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Talkback: Sowing seeds
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It's been my experience that leggy seedling growth is more due to too warm temperatures vs. too little light...if you move them to a cooler spot (a drafty window with sun) you may have better luck...
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my first batch has got brilliant groth
So good luck with your "SAD" lamp for plants.
Gardening Express - I agree that many plants sown too early are less likely to thrive, and certainly plants sown in March will catch up quickly, given better conditions. However I always think it's worth taking the risk of sowing a small amount early on as you never know what the weather will be like. There was no frost where I live last May - just scorching weather, whereas the weather in July and August was miserable. Consequently the tomatoes I sowed in January cropped a lot better than those I sowed in April. Many hardy annuals can be sown now and also indoor-raised members of the solanum family - especially aubergines, which require a long growing season - should be grown early as otherwise summer is over before they have come into flower. I wouldn't advise growing courgettes or pumpkins now, as they will be growing inside for a good three months before they can be planted out, but broad beans are hardy enough and will pretty much grow through anything (in my experience!). As Happymarion says, it's fun to try and not too expensive. What's the worst that could happen?
ChrisG - You could grow asparagus in bags, but they're a perennial crop so they're better growing in the ground, as the nutrients in the bags' compost will deplete and the compost will need to be changed regularly. Here's a how-to project on planting asparagus crowns, the same method could be applied to growing in bags but it's easier to just choose a permanent spot for them in the ground. Hope this helps.
Kate