Just a quick video showing how I "Chit" my parsnip seeds at home early in the season to guarantee germination. It is a bit if a fiddly process but it means you can plant out the sprouted seeds earlier than if sowed outdoors where at this time of the year as the soil is still very cold there's a real risk of the seed rotting before it germinates. And because parsnips and most other root vegetables don't transplant as potted plants due to the tap root length meaning they usually fork if transplanted this is a good way to get the parsnip growing and get a bigger specimen earlier. http://www.allotment-diary.co.uk