I suspect i'm not alone....but surely a top tip is to try and use only half a seed packet, in the event that none germinate, you will have a second opportunity whether that's for warmer climate/more light or just better soil/correct moisture levels.
Learnincurve, I'm not fussy, just impatient to watch something germinate so shall have to look at onion seeds
Looks like a little debate has sprung up! Appreciate all the advice. I'm in Northampton, weather is sort of middle of the road mild-ish. I must admit my seed germination last year consisted of making my dining table home to many, many seed trays. I do keep my heating on 24/7 (I can't stand the cold). But no special lighting or heating, so considering my basic set up, I will probably hold off until mid-Feb!
Saying that, I've got so many Verbena seeds that I'll probably just use a few as per UpNorth and plant them in the coming weeks as per Purplerain. Shall try to post the outcome in the Summer (good or bad!). Otherwise shall keep myself busy with my other intended project - building a DIY coldframe - I'm a novice so wish me luck!
I sow mine in rice/yogurt pots, that way you can sow 100 different types and have 30 of each rather than 100 plants of only 30 varieties. Does that sound double dutch?
Make a note in a book of when you sow what, that way, if it doesn’t work for you it can be adjusted next year.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Love the recycling. Using 40 module trays, i have typically done 20 of one variety and 20 of another. Albeit this is also the benefit of the heated propagator, the trays are tiny, so four variety growing in one small propagator.
If anyone is interested....(the product is a 'Garland' 'Fab 4'). not sure about forum rules about links to products but basically amazon have this at very conveniently just over £20 (so free delivery)...it works for me....note this is a cheap one, doesn't have a thermostat, so lap of the gods regards exactly what temps but you can be sure it's above ambient. they seem to do a '7' which might suit window cills better. decent product, feels like it will last...although i did learn that if you're going early with heat, you need the light as well.
Pretty sure that links to products are ok as long as you're not gaining financially and have no commercial interest in them.
For me, it's not getting my seedlings going that's the issue ... it's finding somewhere light enough and frostfree to keep them when they've all been potted on and are growing away .... they can get quite big between now and mid May!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In terms of early starts a lot depends on what you are growing. Hardy annuals & perennials will germinate & grow at surprisingly low temperatures without supplementary heat. I could not agree more with Dove though the bigger problem is having somewhere to move them onto if conditions are not right to plant out. The experts will all say that keeping plants "moving on " i.e. pricking out potting on planting out in good time to minimise disturbance is the best way to go. On our Allotments I so often see people putting out tomato plants that are thin leggy & half starved because they have been held in too small a pot waiting for the late frosts to pass. These plants never perform as well as ones that are just ready & go out before they are pot bound.
I know because some of them have been mine in the past when I have been too eager & started too early.
That’s a very good point Dove, those dear little baby seedlings have a habit of growing and by May you’ve could be trying to house a number of 4/5” pots of plants, some of which you’ll have a job to stop flowering, ( seems such a shame to pick off the flower buds) so by the time you plant them out you’ve only got a month or so’s benefit from them.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
I've already started some off , depends what your sowing in my opinion. I sown some what need a long season to flower - geraniums ( pelargoniums ) - Cobea scandens . I've also started some perennials cause I am greedy and want flowers this year - Agastache Golden Jubilee - cephalaria gigantea and some other odd ones like cyclamen. I am sown some Rhodochiton ( purple bell vine ) first time growing these. I started off some verbena bedding plants as well , they seem to take for ever to grow for me. Everything in a little propagator on the windowsill, harder stuff will be moved into the greenhouse when they get large enough.
I would personally start Verbena B off now if you wanted to or Feb, Echinecea - Marigold mid March and sunflower in April. I made a list a few years back for sowing time what works for me in my area, I make adjustment every year for what does and doesn't work.
There no point starting plants off early though if you haven't got anywhere to put them until the weather gets better.
That's exactly what me & Dove were saying. It depends on your circumstances and what you are trying to achieve. The other thing you can NOT be sure of is the weather in any particular year. Think back to just April 2017! we had hard frost after Easter though we had had a really mild early spring. A lot of things that were very advanced took a real check.
