I grow my crops in a unheated greenhouse, so i sow seeds in a propogator in the conservatory and on a window ledge in a spare bedroom.My sweet peas were sown 10 days ago and are up and running, i will be sowing sweet peppers, chilli peppers and tomatoes in the next 10 days.
This year i will try for the first time, sweet pepper LanyF1, Fuego F1 chilli and BanemiF1 tomatoe.
My broad beans Masterpiece green longpod were sown in the greenhouse 14 days ago and are still thinking about making an appearance.
yes john innes with perlite is fine the acidic peat gives the sharper bite to the tomato plants and their true flavour. i have been growing toms. in acid peat for years and get brillant flavour every time.long lost tip worth tying.
I have had some success with seeds but a lot end up in the bin. I only have window ledges to grow them on this time of the year. Have been successful sometimes with bizzie Lizzies and cosmos. Mind you I grew some hydrangeas from seed last year.
I think some of my failures may be due to sewing too early and maybe not enough light.
Have collected some loo rolls so will have a go at sewing some sweet peas in them. My first batch have flopped......very tall with not a leaf in sight. They were about 6" tall.....ha ha....definitely a problem.....I think the root of success is not to give up and to keep
trying.......but there again it's also recognising what you can achieve and what you can't.
I've just posted onto the wrong conversation, should have post on to sewing seeds indoors....never mind, am not writing it out again....think I will make myself a Cup of tea.....I must need it!
I treated myself to a super-seven seed tray system - seven little seed trays, each with a clear cover, which sits on a capillary matting on a long window sill tray. This enables me to raise at least seven types of seed easily, and I can turn thetrtays round daily once the seeds come through. They don't go up to my unheated greenhouse until they get pricked out into larger trays or individual modules, and even tghen I continue to put a clear plastic lid on until they have hardened of a bit. I have had great success with almost everything I have planted in this way abnd the little trays are really easy to use . You just water into the window sill tray when the matting begins to dry out. For larger seed I add a layer of fine gravel on top which helps keep the soil moist withough makiong the seedlings damp off.
I shall be planting tonight and tomorrow for my early start. If I need to water, I use one of those little bottle-top sprinklers.
flowerbird=. try sowing sweet pea in october in your loo rolls and leave them till now in a light spot but out of direct sunlight. when they get to the three leaf stage nip them back to one leaf and ou get a much stronger plant and also more stems and more flowers later on in the year.go on and give it a try there is no such thing as failure just lost seedlings.bye the way when u decide to grow seedlings plant just what u need with a few extra in tay modules.that way you wont have to throw surplus out.when u are growing seedlings always water the trays or containers from the root up less losses and little damping off.bye the way has anybody noticed how the big organisations who produce new varities of bizzi lizzies have now left us with a hugh problem with them literally dying off when in full flower. This has only come about in the last two years, so be warned the beautyful bizzi lizzi is on the way out through to much messing with their jenes.
Hi ballydavis. The disease that has affected Busy Lizzies over teh past few years is a fungus called Downy Mildew. I'll be posting a blog about this soon, so watch this space!
And I agree with other posts that you should be cautious not to sow too early. Conditions have been cold and dull so far this year, and seeds and seedlings need he complete opposite to grow and flourish. A heated propagator might help seeds germinate from early sowings, but unless you have lighting units over them the seedlings will grow weak and lankly in dull conditions.
It's surprising how quickly things improve during March, so get everything ready to start seed sowing in earnest later in March for those tender greenhouse crops. I can't wait!
Someone far, far wiser than I once told me that we tend to get the weather that America (USA) gets, six weeks after they do. Now, I know that this flies in the face of all that's scientific, but I have to admit that up until now, he's been right (he died 10 years ago, so that's at least 10 years of him being right). At the weekend the midwest had severe snow storms that killed 4 people. So I reckon we'll get one last cold snap late march/early April.
