Topic: To sow, or not to sow... this is the question!!

[springbok]

I have been reading post after post about sowing seeds for a variety of veggies and I am starting to think I may be behind.

It is my first growing season, and all I have done so far is leek seeds and onion seeds which are seedlings in my greenhouse.

Am I behind?  So much conflicting advice around, I am confused  ??? ??? ???

[valmarg]

Depends what you are intending to grow sbg, and whereabouts you are in the UK.  Here in North Staffordshire it can be late May/early June when we get our last frosts.

We've got broad beans and peas growing in pots indoors.  We've also sown a few climbing french beans, but they are to get an early crop, in a pot with a wigwam of canes, indoors.

It's certainly too early for runner beans, even in pots indoors.

We've got tomato seeds germinated, but they will need to be kept on heat for a few weeks yet.

valmarg

[debster]

i think also it depends on what you have to put the plants into after ie greenhouse, i dont have one so therefore i will be waiting til later to plant anything other then specially early crops

[Suzanne]

Agree, depends on varieties and available sheltered space. I have two coldframes, which at the moment have module sown beetroot, lettuces, my onions which were started indoors, and broad beans (for my dads patch - mine are roughing it outdoors). And thats going to be it for a while until it warms up. Apart from my toms which were started off last weekend because it Sat & Sun were both fruit days for sowing. The toms - which have already germinated - will grow on in windowsill propagators for a while.

[Suzanne]

Oh forgot the stripey aubergines from a swap on this site, and my romano type peppers and habanero and pepperonata chillis.

[DAVIESFOZZIE]

I HAVE A GREENHOUSE LUCKY ME IT REALLY IS INVALUABLE I LIVE IN CAERPHILLY AND  OUR LAST FROST SHOULD BE IN EARLY APRIL BUT I HAVE A DEEP BED WITH A PLASTIC MEMBRANE IN THE GREENHOUSE AND I HAVE SOWN RADISH LETTUCE AND SPRING ONIONS ALREADY THE TEMP IN THE GREENHOUSE REACHES 70C NOW AND MY RADISH A ALREADY UP THIS BED IS FOR MY CUCUMBERS LATER ON IN THE YEAR I HAVE NOW ALSO GOT AN ALLOTMENT AND I WILL START OFF MOST OF THE SEEDS IN THE GREENHOUSE SPEAKING TO A FRIEND FROM HE ALLOTMENT ASSOC HE SAID THAT HIS GREENHOUSE WAS BURSTING WITH SEEDLINGS BEANS ETC SO I THINK I ALSO BEHIND

[manicscousers]

hiya, daviesfozzie, welcome to the site..we've got a hot bed, deep bed filled with strawy manure, then potting compost and covered with a plastic sheet, we've got radish coming up and the carrots have just germinated  :)
by the way, some people think it's like shouting if you use caps lock...me, I usually forget to switch it ff as well  ;D

[star]

Welcome to the site DF,

 things will catch up with the warmer weather. You have a greenhouse so you can get an earlier start. But you can still run out of room very quickly.

Anticipate late frosts with big plants needing to go outside.............. ;)

[tim]

She lives in Dunstable.

I think that she's done well? And no need to panic about the other veg. I have sown nothing yet.

[Deb P]

Don't panic! ;D

I find although I'm tempted to sow early just from sheer excitement, keeping good records last year has convinced me to generally sow later this year. For example I sowed several batches of peas and beans, the early ones were obliterated in an early June frost after weeks without one (just before our NGS open day, typical!) the later ones germinated much more quickly in an unheated greenhouse, and grew on much faster.

I'm keeping a sowing and germination list this year too too, with a space to say what crops did well and were liked, which didn't do so well or wouldn't grow again. Nothing fancy, but it helps with planning for the future.... ;D

[star]

Ive been very good doing that this year too,

[springbok]

Feeling a bit better now, our last frosts here according to BBC site is early may.  So I was trying to hold off on planting anything!.

[DenBee]

I've been holding back because up here in the frozen North East (of England) there's some very chilly weather still to come, I'll be bound.  Not to mention the fact that my lottie greenhouse currently doesn't have a roof - found out today when I went to check that the polythene cover developed ambitions over the winter to become wedding confetti.  ::)

Had a panic today when I realised I didn't know where all my seeds were.   :o  Two Quality Street tins full of them - packets all nicely tucked into brown envelopes, sorted by category.  Ten minutes frenzied searching brought them to light, tucked away in a cool corner of the garage.  Phew!

[Barnowl]

Finally made start last night aubergines, melons, passionfruit, cucumbers, tomatoes and a few chillies in a heated propagator indoors !!! (special dispensation from OH, she has a thing for tomatoes)

[Robert_Brenchley]

You're definitely not too late, in fact, unless you live somewhere like Cornwall, you're still too early to do much planting. I've got chillies and aubs on the windowsill, but nothing else sown yet. Nothing will be planted outside until the willow catkins are fully out, by which time the soil will be warming up. I've got a few things like broad beans which I planted in October, but if seeds go in now, the soil's still so cold they could easily rot rather then germinating.