is anybody NOT sowing at the moment?

[Birdie Wife]

According to the Met Office today is the first day of spring, I thought it was the 21st March but maybe the Met do it on climate bands rather than astrologically. I've sown a few things, but only what I wouldn't be too unhappy about losing or those things which are hardy enough to survive overwinter - broad beans, jap onion sets, garlic. Have a few onion seedlings in the coldframe and by the windowsill. Can't be too careful up here!

[greenlung]

Hi - Down here in Bristol, the soil's quite warm and I've already sown peas, parsnips, spinach, rocket and broad beans at my allotment...still waiting a bit for potatoes though. At home, every warmish spot has a seed tray with some or other flower or vegetable seed in it, popped into a freezer bag.

It actually feels really good to be sitting down ; )

[Mrs Dobby]

Our soil on plot No1 is now in really good condition, warm, fairly dry and easily workable, so today we've risked planting up on the plot a couple of small (4') rows of 4 types of carrot and a couple or rows of parsnip (2 varieties) in the hopes that they will give us an early crop! If we loose them, then we will learn from it and curb our enthusiasm next year, but its worth taking a risk with a few seeds with the weather being sooo good!

One of the older and more experienced plotholders even has his early spuds in!

We are definitely still experimenting as its our first year with a plot, but with any luck we may just get an early drop or two, to add to the overwintering garlic, onions, strawbs and the bit of salad we are catch cropping in the greenhouse at the moment!

Other than that we've a few onions, lots of leeks, a few carrot and some banana shallot in seed trays / loo rolls that have just been moved into the unheated greenhouse, and lots of chillis, tomatos and other assorted seedlings taking up every available south facing windowsill in the house!

Hoping to be able to plant up a couple of planters with cut and come again salad leaf soon too, and possibly some herbs too, that way we will have plenty to harvest once the radish and spring onions get ready to eat!

[sewer rat]

All I have sown so far is 300 peppers (Apache, Cheyenne and Scotch Bonnet) which like Wizer's are not yet at the first true leaf stage and PW's Humberstone shallots. The shallots are now in the greenhouse and the peppers are in cells on the kitchen windowsills.
Will be starting to sow more in about ten days time hopefully.

[Sue]

Rat
You must have very large kitchen windowsills - 300 pepper plants!
Gosh
Sue

[sewer rat]

Still have more to sow Sue, but they'll have to wait. When I say windowsills, I actually mean windowsills and the worktops under them. I also had PW's shallots there too and when they were moved out to the greenhouse, I was going to fill their space with more peppers but OH put both feet down and said, in the way that only a Belfast Girl can, "Not on your Feckin' Life" - so although she's only 5'4" and I'm 6'2", I know when to back down - she scares me

[Hazel at the Hill]

Any chance of you setting up a bit of a blog, SR? I know how interested I am in your progress with this new venture of yours, and I bet I'm not the only nosey whatsit!

Either that or your own dedicated thread to post your piccies on!?

[denise]

I sowed my first seeds yesterday, the frogs were busy spawing out in the back garden pond, so i thought must be Spring. I have sown B. beans, peas, beetroot, leeks and lots of different herbs and my big jim Chillies, all in my little back bedroom with the radiator on low. I have my potatoes in the other bedroom with no heat on.
I was going to direct sow B. beans yesterday, which if I had been able to I thnk would have help me hold back a tiny bit longer on the other stuff, but the ground was so soggy, bettter for rice than beans, so I did them indoors instead.
I think I've been patient to wait this long.

[Hazel at the Hill]

No, sorry Rat, not a thread because it is a business and it would be advertising.

Sorry LJ, didn't think.

[rustylady]

I'm still waiting, I've got a horrible feeling that we're due a really hard frost. Won't be long though , I've got itchy fingers

[sewer rat]

Will have a website set up hopefully by end of April. Will have a section on the genesis of the business there. Will piost piccies as I go along.
Don't wanna get involved in a blog - too much work (got enough already ) and don't want a dedicated thread. Just keep looking at the what I did today thread.
LJ - As if I would dare to cross you !!!!

[milliebecks]

What a rollercoaster - I've just read the attached thread and felt reassured, disappointed and a bit dumb - all at once. Just goes to show that we all learn best from trial and error.
I've got broad beans about 5 in high, now 'naked' on the lottie, and have just sown another short row under a cloche. I've also sown 2 short rows of parsnips with radish/oriental salad leaves catch crops. Some all year lettuce and coriander also sown under a bell cloche, straight into the ground.
Looking forward to getting my shallots, onions and spring garlic in too - if it ever arrives from T&M - although I did shove in some asian shallots that had sprouted in my fridge.
Maybe I'll have to start all over again - but who cares? It's still fun ....

[ugly gourd]

I'm still waiting, I've got a horrible feeling that we're due a really hard frost. Won't be long though , I've got itchy fingers

Im with you rusty lady I just stand back and watch the rest of them rushing around planting everything

[shirlthegirl43]

I forgot - I have a pot of broad beans 'the sutton' planted tail end of last year - completely in flower but not sure when they will set pods. Do they need insects to pollinate them? Sorry if that is a dumb question but I have never grown a broad bean before.

[berksmike]

I'm trying to live off my vegetable garden as much as possible this year so I've tried to extend my season as much as possible.
I want to get two or three croppings on certain parts of my plot so I got out mid winter putting up cloches and putting down fleece.

I have done a lot of sowing and some planting out and everything seems to be going to plan (mostly).

I think you can do a lot of early sowing/planting of quite a few crops but you need to put the effort in early!

I'm sure not everyone is gonna agree but the itchy green fingers are very difficult to ignore!!!

Mike