Guess in which bed I sowed parsnip seeds… Quite right (the two green rows are carrots). According to the information on the seed pack the seeds were best before the end of 2025. Well, I thoroughly agree with that – I’d just like to add that MUCH before that date (actually before 2023). The information carefully omitted mentioning when the seeds had been collected. Where can one find an honest seed seller who admits that parsnip seeds are decently viable for one year only – and sells only fresh seeds?
All in all, the first part of this growing season hasn’t been an easy one: night frosts still in June, generally cold nights and either sweltering hot days (+28) or torrential rains (+12). Where are the old summers with +22 days and +16 nights? The days BCC…
Due to the (necessarily) late planting out, the courgettes and the squashes are behind the normal schedule
and the sweet corn is practically a non-starter but the veg patch has recovered/adapted well enough and looks almost normal. The experimentally sown choy sum has been munched to lace by flea beetles – perfectly normal; all sown Brassicas always are.
The outdoor tomatoes have survived better than we expected
All the indoor ones are planted in Strelka and seem to enjoy it.
Peppers and cucumbers + gherkins are in the smaller greenhouses.
In a corner of Strelka there is something we really didn’t expect to see so abundantly in our garden. It’s a Beta so the grapes are supposed to turn purplish – we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Yes, it’s summer – in sunny days you can see a lot of butterflies from Poplar admirals to Heath fritillaries
This week we found a 3 kg burbot in our fish trap (it made a lovely stew)
and in the forest pond downhill a Slavonian grebe is feeding its chick – the white dots in the photo are mosquitoes that we were (involuntarily) feeding.
So why do I bother to rant? Firstly, I don’t like to be cheated, and secondly, in recipes parsnips are very seldom interchangeable with tomatoes and grapes – I need them all…
Northbynorth 
I had been wondering how you were getting on. Your BCC summers sound pretty ideal. After our initial heatwave we’re back to our ‘normal’ 16° summer, but with rain every day, and the usual summer gale passed through yesterday.
It’s also a pet peeve of mine that seed sellers don’t put the year that the actual seed is from. It’s a pity that seed saving from parsnips is not really an option in your climate. We’re mainly letting them self seed now. What are you going to grow in the empty space?
The grapevine is looking very good, such big grapes already! I also really like the look of the Strelka.
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As choy sum doesn’t seem to be a realistic option we are planning to have more of yellow beetroot; we use quite a lot of it.
Strelka is really handy for tall plants so we have the indeterminate tomatoes, melons and grapevines there. The cucumbers and gherkins are in the shadier greenhouses.
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The seed situation is so frustrating, it drives me mad when money and time are wasted on seed that isn’t viable, it must be particularly hard for you when the growing season is so short. Shall I send you fresh parsnip seed, we will have enough for several (hundred) gardens? Those grapes are amazing!
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If you have an excess of parsnip seeds for the next year I’d be grateful I’d be delighted to get them! We have a few interesting tomato varieties you might like to try next year – and (of course) squashes…
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Sounds like a deal to me! 😉 I’ve been looking for a supplier of Dwarf Arctic Rose here but so far, no luck ~ maybe later in the year or into next year, I’ll keep searching.
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