Sowing and planting techniques

[CharlotteE]

Hi everyone

Has anyone got any tips or advice on sowing and planting techniques?

I work for the magazine and I'm on the lookout for advice that could appear in the April issue. I'll PM you first if we can use your tips Sadly I can't offer any vouchers, just the chance to see your wisdom in print!

Thanks

Charlotte (Editorial Assistant)

[pigletwillie]

Here is one I posted earlier.

[TonyF]

I've got a lot, what things in particular are you looking for?

[Gwen11ian]

If you have the space, sow everything that benefits from early indoor sowing into modules or loo rolls. Plant up large seeds individually and small seeds in groups of two or three to be thinned after germination. There are many benefits; such as not needing to prick-out tiny seedlings, avoiding root disturbance, and a better ability of stopping the spread of dampening-off.

[CharlotteE]

Hi TonyF - I'm looking for seasonal advice for April, so tips about anything you would usually be sowing or planting that month.

Thanks!

[SlugLobber]

If you're short on money for compost, search out alternatives to either replace it or bulk out. I've successfully been using rotten shavings and manure from my stable - I only remove urine soaked shavings, so after a rotting down period, they're fabulous and nutrient rich when mixed with the manure!

Sorry, a more general tip, but certainly applies to April!

[Gwen11ian]

Sow French beans and Runner beans undercover the first half of the month, depending upon where you live. Sow individually into toilet paper tubes, planting at the recommended depth on the packet but using the full tube length to encourage good root growth. If you're sowing more than one variety you can label the outside top of individual tubes with black permanent marker before you fill them with seed compost, even when damp the writing will still be clear.

[krazy_krok]

To clear the coach grass on my new alloment i marked out the area i wanted for my bed with pegs and string and put a thick layer of horse manure on top as a mulch. I've then covered it with weed membrane, ill plant pumkins and squash straight through by cutting planting holes. Over time the worms will incorporate the manure with the soil and the membrane will block out the light killing off the coach grass

[Flobalob]

After seeing so much being grown in coconut coir in Thailand over the years, i'm going to give it a go.
Have no idea if there are any advantages. For a trial run i shall try a few lettuce/Tomatoe/cucumber seeds.

[Eyren]

If you're like me and like to grow lots of different varieties of your favourite veg, don't forget to label them! An empty plastic milk carton can be cut up to make several labels - write on them with a CD-labelling pen, so the writing doesn't wash off when you water the seedlings!

[Finedon.Dandy]

After lots of failed attempts at getting sweetcorn to germinate I folded a length of around 7/8 sheets of kitchen paper in half lengthways. I then started to roll it up, putting a seed in every half sheet or so, so it sits halfway up the roll. Ease the roll into an old glass of a similar size of your finished roll so that it stands up and is snug to the glass sides. Then water just enough so that the kitchen paper takes up the water but the seeds are not submeged. Its then a simple operation to plant the seeds once a good root is showing from 50% of them and I found even the ones that hadnt put out a root still went on to complete germination from then anyway. I acheived 100% germination with this method.

[gojiberry]

If you are growing yard long beans they need a bit of extra TLC as they won't cope very well with a check in growing due to cool damp weather.

Ian

[Moon Grower]

Take a quick look at my gardening blog site on growing with the moon's cycle In Tune With The Moon you are welcome to use any of the tips or PM me for more info

[zazen999]

I like that Tammy - I'm gonna use that method this year.