Scottish growing season

[PJB]

Hello,

I'm new to all this so eh..here goes!!

Despite a sunny past week in Edinburgh, I still feel its awfully cold to plant out seeds. Will I be ok to get started? Don't have anywhere indoors to raise seeds and no greenhouse (many boos!) and am thinking that the already short growing season is going to be very very short if I don't get started soon. Any veg heads out there in tune with the Scottish weather?!?!

PJB

[nick the grief]

Lots PJB some from Waaaay north of Edinburgh. I'll leave the advice to them.

Welcome to the Vine anyway.

[PJB]

Thank you for your welcome Nick.

PJB

[Looloobowers]

Seeds

Hi PJB,

Welcome to the grapevine. I'm way south of you but do you not have a windowsill. I have reared all my seeds in ½ seed trays on the kitchen windowsill. I then have one of those mini greenhouses outside which just stands under the window outside, this helps when they are potted on.

[Lesley Jay]

Hi PJB. Welcome to the grapevine. I am sure someone from across the boarder will be able to answer your question soon.

[Pete]

Hi PJB

Welcome! I'm a bit further north in Bonny Dundee, but equally new to all of this

I have not put anything directly in the ground yet except my potatoes - and some of the "older hands" in plots nearby still haven't done that yet.

The forecast looks to be warming up and so I was planning on putting some onions and shallots in this weekend along with some broad bean plants I had previously sown in my rather "well ventilated" greenhouse.

Looking forward to other more experienced replies to your query

[PJB]

Hi Looloobowers,

Thanks for the advice. I know it sounds strange, but I only have two windowsills which get any sort of sunlight at this time of year! Its an very old house and obviously not designed by a budding gardener with such a need. I'll experiment and see what I can get started.

PJB

[PJB]

Thanks Pete,

Sounds like I'll have to wait a wee bit longer then eh? I'm just really keen to get started. I'll get some seeds started on my two sunny windowsills as suggested by Looloobowers and hold my horses a wee while.

PJB

[nick the grief]

Hi Again PJB,

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...1311#post11311

This might hep you in your situation as well. If the worst comes to the worst you could always hang a couple of flurescent tubes over the seedlings & suppliment the light that way.

[Berr]

PJB,
Welcome. Something of a newbie in this place myself, so it's all GET from the good people of this forum and no GIVE. I'm near Stirling. I've been a keen plantsman for a LONG time but am newish to veg. My problem in connection with answering your question is that I've always been lucky enough to have a greenhouse.But if I didn't I wouldn't be sowing outdoors yet. We get May frosts most years and I once lost all my courgettes and runner beans in the night of the 4th. of June. So, hang on a wee while- they'll catch up. Anytime between now and the beginning of May would be a time to sow on the window ledge. But, listen, get a greenhouse or even a wee polytunnel. Good luck. Don't worry- enjoy yourself!

[Birdie Wife]

Hi there PJB,
I'm one of the handful of Grapes from the far north. I tried planting out a few seeds last weekend, not holding out too much hope but more wishful thing, I suspect. I tried planting out pea seeds under mini cloches and they're coming up (slowly) so I would say,hedge your bets and give it a go, but only with successional crops like salads, beetroot etc. There's still time to plant tomato/courgette seeds outside (I'm waiting for May to do this) and while our scottish season might be brief, it can be intense. In the middle of the summer we get daylight from 3.30am to 11pm!

[JennieAtkinson]

Hi PJB - welcome to this wonderful site! Hope you find it as useful as I have.

I am the furthest north (I think!), and my growing experience and seasons will be different from the mainland. I have only managed to get some potatoes in the ground in a previously used bed, but others still chitting. I grow alot in a polytunnel, can't grow much outside, and so far I have sowed runner beans, lettuce, carrots and garlic. I normally wait until May usually. One year I didn't start until end of May due to a holiday and had great success. One thing we do have is longer daylight hours, so perhaps we gain that way.

Windowsills ? - yes I have a problem with windowsills living in a very old Scottish Manse with thick walls. They just go leggy and I have to keep a real eye on them.

Good luck!

Jennie

[sewer rat]

Hi PJB and welcome. I'm in Easter Ross and have the luxury of a greenhouse and a fairly sheltered garden. All I have in the ground at the mo' are my maincrop tatties (Rooster and British Queen), shallots and onions (under a plastic cloche) and garlic. Have loads in greenhouse - mostly sown in the last week. Am planning on sowing more veg under fleece this weekend as I get May Day off work - only bank holiday we do get at my work . But as usual, all dependent on the weather.

[eskymo]

Hi there

I've just got a plastic walk-in greenhouse which is doing great, but before that I used to have two 4 tier plastic growhouses that I got in B&Q. I used to live in Newhaven in Edinburgh and luckily had a ground floor flat so had access to the garden just outseide my windows.

The season was very short especially as our bit of the shared garden only got direct sunlight after 3pm. But I still managed to grow loads of salads [less prone to bolt in shady cooler conditions], courgettes, herbs, french beans, carrots and radishes. I also managed to grow a load of tomatoes in one of those lonf planters on top of a table - I made cloche from plastic sheeting and covered them in that until they were strong enough to expose to the elements and I got a bumper crop...never had such a success since.

My best tool was lots of clear plastic sheeting - I used it to heat the ground up at about this time of year, and then made mini polytunnels out of it. I also used it to cover my seeds trays until things sprouted. I also used a lot of plastic bottles cut in half as mini cloches.

Our back garden plot was only 1 meter wide by 3-4 meters long but it was great to grow veg in it. I've attached some pictures of it:

[Jaxom]

Eskymo. Thanks for posting your photos. It is always good to see how much people can grow in a small area.
Allotments are very nice, but give me a garden every time. A handy loo and access to the kettle is nice too
Jax