I personally wouldnt use home made compost for sowing seeds, the purchased stuff it sterilised, for small seeds and veg I use seed compost. I only water seedlings with tap water, not from the water butt, with the bacteria You dont need to cover trays with cling film. If I were you, starting out, get some annuals on the go, learn what works what doesnt, remember, germination rate is an average of 80%, you might not get anything. I have been gardening 60 years (OMG!!) I dont know everything, I get ttought a lot on here . Now, heres my confession, I sowed some Chard Bright Lights, nothing germinated, I have quite a few of these mini propogators with lids, that start off on my kitchen windowsill, nothing came up, so I sowed cornflowers, and guess what all the chard has come up!! There is a couple of cornflowers in there, but I guess they couldnt compete
I actually have some annuals on the go, but it seems something has been eating the leaves, I have attached a pic, any ideas on what to do? Are these flowers as good as dead now?
@Busy-Lizzie thank you. I did actually see that on the packet but I thought maybe I'd just get less out of them, in terms of time, fingers crossed 😊
They need to be potted on into bigger individual pots. Ease them out gently, holding them by the leaves and lower them into new pots with new compost into a planting hole that you make with your finger or a dibber or a pencil. Press the compost gently around them and water them. Chuck out any slugs.
They look like hollyhock seedlings. Most are biennial, which means you sow them this year and grow them on then you plant them to flower next year. Two year process, but they are lovely, big impressive plants.
Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
When you say individual pots, does each cell go into an individual pot (which maybe more than one plant), or does each plant have to be seperated so that it is one per pot?
@Busy-Lizzie do you think theyre big enough to move into pots now?
Also about the biennials, I have some sweet william seeds which I think are biennials, I've not sown them yet though, I feel like I'm spinning plates with the few that I have done to be honest 😂
Posts
I actually have some annuals on the go, but it seems something has been eating the leaves, I have attached a pic, any ideas on what to do? Are these flowers as good as dead now?
@Busy-Lizzie thank you. I did actually see that on the packet but I thought maybe I'd just get less out of them, in terms of time, fingers crossed 😊
They look like hollyhock seedlings. Most are biennial, which means you sow them this year and grow them on then you plant them to flower next year. Two year process, but they are lovely, big impressive plants.
They are actually called Malva, they flower into a purple cover.
I also have some Marigolds which are coming along nicely.
@Busy-Lizzie thank you 😊
When you say individual pots, does each cell go into an individual pot (which maybe more than one plant), or does each plant have to be seperated so that it is one per pot?
Thank you.
Also about the biennials, I have some sweet william seeds which I think are biennials, I've not sown them yet though, I feel like I'm spinning plates with the few that I have done to be honest 😂
Sweet Williams are lovely, easy to grow. Sow now and you will have pretty flowers next year.