I put them in a few days ago. Will put in more later, I think. Go for it, Jan!

Parsnips love cold. They get put in now in Sydney, and every month til July. Make sure you press them into contact with the soil, they are notoriously bad at germinating.

Thanks for the replies I have put them in now its keep my fingers cross they grow LOL. Jan

We will plant snip seeds tomorrow first thing. They will be wintered under clear plastic, hopefully warm enough to get them started. (autumn in Vic.) If you are further North, you should have a good crop 16 weeks after planting. Good luck! pict01

well i have looked and looked to see if they have sprouted and nothing. everything else has come forth but not the parsnips. I just put soil over the top should I have maybe put seedling soil on top instead???. I have only ever had one successfull crop of parnips and that was some time ago. Must be doing something wrong. I mean I just bung the carrots in and other root crops and never have much problem except for parsnips and I love em. :( Jan

Jan, they only need a very thin layer of soil on top. Just enough so that they are in contact with the soil. Mine have finally sprouted. Oh, maybe I should sow more. Thanks for reminding me. *winks*

How old was your seed? Try to use seed as fresh as possible. I usually let one parsnip go to seed and then use that seed for my next crop.

Fingers crossed for yours.

I used to cover them with the thinnest layer of seed-raising mix, the same thing I use to cover most seeds. It's nice and light and doesn't compact.

well i shall try again. I have some seedling dirt so will use that this time. Thanks for replies. Jan

Hi Jan and all, I know this is supposed to be a no-no with root vegetables, but I put seeds into a punnet as I find them impossible to germinate in the ground. I get really good germination and plant them out when they are only a couple of cm tall. I make a trench and hang the delicate roots over the edge then push the soil back to them. It's far more viable for me. You tend to get a lot of mishappen ones, but they are still delicious. Carrots too.