This weekend will see me sowing my parsnips in raised beds and the pics above show the sequence of events that will take place.
Top left: I have constructed a raised bed from slabs on end with a timber frame on top of that. The whole thing has been filled with coarse sand and sterilised a few weeks ago in order to give it time to settle. Conical holes are bored with a stout metal rod about 4" diameter at the top and some 3-4 feet deep (Top growers will bore twice this depth!). I get about 18 or so in this bed but they're really a bit close for top level exhibiting, and I never seem to get heavy specimens.
Top right: The compost mix will have been prepared beforehand and sieved to remove any lumps. Carefully trickle it into each hole in turn......
Bottom left: ...........prodding with a cane every now and then to make sure there are no air pockets lower down.
Bottom right: The completed bed with all stations ready to accept the seed.
The seed is in my kitchen on moist tissue paper. As soon as the tiny white root radicle is showing through I will carefully place them into each station. This way I KNOW the seed has germinated. Parsnips are notoriously slow to germinate and if I sowed straight outside I could be waiting for weeks thereby losing valuable growing time.
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