Are early sowing's worth it?

[Miss Mousetrousers]

I tend to sow in April or even May as later plants seem to catch up with earlier sowings and tend to grow stronger.

[Chris11]

My earliest sowings are usually the oldest seeds, the ones that might take longer or not even germinate.

That way it's a bonus if they do, and I've still got time for others if they don't.

[bramble]

Its always worth sowing early if you can provide the conditions the plants need to grow healthy.
Its not only about the heat but the light levels play a big part in the plants development as well.

[fon]

Update...

The tomato plants all stalled with the colder conditions, so seeds planted in January and in March and now all the same size plant..So not worth seeding early.

However...

My Cucumber plant, seeded on January the 1st, is now over 6 feet tall!

Its been in the house every night, but its now getting too big to keep dragging in every night, so its now out in the greenhouse for good! Outside temperatures at night are now 10, so hopefully it wont die!

It has had lots of fruit, but all the lower fruit (below 2 feet) has died. Its biggest fruit still developing is probably about an inch long, (but there's lots of them). Iv had to cut off maybe 5 leaves that were turning yellow at the bottom of the plant.

Its too early to safely say yet, but it would appear that an early sowing of cucumber, (if you can give it enough light and heat) is worth it!

Fon

[jackarmy]

They do look good but was it just one plant of each youve grown so early ?.

[the big lebowski]

those plants look good mate ,what sort of set up do you have for growing them ? light i take it ,any pics ? lots of us greenfingered types use a pint or can of alcohol to show the hight of our plants its good to know im in good company

[veggiechicken]

Fon, which varieties did you sow please?

[fon]

Ill update this thread tomorrow or Sunday with pictures and varieties, there all outside in the greenhouse now and its starting to get late.

PS, no artificial light or heat used, The plants were simply dragged in every night and placed next to a south facing window.

Fon

[Penellype]

My January sown Shirley tomatoes now have fruit which are starting to turn red. They were grown under lights until they got too tall, and are now on the sitting room windowsill. The February sown ones treated the same way have some green fruit but nothing anywhere near ripe.
My March sown dwarf beans grown under lights then on the windowsill are producing their first beans this week.
The potatoes I planted in February under cloches are producing edible sized new potatoes in the last week or so.
Worth sowing/planting early? - definitely!

[fon]

Heres the latest photos

Cucumber - Album on Imgur

It was her first night in the green house last night. As you can see its just too big to keep bringing in every night now.

Several of the bottom leaves are turning yellow now, and several cucumbers haven't made the grade and have been removed from the bottom.

It will need to be pinched out at the top soon, so we will have to see how the side shoots do during the summer.

Either ill exhaust the plant way too early, or maybe, just maybe, it will produce lots!

Ill keep you updated.

This variety was Carmen F1 Hybrid.

Fon

[the big lebowski]

looking good mate

[fon]

Cucumbers nearly ready for picking now

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

The top's been pinched out so im letting some side shoots grow now, The plant is at the roof of the greenhouse!

Problem is its full of spider mite, and although I keep on spraying it, its not getting any better!

Fon

[Penellype]

Tomatoes picked today from February sown Balconi red and yellow:

[fon]

Here it is!

Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet

Picked on the 3/6/17

So thats nearly 6 months of nurturing this plant

Now to see how quickly everything else catches up to see if it was worth it or not!

The plant sadly has suffered red spider mite, and has slowed down a lot,

Fon