Is it time to start ????

[Farmer_Gyles]

it's new year, and i'm reading threads about people sowing onions, leeks, tomatoes, spuds etc ....... well i was hoping to take it easy for a few more weeks .... ho hum!

so .....
is it time to buy the seed potatoes and start chitting?
i've got some seeds that can be sown in feb, including tomatoes - could i (or should i) start sowing some early??
anything else i can / should start earlier than it says on the packet?

[Two_Sheds]

anything else i can / should start earlier than it says on the packet?

Why do they bother putting sowing dates on packets? None of you's ever reads them!


put some onion seed in a tray if you're desperate

[FionaH]

I am new to this so I'm going to leave the early sowing and experimenting to folks with more experience. I am going to go by the dates on the packets this year miimise the stuff up factor if I can

[BrideXIII]

well i do a bit of experimenting, but mostly stick to planting times, its just a few seeds out of a packet, leaving plenty for 'proper' planting later.

as lots of my seeds are self collected its a bit hard to know when you are supposed to plant them anyway, so its fun finding out.

i have a pot outside FULL of beautiful fronds from some seeds i grabbed from someones garden, no idea what it is yet, but its been doing fine despite being germinated in october *shrug*

i kinda go by, when a plant sets seed, that must be the time it gets spread and into the ground.

[NSB]

Thought youd left the forum... havent read any of your messages for ages

[Flummery]

REALLY go by the packet instructions. Very rarely worth having lengthened, weakened, etiolated plants when with a few more weeks with your feet up you can have good, short, strong ones. My theory and I'm sticking to it!

[gemlady]

Learned my lesson last year! Seeds planted too early + not enough light = lanky seedlings. Have seen the error of my ways and will have a few more weeks with my feet up

[kittykat8]

A few of us are just impatient down our allotment, especially the ones with tunnels, one old market gardener he is 80, is putting runner beans down the centre of his tunnel today and covering with plastice and fleece, I am off to put some in I always copy the the more experienced. as he says its just a few seeds if you have some . he always has early runner beans, but he usually waits till february.

if anyone has a tunnel in cornwall and devon , carrots are growing, seed potatoes, onion , leeks, peas and cabbage seeds under a plastic top iin tunnel, the temp was 50 todays ago about 6 outside, but the sun was shinning.













marion

[zazen999]

Learned my lesson last year, sowed russian toms [those that germinate and grow under colder conditions] on 8th Jan and had red toms to harvest on 8th June; so the lesson was sow a few and look after only a few and you might just get an early harvest.

[Flummery]

Ah but I find the russian type toms singularly tasteless.

[Snadger]

I have a good reason for 'progressive sowing'..............I only have one heated propagator.

The propagator is filled with various seeds........as one lot germinates it's given a few days to malke sure ALL seeds have germinated then moved into an unheated windowsill propagator, making rooom for the next seeds to germinate ad infinitum!

If I was to grow strictly by the 'proper' sowing times I would need to buy another heated propagator!

[zazen999]

Ah but I find the russian type toms singularly tasteless.

Mine are Aurora not Sub Arctic Plenty.

They were lovely.

[jacob marley]

Well i think a lot of people are wasting time and seed's ,compost , and the people's time in growing the seed crop's .
in a few week's time there will picture's of spindly plant's and plea's for how to save them .
Andrea sow's by the moon well i sow by the sun ie-the Vernal Equinox which come's this year on the 20 march so if you sow the last 2 week's of febuary you will not be far out the seed's will be up and growing by the equinox and in the extra daylight .
Well that's my advice on the subject and it work's for me other method's work for other people ...jacob

[zazen999]

It's not MY sow by the moon...I'm just doing trials to see if it works. It does seem to at the moment.

[Two_Sheds]

Well i think a lot of people are wasting time and seed's ,compost , and the people's time in growing the seed crop's .
in a few week's time there will picture's of spindly plant's and plea's for how to save them .

Yup!
Happens every year

"I planted this pumpkin in December, why is it dead?"