panicking

[yellow strawberry]

i am new to the veg growing thing and haven't started sowing seeds yet,,don't know if i am leaving it too late or just getting itchy finger and going a bit ahead of myself

we have a green house at the lotty but we cant get there every day to water so not sure if we can use it to plant seeds in,,,got a few plastic greenhouses at home but not sure if it warm enough yet to use them

is there anything that i really should be planting or am i ok hanging fire for a little while longer ,,also if there any benefit of planting in pots first or am i better just planting in the ground

[Capsid]

You need to be more specific about what you want to grow as the sowing dates and conditions vary for each plant.

You can be thinking of sowing tomatoes, melons, aubergines, chillis, peppers for the greenhouse, but they will need heat for germination, so a sunny windowsill is recommended. Then you can transfer to a greenhouse.

[yellow strawberry]

it might be easier to say what I'm not growing

doing broc ,,purple and green
beans,peas ,kale ,cabbage ,cauli
squash
carrots ,onions ,,beetroot ,spinach,,pots
toms ,,salad leaves ,,herbs ,chilli,,peppers

i will get my seeds out and write a list of what needs doing when

i don't have many spare windowsill's

[shirlthegirl43]

The back of the seed packet will give an indication of when they should be sown - usually shows indoor (greenhouse) and outdoor sowing times. That is your best guide for first year of growing. Keep notes of what worked, what died etc and you will have an idea of where you can tweak to sow earlier and what you need to leave for later next year.

I have a bit of kitchen worktop which is devoted to tomato and pepper seedlings at this time of year as I don't have a heated greenhouse. Madmax grouches from time to time but understands that if we are to have fresh veggies there has to be a compromise. My brassica seedlings are quite happy in the unheated greenhouse.

[yellow strawberry]

i might bring 1 of my plastic green house into the dining room lol

[Capsid]

The seed packets will provide you with the information about sowing dates and conditions.

However, I tend to sow most seeds in pots or modules and get them established in the greenhouse before planting out. This way you can get better germination rates and reduce damage from pests such as slugs eating your newly emerging seedlings. There are some seeds that don't like being transplanted though, carrots and peas for example. Some can be fussy like beetroot but I have good results by sowing these in modules. In fact any of the large seeded veg such as the brasiccas can be handled individually and sown one seed per module.

I'd try and maximise the use of your greenhouse to grow the seedlings ready for planting out. On your list I would say that only the toms and peppers need a bit of heat for germination but they will probably germinate in your greenhouse if you sow them towards the end of March. You will need to water them regularly, a hot day will dry them out quickly. It's best to water daily really or you could rig up some capillary matting system fed from a water butt(?) to keep them wet over a couple of days.

[yellow strawberry]

thanks for the help,,i will plant the things that need heat at home then wait and do the rest and use our plastic green houses in the garden ,,,a sort out some sort of water system for the green house