Parsnips in bottles

colinS

lindseykim13

Why wait for warmer weather, one of the reasons for bottled parsnips and carrots is to get an early start. But do try to get a good soil mix to grow them in.

snowgo

I've not grown parsnips or carrots before, but thought I might give it a try this year. Bottles sound great as DD and DS drink plenty of cheap lemonade. And perhaps bottles would give some additional protection from the slugs that were rampant in my garden last year.

A couple of questions. I'm not quite sure I understand how the bottles are placed in the soil. You say you plant them with most of the bottle above ground - just the shoulder in the soil. So what stops the bottles from falling over in strong winds? Do you have some supports in place? My inclination would have been to put the bottle further into the soil, is there some reason for leaving most above surface? Sorry if these are silly questions, I'm quite a newbie to veg growing.

colinS

snowgo,

I have had no bottles falling over, but the tap root will start to push them to one side, as I have already stated. I did run string one side of the row that was agains the wall of a raised bed, but I don't think it's worth the trouble. I know it seems surprising that they don't fall over, the carrot bottles don't even lean to one side, because the tap roots don't get very large once they are out the bottle. Your main worry, if you are anything like me, is to forget to take the cap of before putting the bottle in the ground - I do this quite often. I think the higher out of the ground the warmer the tap root is, and therefore the chemical reactions of growth will be helped. But frost could get to them easier in the winter, so you could take them inside if it looks like really cold weather is coming, they should last quite a while in their bottles.

I'm sorry to say that slugs really got into my early carrots last year, so the bottles didn't help, but I will take more care of them this year. Also I thought that bottles would cut down carrot fly, but I had quite a bit of that last year, but this was in late sowings that I had left out for quite a while.

I suggest that you do a row of bottles and some rows of the usual way of growing, to see if the extra effort is worth the trouble. Because my bottle method certainly demands more time and effort.

I know I keep repeating it, but you must get a good soil mix, these plants will be growing in a very confined space. If you don't have leaf mould you will have to use compost, bought or you own produced. And that is mixed with sieved soil, about half and half - and when it will ever get dry enought to sieve soil, I just don't know.

I think it is worth the effort, I have never grown parsnips so sucessfully, but I am retired and I do have the time.

lindseykim13

colinS wrote: »

lindseykim13

Why wait for warmer weather, one of the reasons for bottled parsnips and carrots is to get an early start. But do try to get a good soil mix to grow them in.

Didn't think of that lol will get started this weekend, although only a few bottles saved so far. Need to collect them from those i've asked to keep them back for me.

If anyone needs bottles ask on your local freecyle for someone kind enough to collect them up for you, i've just had 3 replies within minutes of asking so should have a garden full of parsnips with some luck!

annelouise_2

Having read the first post before Christmas I have finally got my soil,my seeds and the pop bottles at the ready.

I live in Darwin,NT,Australia and have an irrigation system that will water the bottles once the seeds are planted in the bottles.

I have bought Hollow Crown parsnips and Nantes carrots.

Watch this space!



annelouise

snowgo

Thank you Colin, that's really helpful. Until you mentioned it, I hadn't thought about the advantage of bringing them indoors with risk of frost. I've a large space under a shelf in my porch that would be ideal. I'll certainly give it a go, with your suggestion of trying both in the ground and bottles for an interesting experiment.

colinS

I thought I would let the forum know how my parsnips in bottles was going this year. I have 24 bottles in the ground, they have been outside, after germinating in the greenhouse, for about three weeks. Each bottle has three twigs in it, supporting a sliced bread bag over it, and so far the tiny seedlings in each bottle have survived the harsh winds we have been having here. I have sowed a few more seeds in the greenhouse this morning, but I hope the weather gets a bit warmer; I can't eat the bread fast enough to supply the bags for each bottle.