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Should I plant now or when I get back from holiday?
Tina33
Posts: 7
in Fruit & veg
Hi, I have a very small area in my garden for growing veg/herbs in for the first time. I would like to grow peas/tomatoes up against the fence and am thinking of carrots, garlic and some herbs on the flat. I am going on holiday the first 2 weeks of May, would I better to wait for planting until I get back. Any advice will be gratefully received.
0
Posts
There should be enough rain in May to keep your tomatoes alive, get them sown now!
As for garlic, I think you need to sow that in the autumn. If you sow it now it'll probably appear to have died and reappear next year; you'll not be harvesting it until September 2017.
You could get your pea seeds in now, as long as there's a bit of rain they should be OK. It's a bit late to start tomatoes from seed now, and they do need a bit of coddling at first. I think your best bet would be to buy them as plants as soon as you're back from holiday. Outdoor tomatoes shouldn't go out until well into May anyway.
Carrots could be in by now but it's not too late to sow some. As to herbs, you can buy the perennial one in pots (e.g. thyme, marjoram, mint, sage) and put them in the ground any time you like.
Runner beans or climbing French beans are good for a small space as they can be trained up a fence or a wigwam, and it's OK not to sow these until May.
You should be able to buy tomato plants from a GC after you return from holiday. Here in the SE they advise not to put tomatoes out till the end of May anyway.
Thanks for taking the time to reply, you've given me food (excuse the pun) for thought! I'll take on all of your advice and do some planting now and some on my return. Have a great weekend
Garlic is fine planted in the spring I find ...it crops from late summer through to Autumn, you just might not get such large bulbs as Autumn planted.