pot sowing in orkney or shetland

[Birdie Wife]

Hi Diane,
I think you'd get away with planting early in Orkney as long as your plot is very well sheltered - Orkney tends not to get severe frosts but (granny-eggs) is very windy, and the wind is loaded with salt. I'm not planting my earlies until Good Friday this year. They went in early last year (early March) and got knocked back by frost a couple of times, even the Scottish variety (can't remember which) that is supposed to come back strongly after frosts. Epicure maybe?

[JennieAtkinson]

I don't plant mine until at least mid April, but I do plant the Charlottes in pots at the end of March (they are chitting at the mo) and I leave them in the polytunnel and they only go out sort of mid April.

Like you say Diana, it has been a different winter this year. Certainly we have had alot of snow and very hard frost. The frost is the more unusual and alot has been killed off in the garden. But I do know that Orkney is quite different from Shetland and the North of Scotland and Eday itself seems to be reasonably sheltered. It is certainly always worth having ago - but have some others ready to go in later!