Growing from Seed

Growing from Seed

When growing carrots, beetroot, and parsnips from seed, I water until they have germinated and started growing. I continue to water them each evening. They seem to put on a lot of foliage but the roots are small and seem to stop growing. Am I watering them too often?

While it usually pays to sow the seeds of root crops, such as carrots and parsnip, directly into your veggie garden, they can still be raised as seedlings for later transplanting into your garden.
It is of vital importance that the seed is sown into fresh seed raising mix, in containers with sufficient depth to allow for adequate root systems eg: a depth of at least 100mm. Seeds should be distributed on the surface of the seed raising mix and then lightly covered to a depth the same size as the seed. 
The sown seeds should then be lightly watered to initiate germination and regularly watered as they germinate, however be careful to avoid overwatering.
As the seedlings grow they should be thinned out to allow room for the stronger ones to develop. Watering should be adequate to maintain growth while avoiding damping off (ie: the death of young seedlings caused by overcrowding and overwatering). As the seedlings continue to grow they should be hardened off by being placed in successively cooler positions before finally being planted in the veggie garden.

 

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