How big is yours?

[dexterdoglancashire]

I'm trying to do successional (?) sowing this year to try to spread out when my veg is ready to eat, as opposed to last year - all sown at once and virtually, eaten at the same time.
However, other people on the lottie site seem to be ahead of me - broad beans (fair enough, Im not growing those), peas, beans, carrots, parsnips, sweetcorn etc.
I sowed them when it said on the packets in the greenhouse, and then hardened them off outside then planted on my lottie, but feel Im at least four weeks behind everyone else!
The only thing that seems to be OK is my tatties!
How big is everyone elses seedlings? How big were they when you planted them out?
Bernie

[shirlthegirl43]

My toms are threatening their first flower trusses (I think), they are around a foot high and were potted into their final pots today as they were not looking so happy in the old ones. Cucumbers are 4 inches high or so with second true leaves and in 5 inch pots today. Brocolli is just appearing but I did cheat and buy 9 plants at the farmer's market yesterday - mine should follow on from that. Sweetcorn is about 4 inches high, was sown outdoors and hasn't been in at all. It will be planted out when it is bigger and I have gotten my beds all sorted out. I have beetroot ready to plant out but nowhere to plant it at the moment. We have 2 buckets of dwarf beans which are growing well and must be about 6 inches high, and another 2 buckets where the shoots appeared overnight. I read on here all the time that stuff planted later usually catches up with earlier planted stuff so I wouldn't worry what other people are doing. Maybe you will get surplus from them and can return the favour if yours is a couple weeks later.

[heebiejeebie]

My early tatties have flower buds on them, but my toms are about 2" high and the peppers have only just germinated! I have successional sowings of broad beans - the first is cropping now. My brassicas are just planted out, about 4 or 5" high and I have sown some more. I'm going to try blanching and freezing any extras if I have a glut.

[TEB]

does last year count as well coz the pea are almost ready and only a little while left for the Jap onions.
Toms are about 2ft with flowers, cuc are 3'6" with babies, aubergines are about 9". sweetcorn are 2', cabbages are about 4 -6 weeks away. Dwarf bean failed completely so resowing. Borlotto and French Runners are about 9" tall. Sumer Kale leaves got eaten as did the caulis. Swiss and Ruby Chard are doing great as is kohl rabi. All in all I have been lucky coz it aint skill

[Paulottie]

Chill out Bernie. your doing fine still six weeks till the longest day. although it has been unusual weather this year and things going fast. I am sure if you were to sow that lot again now there would be pleanty of time. They will have run out before you? we often swap our gluts at the lottie helps extend the seasons.

Anyhow even down here a June frost is, although rare, not unheard of- grown men crying into there beer about their bitten runners etc.

[MrsC]

i don't bother whether every1 else is up2, just go with the flow, they'll come up when they're ready and taste just as good! i try something different each each year in terms of sowing, good luck, just enjoy what you have, i always feel proud of what i have grown, no matter how big or small or how many!

[rustylady]

Doesn't matter how early you start (or how late), things seem to even themselves out. Everything will crop when it is due to. Even if you plan and sow for successional cropping, the weather will often slow down the early sowings and speed up the late ones. All you can do is hope, and have freezer space ready.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi Bernie!

I'd not worry too much, its still very early to be fully planted up, the risk of another frost is still a worry for a few more weeks yet! If another frost comes, then all those who appear to be ahead of you will suddenly find they are a long way behind!

We are a bit further along than you Bernie, but only cos we are a bit further south, we're prepared to take a bit more of a gamble with the weather and I had the week before last off, so spent 6 days working from 9am til 7pm on the plot (fortunately it was in that glorious weather!), and as that was my last hols until the end of June, we had to take the plunge and get planting! Fortunately the weather has been kind to us since then, and we've only lost 5 ghostrider pumpkins (wind damage).

We've tomatoes on the plants in the walk in plastic greenhouse that are now 2" diameter, some of the earlier tomato plants are almost 5' tall, and all of those we've planted into the greenhouse have plenty of flowers on them! We have lots of other tomato plants at various stages of growth inside at the moment, ranging from 12" down to 2", the same with pepper plants, aubergines etc.

Chilli plants range from 4' tall Naga Jolokia that have ripe chillies at 4" length in the plot 1 greenhouse down to some at just a couple of inches that are newly germinated for planting outside!

Sweetcorn, first batch is now 6" high and planted out, the second and third batches are 3" high and 2" high, and are due to be planted out on the plot tomorrow.

Tatties range from 18" down to 6" tall, depending on variety and whether they are in containers at home or on plot2. Peas range from just planted and just showing through to 8" tall, broad beans range from 18" tall and flowering down to just planted into paper pots, to be planted out when they have germinated. French beans range from 8" tall to recently planted that havent yet shown!

