Vegetable Growing Virgin

[Cronnie]

Hello everybody,

You all sound very friendly and I hope I don't sound too stupid but.... I have never grown any vegetables before and am hoping to start planting in my garden plot.
I have bought my seeds and hope to grow - Courgettes, Onions, Peas,Tomatoes, Radishes, Brussels Sprouts, Peppers, Dwarf Beans, Broccoli, Beetroot, Parsnips, Carrots and Potatoes..... deep breath!!

I have a brand spanking new greenhouse and a couple of heated propagators and loads of books. My husband has double dug all my planting sites and we are putting up cloches tomorrow to warm up the ground.

Can anybody tell me what I should put in my propagators etc.to start off as I am chompng at the bit but don't want to start too soon only to kill everything off.

I am looking forward to any replies.

Thank you

A mancunian novice (Cronnie)

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the vine. There are lots of threads on what people are starting to grow now. It is still a bit early but you will learn a lot from sowing a few things and watching what happens. You may get lucky and keep them alive, or you may lose them. Peppers might be okay to sow now - read the packet for a better indication as it depends on the type. Keep a record of what you sow and what happens to it, this will help you hold off planting too early next time. If you only use a couple of seeds then you will have plenty left to sow at the right time. Put your spuds to chit in a cool, bright place, egg boxes are great for stopping them rolling around. Good luck and have fun.

[Cronnie]

Thank you Shirley

[smallblueplanet]

Hi Cronnie, lucky you, you sound all set to go.

There is a thread about what can be started now, I'll see if I can find it. What you start will depend on what you're going to grow and whether you've the resources to grow on any seedlings you start now, as they'll probably need lots of light and heat.

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_12034.html

I might start some aubergines, chillis and pelargoniums in our heated prop tomorrow as I'm losing patience and want to see those ickle seedlings appearing!

Oh and we started our onion seeds about a week ago.

[Cronnie]

Thank you Manda,

Just been on to have a look... seems I'm not alone in being overkeen hey?

[smallblueplanet]

Nope, if you've room and light for some potted on seedlings then doing some chillis and such won't hurt really and it'll fill you with enthusiasm. Save some to sow later on, a few more weeks, and see if they catch up.

[veg4681]

Welcome to the vine. Yes we're a friendly and helpful bunch.

You seem all set to go, know what you're doing with all that prepartion you've undertaken so far.

What to sow? Some people have started sowing tomato, aubergine, sweet pepper, chilli, peas/mangetout, onion, beetroot, leeks for harvesting as baby leeks of finger thickness etc but bear in mind that these are early and to an extent taking a risk. So long you know what you're doing, you should be fine. Check the sowing period on your seed packet but some of us grow them a month or so ahead with the view to looking after them. Follow the forum and you'll learn something new each day especially those threads on the veggies you're growing and of course, feel free to post your queries.

[TPeers]

Welcome to the 'vine Cronnie, I've got a question for you!

Is your greenhouse heated? If it is - and I don't mean just the propagator, but the entire greenhouse such that you are frost safe. You could start some of the brassicas (Brussels, Broccoli) the tomatos and the peas. The tomatos would need your propagator the others will do quite well on the staging. Peas can be sown either into pots or into lengths of guttering - choose an early variety such as early onward they tend to be hardier.

The main thing is to prevent frost and maximise light.

Don't try anything really tender like the courgettes for a month or two yet - winter will still have a say until at least March!

Sounds to me like you know what to do really, enjoy yourself - this is the time of year to plan, the hard work comes later!

Terry