Planting calendar advice

scarlkatieee · February 2021

I only started really growing fruit and veg a couple of years ago and with that i only started with tomatoes, strawberries and then built it up to peas, beans, herbs, salad leaves/lettuce, some spring onions and courgettes. This year I’m wanting to plant a lot more but i can’t help but feel behind compared to the gardeners i follow on instagram.

I planted some winter growing peas in autumn last year along with quite a lot of garlic and Ive sown my chillies indoors during the back end of January but i’m just wondering if there’s anything else i should be sowing indoors right now?

Most of the seeds i have say to start more March time, any advice?

Obelixx · February 2021

Have a look at this almanac of when and what - http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/index.htm

It has been compiled by a retired engineer - very organised - who's had two allotments for decades up near Huddersfield. You'd need to adjust times a week or two earlier or later depending on how fast spring arrives in your garden compared to Huddersfield but it's a great guide.

Edited to add he does have greenhouses and cold frames so has the space to grown on seedlings once germinated and that is key. Don't sow too early as seedlings need light and warmth to grow sturdy rather than stretched and it's all too easy to get carried away and run out of space to accommodate babies before weather conditions allow plantlets to go outside in safety.

steephill · February 2021

Sowing too soon is a mistake. You get leggy seedlings which are weaker and then you have the problem of how to grow them on while conditions outside are too hostile. Later sowings for most veg soon catch up anyway.

Exceptions are those things which need a very long season like chillies and sweet peppers but you do need to have the room to give them light and heat for many weeks.

Fairygirl · February 2021

I wouldn't take any notice of what folk on Instagram do.

As @steephill says - later sowings catch up, and if you're in a colder part of the country, you just have to accept that it's a shorter growing season

More problems arise from being impatient and sowing too soon, and most of us have done it at some stage. Sow and grow according to your conditions and climate, and you'll find it easier. It's always a bit frustrating, but you can only your conditions up to a point.

scarlkatieee · February 2021

Thank you for all of your advice! @Obelixx , I’ll definitely have a read of the link you mentioned.

And thank you @steephill and @Fairygirl i think i will take your advice and ignore the people of instagram for a bit so i don’t feel pressured to start seedlings too early and have problems!

Mary370 · February 2021

I'm just itching to get planting.......

Fairygirl · February 2021

A good way of doing it, if you aren't sure of your general growing conditions, is to sow some [taking a note of the date] and then do some a month or so later in the same way. You can then get an idea of what works for you.
Sow small amounts - whether that's in separate little cells, or in seed trays, and then you won't run out of room if everything germinates

Keeping a simple diary of your weather and temps is also useful for getting a feel for what works well in your area. Generally - in colder/wetter areas, the ground takes longer to dry out and warm up. In drier/hotter areas, the ground warms up and dries out more quickly, but with the latter, that can also mean that later on, plants wilt more quickly and need extra watering. The soil type and structure are factors in that too.

Planting calendar advice

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