First sowings of carrots are doing well, as are all the onion sets and garlic, the seed onions are coming along nicely and the parsnips we pregerminated in loo rolls are going great guns!

Jerusalem Fartichokes are now between 6" and 18" tall, depending on when planted and the type!

Strawbs are flowering well, both in the tubs and hanging baskets in the back garden and in the dedicated bed on plot1. Pumpkins and squashes are doing well, planted out last week, as are the cuces and courgettes.

The brassicas we planted out almost 2 weeks ago are going great guns, we've more in the small plastic greenhouse hardening off ready to plant out in the near future! Swedes are coming along nicely, should be ready to plant out soon, and turnips are showing at seed leaf stage from our first direct sowing!

The Leeks that had self seeded have been transplanted and are doing really well, the ones we planted from seed are still in a seed tray in the greenhouse, and are now about half the size of a pencil, so wont be too long until they are ready to plant out!

Cut and come again salad greens in containers in the back yard are at edible size, had some the other night with some baked trout, very nice! Lettuce on the plot are doing ok, one ready in the greenhouse, others at various stages of growth on the plot.

Only things we seem to be struggling with growing are beetroot and spring onions, apart from some we planted in a seed tray and then transplanted we dont seem to be getting anything growing yet!

[MrsC]

mrs dobby - i'm impressed with what u r growing! maybe off topic 4 this thread, but have never grown pumpkins b4? any advice?

[Scruffy Duffy]

Hi everyone,

Wow, I'm really jealous! We've still not even managed to get our beds finished properly (ran out of soil/compost), so we haven't planted anything yet apart from our tumblers in a hanging basket which seem to be doing rather well if I say so myself.

Please tell me we're not too late for everything as it will break my heart if we are. We've an idea of things we can still so, and I'll be honest and say we're going to have to buy a lot more plugs than I was hoping, but if it gets us off to a good start this year, then we can be a lot more prepared for next.

I shall look forward to getting as much advice from you all as I can.

Scruffy Duffy.

[Mrs Dobby]

Hi mrsc2b, its actually our first year of growing too, tho we have grown pumpklins in the back yard before!

Advice for growing pumpkins, pregerminate the seeds by soaking on wet kitchen roll before planting once they have started to grow. Pot them into 3" pots, pot up to a bigger pot if its still too early to plant out, harden off for a week or so before planting out, and if its windy when you plant them out, then protect them with either a cloche, some fleece or make a mound of earth around the plant to act as a windbreak.

We had an accident with some seeds we were cleaning last Halloween, and ended up with loads of seeds sprouted, so took a gamble on planting them, only 1 survived the winter, but Audrey Too (as she has become known) is now going great in the pumpkin bed on plot1! The other seeds that had germinated we just threw out into one of the beds at trhe side of the house, thinking they were dead, and now we've 27 small (bonus) conneticut field pumpkin plants growing there!

[TEB]

Hi everyone,

Wow, I'm really jealous! We've still not even managed to get our beds finished properly (ran out of soil/compost), so we haven't planted anything yet apart from our tumblers in a hanging basket which seem to be doing rather well if I say so myself.

Please tell me we're not too late for everything as it will break my heart if we are. We've an idea of things we can still so, and I'll be honest and say we're going to have to buy a lot more plugs than I was hoping, but if it gets us off to a good start this year, then we can be a lot more prepared for next.

I shall look forward to getting as much advice from you all as I can.

Scruffy Duffy.

You will be fine because they will catch up. I think that with the weather we are currently having here it put a check on quite a bit especially in the greenhouse with the temp not going much over 20. I have still got loads to sow and fully expect them to catch up.

Good luck

[MrsC]

thanks mrs d!

[nick the grief]

Bit of a personal question DDL

I wouldn't worry, my lottie neighbours planted their spuds about 2 or 3 weeks before me and mine are the same size as theirs now. Most things will catch up . But remember that the advice on the back of seed packets is general and the folks you are comparing with have probably been growing there for several years so will know the local conditions.

Just make a note of everything (seed sown, date planted, date harvested yeild ) in a diary or on a spreadsheet ad you can adjust things from year to year then.

[Scruffy Duffy]

Thanks, that's really reassuring to know. We don't have a greenhouse, so everything will be planted straight out so I'm hoping that we won't see anymore frost, and that the rain we had today doesn't continue. I've always been a bit of a fair weather gardener but I'm sure that will change once we get things in the beds and they start showing their promise.

I'm sure I'll be picking your brains again soon.

Thanks