First chitted parsnip seeds placed in stations

It's only taken a few days for the first seeds to show root, as can be seen from the photo. I usually like them to go in when they're a bit shorter than this but I've also done them in the past when they've been quite a bit longer and I have very few problems with forking. But you do have to be extra careful and nestle them into an indented hole in the compost very gently, with the end of the root pointing downwards. As you can see I use tweezers for this.













Carefully cover the seeds with the parsnip mix to a depth of 1/4" or so and water. I have done 3 stations, each with 2 seeds in, and would expect to have all 45 stations done by the end of the weekend now. It's certainly a lot quicker than sowing unchitted seed outdoors and waiting nervously for several weeks wondering if they've germinated or not. To be fair the seeds always did seem to germinate....eventually. I reckon my way gives me at least 3 weeks extra growth which can make a lot of difference on the show bench.