chit them mid-way through April for planting out in the first week of May. 9 per square foot.

Danny I chit mine the beginning of April then plant out around 3 weeks later. It does depend on the weather sometimes it’s later.

Danny I chit mine the beginning of April then plant out around 3 weeks later.  It does depend on the weather sometimes it’s later.

Thanks Bren / All

There seems to be a few conflicting dates out there.

I bought 2 packets from Fother* with 500 seeds in each. I'll sow them March/April time depending on the weather. I sow them both quite thickly in 20' rows as they don't keep. Last year they germinated well and I got more or less full rows with plants 4 to 6" apart.

I'm not too happy with what I've been sent as one packet looks to be a year older: one says sow by 2024, the other by 2023. I'll be annoyed it 2023 one does poorly and I'd never expect any germination by then for parsnips. I know when I was starting out if I saw that, I would carefully sow about 100 this year as I would expect them to last as long as they say.

I usually sow mine in February, a pinch to each position in the row 5cm's apart and thin them to to about 10cms. They germinate erratically (supposedly three times to the devil before appearing) and I often have misses in the row if I don't add a pinch to each position.
The way the weather is lately I will be clearing snow before sowing!  It could be March before I can get on the land.