cell growing for the lotty

[andy_j]

First growing season on the lotty, im starting many of my seeds at home in the greenhouse in cells. So far, i have onions, leeks, parsnips and courgettes.

Is it worth doing it like this....they obviously get a better start but what about transplanting ? Ive only sown one parsnip per cell so i can plant directly out when big enough but what about things like chantennay carrots, beetroot, spring onions, lettuce etc etc....sow in cells or direct sow ?

Your opinions and advice are welcome as always

[Dorothy rouse]

I do a mixture, don't have a proper greenhouse, just a mini plastic one, but this dies help protect seedlings.

In modules at home on windowsill started tomato, pepper, Corriander, chillis.
In plastic thingy, broccoli, broad beans, now transplanted and doing very well on plot. Also Mange tout, doing very well, and another batch now germinating. Mice haven't touched them.
Lettuce,carrot,parsnip, beetroot, spinach, radish, chard, sown directly on plot and now coming up well.

Onions planted as sets, planted directly, coming up well.

Courgettes/ squashes, sown at home in propagator, total disaster, will be planting more.

Also depends what kind of 'wildlife'you have on your plot. We get foxes, mice, rests, pigeons, and squirrels.

I find some things just too fidly to transplant ,like lettuce, beetroot, and prefer to plant directly

[Bren In Pots]

Andy parsnips don't transplant like leeks and courgettes do, you'd be better off sowing them either direct onto the soil or into loo rolls first then planting out as soon as you see germination because otherwise you end up with forked roots that are a tangled mess.

[andy_j]

Andy parsnips don't transplant like leeks and courgettes do, you'd be better off sowing them either direct onto the soil or into loo rolls first then planting out as soon as you see germination because otherwise you end up with forked roots that are a tangled mess.

Ive sown them singly in smaller cells....40 to a seed tray. Will that be a problem ?

[Bren In Pots]

Andy once those roots hit the bottom of the cell they will fork have a read at this older thread :-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ach_56654.html

[Scarlet]

..and carrots do the same. Parsnip and carrot are probably the only two that I sow direct, all the others get sown in modules. Though as Bren said, you could sow in loo rolls

[RaptorUK]

Ive sown them singly in smaller cells....40 to a seed tray. Will that be a problem ?

Have a read of this thread: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...eds_78578.html

[andy_j]

Ok, i've just filled a seed tray up with cuttings compost and watered. I then managed to cram 36 toilet roll insides on top of the compost, filled them with more seed compost then sown 2 exhibition parsnip seeds per loo rol.

Watered in and placed on a heat hat.

What do you think ?

Edit...i can sow lots more in different ways if needed, you can never have enough Parsnips !!!!!

[Kristen]

I grow about 50 Parsnips in tubes made from Newspaper (rolled around an aerosol can) to give me a "pot" a 6"-ish tall. I stand the "pots" in a gravel tray - beware that a 2' square gravel tray, full of newspaper pots, is both heavy and rather unstable to carry!

[Bren In Pots]

Ok, i've just filled a seed tray up with cuttings compost and watered. I then managed to cram 36 toilet roll insides on top of the compost, filled them with more seed compost then sown 2 exhibition parsnip seeds per loo rol.

Watered in and placed on a heat hat.

What do you think ?

Edit...i can sow lots more in different ways if needed, you can never have enough Parsnips !!!!!

Andy that will be fine just keep an eye on them and the minute you see a bit of green poking up plant the whole loo roll in the ground, trying not to leave any of the roll showing because that seems to make the compost in the roll dry out.

[Two_Sheds]

you'll need to transplant those parsnips before the root hits the bottom of the loo roll ...

[alldigging]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSKHHPHlfzk

This is a Charles Dowding video about using modules - Ways to sow seeds and prick out seedlings into module trays, composts you can use.

[andy_j]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSKHHPHlfzk

This is a Charles Dowding video about using modules - Ways to sow seeds and prick out seedlings into module trays, composts you can use.

Thank you for that, however as an ex nurseryman and propagator, i find some of the stuff in that video quite baffling....eg why would you mix cow manure with compost when pricking out delicate seedlings. Also, why water before pricking out ? before seed sowing yes but surely not before pricking out !!!
I also thought that module of 60 plugs was way too small. Most of those plants will require potting on again in a few weeks. I'd be looking at putting tomato seedlings straight into a 3 1/2" pot and the bedding into 15 cells (15 to a standard seed tray)

Just my humble opinion !!!!

[Kristen]

as an ex nurseryman and propagator, i find some of the stuff in that video quite baffling

I agree

why would you mix cow manure with compost when pricking out delicate seedlings

Two years old he said, so well rotted, but I don't see what it adds over just using MPC. More water retention I expect (not necessarily a good thing) and almost certainly some weed seeds I reckon

why water before pricking out?

I let my seedlings get quite dry before pricking out - much easier to separate the roots and "knock" the seed compost off them.

I also thought that module of 60 plugs was way too small

I use those plug-trays I used to prick out direct to 3" or 9cm pots, but I found my losses were quite high. I put that down to watering them all "the same" and some of the [slower growing] plants then having too much water. So now I prick out to small modules (about 1" square), and then potting on to 9cm later. Yes its more work potting on, but i fixed the "over" watering problem for me, and also means I need less bench-space in the early stages (that helps me as I use supplemental lighting, so I can get more seedlings under the lights [than if I used 9cm pots]. However, things like Tomatoes (that grow quickly) I do price out direct to 9cm pots.

[Kristen]

And another thing!!

He compressed the compost down far too much. I like my seedlings to be in really fluffy compost. I light press each module-cell but only to make sure there isn't an air-gap in it.