What plants have you started sowing so far, or are preparing to?
I'm doing catch up with sweet peas atm - though early spring may be better than an autumn sowing, according to last years tv garden experiment.
|
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Still cold out! Keep em potted indoors?"
Depending on what you're growing, most will benefit from some warmth to germinate. And for aftercare. 15-25 is probably the temperature I germinate most plants at.
Obviously most plants will need high light levels, to prevent them becoming weak and leggy - I don't want competition!
3 packs of seeds for the price of 2 in Wilko atm.
Timing is everything, as grown too late some plants find it harder to flower and crop. Too early and you may be wasting your money. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol. "
It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
 |
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.
Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).
I gave up on that idea. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I've started tomatoes, French beans and just finished moving the baby strawberry plants into place. Next couple of weeks I'll probably start celery, potatoes. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.
Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).
I gave up on that idea."
I'd encourage you to try vegetables that aren't brassicas, as these are particularly vulnerable to caterpillars.
Maybe salad crops or dwarf tomatoes? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"I've started tomatoes, French beans and just finished moving the baby strawberry plants into place. Next couple of weeks I'll probably start celery, potatoes."
Were your strawberries from seed? I grew alpine strawberries that way when I was a kid. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
No. The chap on the allotment next to mine gave me a few baby plants last year and, they went crazy over autumn and winter, so now there's hundreds all over the place.
They throw out little runners, a bit like a spider plant, and just spread everywhere. It's taken ages to dig them all up and plant them where I want them.
Alpine strawberries are lovely, but so tiny! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
It's definitely good to keep replenishing your strawberry plants, and they're prolific setters or runners. 3 years is a suggested lifetime per plant for cropping. Alpine strawberries are tasty and have a much longer season - but so teeny! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
ive just planted peppers and two different chillis plus basil, parsley and chives and if they grow they will be my return to gardening after many years and i have one bonsai tree and attemtping to grow more as i heard it will help make the oxygen i breathe in my home cleaner and with my disability every little bit helps. wish me luck |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
Good lick instillers!
Even spider plants will make a significant improvement to your home air.
There are so many toxic chemicals in homes now that it pays to have cleaner air. I don't use air fresheners as I view them as a bad choice for health. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I'm planning on planting mostly herbs this year and get rid of a lot of shrubs. The only issue is that I'm a hideous and lazy gardener, thankfully Nell isn't. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.
Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).
I gave up on that idea.
I'd encourage you to try vegetables that aren't brassicas, as these are particularly vulnerable to caterpillars.
Maybe salad crops or dwarf tomatoes? "
Those bastard caterpillars really loved the salad but were not fussy. They ate everything. Very quickly. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.
It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity. "
I've got the kitchen roll folded this time.. will take longer to dry out.. they're in a pie dish with a glass lid on. I've got about half a teaspoon of seeds till I get the right technique. Just starting to germinate after 2 days.  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"Good lick instillers!
Even spider plants will make a significant improvement to your home air.
There are so many toxic chemicals in homes now that it pays to have cleaner air. I don't use air fresheners as I view them as a bad choice for health."
Thanks I was thinking of on or two for my bathroom but due to lack of space im waiting till i get my bungalow hopefully i'll have a garden i can get into in my wheelchair so i can plant lots of veg outside im thinking sprouts first and foremost |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.
It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity.
I've got the kitchen roll folded this time.. will take longer to dry out.. they're in a pie dish with a glass lid on. I've got about half a teaspoon of seeds till I get the right technique. Just starting to germinate after 2 days. "
That's nice and quick! Are they perennial? I've not grown them, just know that they're loosely in the same family as mint plants are.
I'm a little behind - I normally bring my Bougainvilleas in by,now, to start the sap rising and encourage growth. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.
It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity.
I've got the kitchen roll folded this time.. will take longer to dry out.. they're in a pie dish with a glass lid on. I've got about half a teaspoon of seeds till I get the right technique. Just starting to germinate after 2 days.
That's nice and quick! Are they perennial? I've not grown them, just know that they're loosely in the same family as mint plants are.
I'm a little behind - I normally bring my Bougainvilleas in by,now, to start the sap rising and encourage growth. "
I'm only growing them so they look like cress then I'm going to eat them like that... I love alfalfa sprouts but haven't got any seeds for that.
