Soaking Beetroot and Parsnip Seed

These beetroot leaves are so beautiful with the sun shining through them. However last summer I never got to harvest one of my favourite veg....I think I sowed them too early and did not thin them enough and they didn't get enough sun...very disappointing. After these problems I did a bit of a study on sowing the seed. Apparently the two most difficult roots to start off are beetroot and parsnips. Here is what I found out and put into practice this month as an experiment, hoping for a huge harvest.  

Apparently the answer is to soak the seed! Beetroot seed is in dry clusters which will produce several seedlings, but the seed needs to be soaked to wash off the germination inhibitor. Then it must be thinned properly to allow the stem to swell (it is actually not a root at all but a swollen stem!)  It is also important not to sow too early as most beetroot does not like being moved which means that it is best to sow it directly into the soil once the ground has warmed up. However I have got round this one by sowing a bolt resistant variety as an early beetroot, Boltardy which can be sown into half loo roll holders and then transplanted later when the soil is warmer. I will put the whole thing into the ground and just break the holder as it goes in to let the stem swell. Then I will sow the other varieties Burpees Golden which is a lovely yellow beetroot and Chioggia a striped pink and white one together with more Boltardy straight into the ground at the end of April. But I will definitely soak the seed first and be careful to thin them properly giving them 4-6 inches between them with plenty of sun.  I will sow a few every three weeks so that we don't have a glut right through the summer, but sowing a main crop in June of a larger number for winter storage. I really love beetroot and am looking forward to seeing how this works out!

Parsnips seem to give people a few problems too. I had a very successful crop last year but it was not because of good planning, I think I was very lucky and the soil suited them. They are hard to germinate and it is definitely advisable to make sure you have new seed every year...it doesn't keep like some other things from year to year. 

I am growing Gladiator this year. I have germinated the seed on wet kitchen towel, folding another wet sheet over the seed and putting it on a plate inside a plastic bag on our warm caravan wash stand. This was the warmest place I could think of as it is in the sun - if you have an airing cupboard you could try that. 

 After about a week I was delighted to see that the seeds were developing a tiny little white root - they looked so pretty, take a look!

So today I took them down to the greenhouse and filled some half loo roll holders with damp compost and made two holes with a dibber about half an inch deep and carefully dropped two seeds per holder with my tweezers. I felt like a surgeon! 

 Here you can see the tiny seed in the hole before I covered it over with compost.

I am hoping to have sixty parsnips to plant out when the first leaves are formed. That should get them off to a good start. Apparently they like compost so I will make a hole slightly deeper than the loo roll holders and fill it with compost before popping them in, breaking the side of the holder as I go.  

By the way the parsnips stored beautifully in the winter in damp sand in a box in our shed. I have only just finished them. What a vegetable! So delicious roasted, and in stews and bakes and especially in curries with cummin and ginger, and fresh coriander. I can't wait to see those green leaves sprouting up from those precious seeds!