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2:26 pm
Senior Class
Mon 14-Sep-09
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Parsnips are rare and expensive here (Portugal) and I have heard someone recently saw them for 8 euros a kilo, and strangely not popular! Can't even buy the seeds here.
I know they are a bit like Marmite ( ie: love 'em/ hate 'em) but we are in the former category, and miss them, so I grow my own and smuggle the seeds in ( Very naughty I know!!). They grow pretty well here, two years ago I had a great crop, and even shared some with other friends to have with xmas dinner! Last year I planted seedlings and only 3 grew.
Recently I saw a suggestion to grow them on trays on kitchen towel to ensure you only plant those that germinate. So I got my trays, towel water etc. all ready today, then couldn't remember if you put them in the dark or in a light place, logically: dark ( Soil is dark no?) but not sure, cant find on the web, any help gratefully received!
11:25 am
Supreme Being
Wed 30-Dec-09
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Raenbow, for the last umpty years we have looked for parsnips in the French supermarkets - and finally this winter, they appeared - my neighbours didn't even know what they were, or what they were used for 
!
Maybe they will reach Portugal eventually, if there is enough demand ....... 
11:58 pm
Councillor
Tue 22-Sep-09
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We had great difficulty getting them in Holland too, they were considered only fit for cattle feed. When we did get them at the local organic supermarket they were clearly a variety that had indeed been grown for cattle- huge and very strongly flavoured- but at least it was a parsnip!
Kateuk makes things at http://www.etsy.com/shop/finkstuff and sometimes she does this too http://www54paintings.blogspot.com/ and also this http://finkstuff.weebly.com/
9:00 am
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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It is perfectly legal to import seeds within the EU as long as they are disease free and if they are from a seed company they are fine.
We had problems with parsnips here too in Latvia, I think the long winter means we can't really get them in the ground quick enough for their long growing season but we have found that Hamburg Parsley makes a perfectly acceptable substitute and you can use the leaves as a strong parsley flavour too.
As for germinating your seeds no idea but I would have thought dark would make more sense.
12:36 pm
Moderators
Tue 22-Sep-09
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Well now, I've never heard of Hamburg Parsley. I do live and learn! Having Googled it there is such a lot of information out there. Raenbow, why not Google Parsnip cultivating to see if there is information on sowing?
I'll try that again!
6:22 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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I had heard of it and we tried it once in the UK but our parsnips always grew so well that we just never bothered again with the Hamburg Parsley. Once we got to Latvia though we hunted high and low for parsnips but didn't see any seeds but did see some for Hamburg Parsley so we tried them out and they grew very well. This last year we found the parsnip seeds (Pastinak same as in Danish) but we only had three that grew - they were enormous but not exactly a bumper crop 
, the Hamburg parsley however was as reliable as ever and apparently they don't suffer from carrot root fly like parsnips do. 
8:37 am
Senior Class
New members
Mon 15-Feb-10
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Here in France parsnips are now becoming available in the markets, 6 years ago there was nothing.
The secret to growing parsnips is that you must use fresh seeds, if you have some left over from last years packet, forget it most if none will not grow.
As for getting the seed in the EU, I use either graines baumaux in France, or Suttons seeds in the Uk who export to most of the EU.
So the trick is fresh seeds.
11:43 am
Councillor
New members
Thu 7-Jan-10
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They also need the soil to be warm enough. Why all the older books suggest planting in February I do not know, as it is a waste of seeds. 
We now sow them in root trainers/cardboardl tubes and plant them out in April or May, and they usually do fairly well.
blog: Devon Garden
10:37 am
Senior Class
Mon 14-Sep-09
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I had not tried the Hamburg parsley before, does it taste loike parsnip? I have a pack of seeds from last year that I never got round to planting.
Barbara, we start to plant out here a month or 2 before the Uk, I usually start all of my seedlings in the green house anyway, as I find better success rate (those pesky meeces!) We also have to get them well established before the hot weather ( we hope!) as if they are not they suffer from the lack of rain (and as Im a rubbish waterer........
As for importing... I meant my hubby going to my fave garden centre in the Uk and bringing them back home in his suitcase!! I know it is legal to have them sent here, but it's not as much fun, and he doesnt get much excitement !!
Had to laugh at your comment Brightspark as I remember trying to explain to a neighbour here what a parsnip was conversation as follows: 'Well its a a bit like a carrot, but white' '????????, how do you eat it?' ' you roast it in oil in the oven ' ????????why? 
'
7:02 pm
Supreme Being
Mon 21-Sep-09
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raenbow said:
I had not tried the Hamburg parsley before, does it taste loike parsnip? I have a pack of seeds from last year that I never got round to planting.
It is a lot like parsnip, not tried them both together so couldn't really say what the difference was apart from we have found them easier to grow. Just treat them like parsnips in cooking and use the leaves too
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