Parsnip experiment

[Wowbagger]

One of two years' ago's parsnips slipped through the net and has seeded itself this year.

Quite a lot of the seeds have ripened and I have collected them with a view to growing them next spring.

Has ayone tried this with parsnips? What chance have I got of germination? Or are they likely to be sterile as a result of the parent being an F1 hybrid (or whatever)? I can't actually remember what I put in - but I know it wasn't last year. We didn't sow any seeds at all last spring because we were cycling to Scotland.

[woollypigs]

Please don't let Hummer or Charlotte see this ... but you could sell it to the highest bidder

[marna]

I am no flavour of expert on this, but I don't think they'll definitely be sterile if they're F1. There's a fair chance that they'll germinate, but won't have the guaranteed speed, taste, size, or whatever, that the parent parsnip was bred for. They could be really tasty, or they could be horrid.

If you don't mind risking getting a potentially weak or non-existent parsnip crop, then go for it, I'd say.

[Ian H]

One in the eye for Monsanto if it works. 

[Wobbly John]

Me!!! 

This is what I did last year - I collected the seed from an errant parsnip, and planted them this year. because I garden on clay soil, germination can be a problem, so I tried germinating the seed in the greenhouse and planting out. I know you're not supposed to do this with root crops, but I thought I'd experiment.

Germination was good, and in the spring they looked the healthiest parsnips on the allotments. Now some have their tops above the ground, and I think several may be mishapen or twisted. I'll let you know what they're like when I start harvesting them in October.

[Wowbagger]

I've got so many seeds already, and a load more still ripening on the plan, that I will sow a few in a box in the kitchen to see what happens.

WJ, I reckon your misshapen problem could be down to transplanting. That, according to my old dad, is the reason you don't transplant roots.

[Wobbly John]

Well at least I've got 3 full rows (probably about 30 parsnips in each row) this year. Last year I only had 3 parsnips germinate...


... 4 if you count the one that came up at the end of a potato row where I didn't plant it -the one used for seed.