Apparently they take about a week or so before you can eat them! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
I take a salad to work everyday, which is why I started growing stuff on an abandoned allotment. Got sick of the same old boring supermarket veg.
Mung beans are great for sprouting. I do a dish of them every couple of weeks or so and just throw a handful in my salad box. Super crunchy and so tasty! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"I take a salad to work everyday, which is why I started growing stuff on an abandoned allotment. Got sick of the same old boring supermarket veg.
Mung beans are great for sprouting. I do a dish of them every couple of weeks or so and just throw a handful in my salad box. Super crunchy and so tasty!"
Are mung beans what we call beansprouts? I'd like to know how you sprout them.. what receptacle you use and what medium? |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
Yes. Beansprouts.
When they are just the bean, they are a little, hard green bean. You can get packs of them in the supermarket.
I wash them, then soak them overnight.
In the morning, drain the water and leave them either on the side or in the fridge.
Everyday I fill the bowl with water again, leave it 5 minutes then pour the water away so they are just damp, with fresh water all the time.
After about three days they split open and put out a teeny little shoot. You can eat them as soon as this happens and every day the shoot gets a little larger. I like them best after about 5 or 6 days. But If you leave them long enough, that's beansprouts.
|
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
"Yes. Beansprouts.
When they are just the bean, they are a little, hard green bean. You can get packs of them in the supermarket.
I wash them, then soak them overnight.
In the morning, drain the water and leave them either on the side or in the fridge.
Everyday I fill the bowl with water again, leave it 5 minutes then pour the water away so they are just damp, with fresh water all the time.
After about three days they split open and put out a teeny little shoot. You can eat them as soon as this happens and every day the shoot gets a little larger. I like them best after about 5 or 6 days. But If you leave them long enough, that's beansprouts.
"
Ooh that sounds quite easy! I'm not green fingered at all! I may have to give them a go.. I love eating sprouting seed shoots.. they're so damn expensive to buy ready grown (alfalfa etc) and can't get them where I live.
Thanks! |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"What plants have you started sowing so far, or are preparing to?
I'm doing catch up with sweet peas atm - though early spring may be better than an autumn sowing, according to last years tv garden experiment.
"
I sowed some sweet peas in Autumn and they're very straggly now so I think that experiment might be right.
I sowed three types of tomato last week indoors and they're all up and getting a bit leggy already. Might be a bit too early  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
No, you should be OK. It's alright for tomatoes to get leggy when they are seedlings. When you repot them, pot them right up to the leaves. They sprout roots out of the stem. I reply mine three times before putting them out. A bigger root base makes for a stronger plant later. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"No, you should be OK. It's alright for tomatoes to get leggy when they are seedlings. When you repot them, pot them right up to the leaves. They sprout roots out of the stem. I reply mine three times before putting them out. A bigger root base makes for a stronger plant later."
Really! I didn't know that, I'll take your advice thank you very much |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"well three weeks down line and my herbs, chillis,and peppers have decided not to show so far so is it too soon or should i plant more seeds?"
try putting some polythene around and over the top of them to create some humidity Are they in pots?
|
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"OK fab gardeners... I've got a polystyrene veg box approximately six inches deep a foot wide and two foot long .. What sort of edible plants could I grow in it "
try some basil or parsley or even lettuce. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"OK fab gardeners... I've got a polystyrene veg box approximately six inches deep a foot wide and two foot long .. What sort of edible plants could I grow in it "
Salad leaves would work, radishes at a pinch, those little round carrots, various herbs. Don't forget to put holes in the bottom |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
"well three weeks down line and my herbs, chillis,and peppers have decided not to show so far so is it too soon or should i plant more seeds?"
I always give extra time for seeds to germinate - especially if they are somewhat cold. I generally cover mine with plastic or use propagated - both these increase humidity and warmth.
Generally, aim to maintain a fairly even temperature and humidity level - as close to the ideal as possible. |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
|
By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago
|
sweet peas went in today - and i have a box of mixed pink things that i will scatter into a couple of tubs tomorrow probably - often grow runner beans purely for the plant itself |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
well went to water my pots of soil today tofind little seedlings everywhere Basil, Nasturtiums, Chow Cabages, carrots AND Tomatoes corrently all just little green seedlings shame cant post pics in forum lol im so proud now  |
Reply privately, Reply in forum +quote
or View forums list | |
» Add a new message to this topic
