Perishing Parsnips?

Parsnip seed is notorious. You have to use new seed every year because it doesn't keep. Each seed packet has more seed than you could ever use (400-800).  After offering around you find, most likely, that  everyone else has the same problem.

Rather than just throw out the last 3 years' seed I thought I would test them out for viability to see if the received wisdom was really true.

Here's my test beds:

From left to right

2009 - home saved Tender and True
2010 - Hollow Crown
2011 - The Student

50 seeds in each tray on top of moist potting compost sprayed with water every couple of days.

Two weeks later the score:

2009 - 10 germinated seeds

2010 - 28

2011 - 49

That's 98% for this year's seed! So, contrary to popular opinion, parsnip is a very good germinator. Also seed viability would appear to be better than we are led to believe being above 50% a year after the seal on the packet was broken.

In future I wont be throwing out my parsnip seeds each year.  If I use them a year later I will sow 6 seeds at each station rather than three.

Just two activities at the plot this week: picking strawberries and weeding. Guess which one I enjoy more?