I’m getting ready to sow parsnips
It’s all in the preparation if you want the best long roots for the summer shows
Ilike to get my parsnips for the summer shows sown between now and early March, in order to get enough length and weight on them. To produce first class specimens they ideally need to be grown above ground so that you can withdraw the parsnips with as much root intact as possible. I grow mine in a raised bed of old oil drums with the bottom and top removed or you can use plastic pipes around 1.2-1.5m (4-5ft) in length and 15cm (6in) in diameter.
If you're using pipes you must ensure they're vertical and secure, particularly if you're growing them directly outdoors. I've built a small structure in my glasshouse where I'm growing long carrots for Chelsea using Canna Coco Professional as the growing medium. This sort of set up will work equally well for parsnips.
If you're using drums, fill with a coarse sand such as concreting sand and take cores out. I use a plastic rainwater down pipe to take a core out with a steel bar on top. Using the bar I'm also able to increase the diameter at the top of the hole and to this end I use a bottomless 12cm (5in) diameter pot to go over the bar that’s used as a gauge to ensure every hole is the same size and shape.
I grow the variety ‘Viking’ for the shows and I use my own compost mixture, which has produced some excellent roots. To a bag of Levington F2S I add the following nutrients: 10 litre pot of fine grade Vermiculite, 10 litres of sieved soil passed through a quarter mesh, 200g (7oz) finely sieved bone meal and 300g (10oz) of Medwyn’s Finely Ground Calcified Seaweed.
When it comes to filling the pipes or bore holes, I first fill them with a 2 litre pot of the above mixture, but I add 300g (10oz) of Medwyn’s Osmocote Exact High K 11:11:18.
Why not follow me on Twitter throughout the season as I grow vegetables for my display at Malvern – @medwynsofangles.