Posts
I suspect i'm not alone....but surely a top tip is to try and use only half a seed packet, in the event that none germinate, you will have a second opportunity whether that's for warmer climate/more light or just better soil/correct moisture levels.
Learnincurve, I'm not fussy, just impatient to watch something germinate so shall to look at onion seeds
Looks like a little debate has been
Learnincurve, I'm not fussy, just impatient to watch something germinate so shall have to look at onion seeds
Looks like a little debate has sprung up! Appreciate all the advice. I'm in Northampton, weather is sort of middle of the road mild-ish. I must admit my seed germination last year consisted of making my dining table home to many, many seed trays. I do keep my heating on 24/7 (I can't stand the cold). But no special lighting or heating, so considering my basic set up, I will probably hold off until mid-Feb!
Saying that, I've got so many Verbena seeds that I'll probably just use a few as per UpNorth and plant them in the coming weeks as per Purplerain. Shall try to post the outcome in the Summer (good or bad!). Otherwise shall keep myself busy with my other intended project - building a DIY coldframe - I'm a novice so wish me luck!
I sow mine in rice/yogurt pots, that way you can sow 100 different types and have 30 of each rather than 100 plants of only 30 varieties. Does that sound double dutch?
Make a note in a book of when you sow what, that way, if it doesn’t work for you it can be adjusted next year.
Love the recycling. Using 40 module trays, i have typically done 20 of one variety and 20 of another. Albeit this is also the benefit of the heated propagator, the trays are tiny, so four variety growing in one small propagator.
If anyone is interested....(the product is a 'Garland' 'Fab 4'). not sure about forum rules about links to products but basically amazon have this at very conveniently just over £20 (so free delivery)...it works for me....note this is a cheap one, doesn't have a thermostat, so lap of the gods regards exactly what temps but you can be sure it's above ambient. they seem to do a '7' which might suit window cills better. decent product, feels like it will last...although i did learn that if you're going early with heat, you need the light as well.
Pretty sure that links to products are ok as long as you're not gaining financially and have no commercial interest in them.
For me, it's not getting my seedlings going that's the issue ... it's finding somewhere light enough and frostfree to keep them when they've all been potted on and are growing away .... they can get quite big between now and mid May!!!
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
In terms of early starts a lot depends on what you are growing. Hardy annuals & perennials will germinate & grow at surprisingly low temperatures without supplementary heat. I could not agree more with Dove though the bigger problem is having somewhere to move them onto if conditions are not right to plant out. The experts will all say that keeping plants "moving on " i.e. pricking out potting on planting out in good time to minimise disturbance is the best way to go. On our Allotments I so often see people putting out tomato plants that are thin leggy & half starved because they have been held in too small a pot waiting for the late frosts to pass. These plants never perform as well as ones that are just ready & go out before they are pot bound.
I know because some of them have been mine in the past when I have been too eager & started too early.
That’s a very good point Dove, those dear little baby seedlings have a habit of growing and by May you’ve could be trying to house a number of 4/5” pots of plants, some of which you’ll have a job to stop flowering, ( seems such a shame to pick off the flower buds) so by the time you plant them out you’ve only got a month or so’s benefit from them.
I've already started some off
, depends what your sowing in my opinion. I sown some what need a long season to flower - geraniums ( pelargoniums ) - Cobea scandens . I've also started some perennials cause I am greedy and want flowers this year - Agastache Golden Jubilee - cephalaria gigantea and some other odd ones like cyclamen. I am sown some Rhodochiton ( purple bell vine ) first time growing these. I started off some verbena bedding plants as well , they seem to take for ever to grow for me. Everything in a little propagator on the windowsill, harder stuff will be moved into the greenhouse when they get large enough.
I would personally start Verbena B off now if you wanted to or Feb, Echinecea - Marigold mid March and sunflower in April. I made a list a few years back for sowing time what works for me in my area, I make adjustment every year for what does and doesn't work.
There no point starting plants off early though if you haven't got anywhere to put them until the weather gets better.
That's exactly what me & Dove were saying. It depends on your circumstances and what you are trying to achieve. The other thing you can NOT be sure of is the weather in any particular year. Think back to just April 2017! we had hard frost after Easter though we had had a really mild early spring. A lot of things that were very advanced took a real check.
Last edited: 19 January 2018 11:18:15