I for one won't be sowing ANYTHING until mid-March, as I don't have a greenhouse (only a cold frame that gets very ovecrowded). According to the Met Office Winter officially ends this Thursday, I don't think anyone's bothered to tell this to Mother Nature. Mother always knows best (Mother nature that is, not me, I know nothing - but I'm not from Barcelona). You may scoff, just wait and see.
Posts
They can take up to 3 weeks to germinate-so longer than tomatoes-would start in a couple of weeks or so
This year i will try for the first time, sweet pepper LanyF1, Fuego F1 chilli and BanemiF1 tomatoe.
My broad beans Masterpiece green longpod were sown in the greenhouse 14 days ago and are still thinking about making an appearance.
Regards PG
yes john innes with perlite is fine the acidic peat gives the sharper bite to the tomato plants and their true flavour. i have been growing toms. in acid peat for years and get brillant flavour every time.long lost tip worth tying.
I think some of my failures may be due to sewing too early and maybe not enough light.
Have collected some loo rolls so will have a go at sewing some sweet peas in them. My first batch have flopped......very tall with not a leaf in sight. They were about 6" tall.....ha ha....definitely a problem.....I think the root of success is not to give up and to keep
trying.......but there again it's also recognising what you can achieve and what you can't.
I treated myself to a super-seven seed tray system - seven little seed trays, each with a clear cover, which sits on a capillary matting on a long window sill tray. This enables me to raise at least seven types of seed easily, and I can turn thetrtays round daily once the seeds come through. They don't go up to my unheated greenhouse until they get pricked out into larger trays or individual modules, and even tghen I continue to put a clear plastic lid on until they have hardened of a bit. I have had great success with almost everything I have planted in this way abnd the little trays are really easy to use . You just water into the window sill tray when the matting begins to dry out. For larger seed I add a layer of fine gravel on top which helps keep the soil moist withough makiong the seedlings damp off.
I shall be planting tonight and tomorrow for my early start. If I need to water, I use one of those little bottle-top sprinklers.
Good luck evberybody.
flowerbird=. try sowing sweet pea in october in your loo rolls and leave them till now in a light spot but out of direct sunlight. when they get to the three leaf stage nip them back to one leaf and ou get a much stronger plant and also more stems and more flowers later on in the year.go on and give it a try there is no such thing as failure just lost seedlings.bye the way when u decide to grow seedlings plant just what u need with a few extra in tay modules.that way you wont have to throw surplus out.when u are growing seedlings always water the trays or containers from the root up less losses and little damping off.bye the way has anybody noticed how the big organisations who produce new varities of bizzi lizzies have now left us with a hugh problem with them literally dying off when in full flower. This has only come about in the last two years, so be warned the beautyful bizzi lizzi is on the way out through to much messing with their jenes.
Hi ballydavis. The disease that has affected Busy Lizzies over teh past few years is a fungus called Downy Mildew. I'll be posting a blog about this soon, so watch this space!
And I agree with other posts that you should be cautious not to sow too early. Conditions have been cold and dull so far this year, and seeds and seedlings need he complete opposite to grow and flourish. A heated propagator might help seeds germinate from early sowings, but unless you have lighting units over them the seedlings will grow weak and lankly in dull conditions.
It's surprising how quickly things improve during March, so get everything ready to start seed sowing in earnest later in March for those tender greenhouse crops. I can't wait!
Someone far, far wiser than I once told me that we tend to get the weather that America (USA) gets, six weeks after they do. Now, I know that this flies in the face of all that's scientific, but I have to admit that up until now, he's been right (he died 10 years ago, so that's at least 10 years of him being right). At the weekend the midwest had severe snow storms that killed 4 people. So I reckon we'll get one last cold snap late march/early April.
I for one won't be sowing ANYTHING until mid-March, as I don't have a greenhouse (only a cold frame that gets very ovecrowded). According to the Met Office Winter officially ends this Thursday, I don't think anyone's bothered to tell this to Mother Nature. Mother always knows best (Mother nature that is, not me, I know nothing - but I'm not from Barcelona). You may scoff, just wait and see.