Parsnips in bottles

After three summers of trying I think I have finally worked out how to grow parsnips in plastic bottles. The first year I put sieved soil in the bottles, and didn't do too well. The second year I put leaf mould, and if I hadn't got a twelve ounce beauty from the very last bottle, after many duff bottles, I would have given up. This year I put a ratio of six leaf mould to four sieved soil in the bottle, and sometimes about half and half. So far this summer I have pulled about 27 bottles, I have had about 7 duff ones, most of which I pulled early. From the other about 20 bottles I have harvested 13LBs 120z of parsnips, all tender with no woodies. The picture should be more or less self explanitory of what I do, any two litre bottle will do, I would like to try a 3litre, but I haven't found one yet. You must punch about four holes close to the neck, because the tap root will eventually fill up the neck, so you will need some extra drainage. I put the bottles touching in their rows, when they lean over, you know the root is getting long and large, and when the water will not drain from the top, you know you have a big un in there (some of mine have been over a pound). If you think digging up deep rooted parsnips is hard work, just wait until you try to extract a parsnip from a bottle it has grown into like a glove. You could slit the bottle to get the parsnip out, but I like to use them over and over again. I grew three types this summer: Hollow Crown, Trusted and True, and Gladiator F1, but the labels fell off, so I don't know what is what. I think I will stick with Gladiator, because that was the most expensive, that was the one I grew the most of, and I reckon the big ones were Gladiator. I am not saying this is the only way to grow parsnips, but if you are not having much success with them, you might like to try a few bottles next year. Fill up the bottles with the cap on, take them to the place in the garden where you are planting the row, make a hole with a dibber, take off the cap and plonk the bottle in the hole. It's a time consuming way of growing parsnips, I will agree, but you can do it in the green house or shed if the weather's wet, and you can start a bit early, if you keep the bottles indoors for a while - I have racks I have made from old wood to stack them in.



I do the same thing with carrots, I had a bad start to this summer with the slugs eating everything, but I have quite a few bottles going at the moment, and I have just pulled a few and put them in the greenhouse to avoid the frosts, I haven't a clue how they will do in there, but it's worth a finding out. I did get a bottle with over a pound in it this summer, but that's not the usual case, half a pound or so is more like the amount I get from a bottle. Three in each bottle, set at about 120 degrees apart.



I don't know if you will be able to see these photos, it's been a year since I posted my Bags of Vegetables post with pictures, and Skydrive has changed its interface. I won't bother how many hours I have spent on public library computers or how I may have finally solved the problem, but I am sure you will let me know if you can't see them -then will be back to the drawing board for me.