Topic: am i too early?

[gardentg44]

could anyone help?

onion sets are in.

early,second early,maincrop,all in .

brassicas all potted up and growing well in GH

Now I'm stuck.don't want to go up lottie and sit doing nothing.

Is it too early to set seeds directly in the ground?

eg peas,carrots,radish,Swede,etc

Advice please.

PS.south York's area.

[manicscousers]

we warmed some ground up with a cloche and sowed carrots and pre chitted parsnips, kept covered and they're doing well  :)
most things need a bit of cover at the moment :)

[GodfreyRob]

Echo manicscousers - its going to get even colder this weekend so try and hold back for a week or two. There is still plenty of sowing time left ;)

[STEVEB]

Patience is all,i have fried ,frozen,made all types of errors and im still learning by my mistakes.

[PurpleHeather]

A couple of years ago one of our plot members who is forever last in doing everything on the plots came on at the end of May and planted onion sets in full sunshine on his plot.

I did not expect them to, but every one grew into a reasonable sized onion for harvesting at the end of September.

Sometimes I wonder if we are all a bit too early.

[Levi]

Can I just ask a question about cloches please, I'm new to them. I covered some beds with them but found the ground quite dry under afterwards. When I went to put in some cabbage seed I found it quite dry  ::) under them. How do you go on with watering? Will the moisture in the ground be enough for most things? 

[Bjerreby]

Danish Islands

You'd be too early if you lived here! I have planted out my parsnip seedlings under glass, and I have over-wintering spinach and garlic growing. I have just sown Early Nantes carrots and spring onions under glass outside, and I have onions and leeks in my cold frame. That's it.

I'd say the soil under a cloche might look very dry, but if you probe down a bit you will find it is nearly as moist as outside.

The soil under my frames is about 3 degrees warmer than outside, and as much as 7 degrees warmer when the sun is out.

[powerspade]

To get good results the soil has to be in the right condition and at the right temperature. Its far too early to sow most things at the moment. Yesterday at the top end of the valleys here in south wales we had a hard frost and a dusting of snow. Stuff will just rot in the ground . Just wait ; -

Patience is a virtue get it if you can,
always found in women,
rarely in a man.

A test to find out if the ground is ready for sowing - stick your index finger in the soil and leave it there for a full five minutes, if you find it comfortable and warm then sow , if not the delay sowing

[RobinOfTheHood]

Now I'm stuck.don't want to go up lottie and sit doing nothing.

Well you could come down to mine and put my onions and spuds in. I've never got enough time...... ;)

Oh, and while you're at it could you re-cover my poly house for me please.

[northener]

I put half my onion and shallots in and thats it. Countryfile weather said there was a cold snap so ive held back with the spuds. Light nights are here from sunday and warming up a bit so they will be in this week. I'm going to sow carrots and parsnips aswell.

[saddad]

Cloches can dry the surface out Karen..
but you can get ones with perforations to let the rain through. The moisture in the soil tends to seep in from the sides anyway... so fine for transplants once watered in... for small seed sowings like carrots I water the drills then put a layer of fleece on to keep the surface moist while they germinate...  :)

[cornykev]

I've sowed out direct Spring onion, cabbages, cauli, beetroot and the carrots in a tub, the Greyhound cabbage came up after ten days but it will depend on your area and weather.  ;D ;D ;D

[Tee Gee]

I garden just a few miles from you and I haven't even considered putting anything in the soil yet.

I only pricked out my calabrese & cauli last week and I will do the sprouts this incoming week but it will be another 5-6 weeks before I plant them out.

Apart from my potatoes I plant out nothing until mid may, the potatoes usualy go in during the last two weeks of april.

So you are well ahead of me, it will be interesting to compare notes say from July onwards.

Sit back and rest on your laurels its too bl**dy cold for me to be doing anything yet! 8) 8)

[gardentg44]

[

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Now I'm stuck.don't want to go up lottie and sit doing nothing.





[Well you could come down to mine and put my onions and spuds in. I've never got enough time...... ;)

Oh, and while you're at it could you re-cover my poly house for me please.]

thats ot a problem paul just give me a shout when your ready i will pop
down and give you a hand