Topic: Root Trainers- Which veg would benefit the most

[Buckeye Girl]

Well  would not be without mine !!!
Our Broadbeans are heads above all others on site and i use them for all beans and sweetpeas and there is no problems with dampingoff or moulds on loo rolls ect and mine have lasted 4 years now and we get replacment inners at 28p each when needed.

28p ??????    Oh do tell please !

[Jeannine]

Don't let parsnips frighten you. Be sure to use fresh seed, get the bed ready ahead of time, put some potting soil in the row they are going in so it is soft,I grow in raised beds made with potting soil and sand as they are not very strong seedlings and have a hard time pushing through. Then germinate them in advance, I use a large plastic shallow Tupperware type box about 12" x5" something like that..put several layers of paper towel flat in the bottom, damp it well then put your seeds in, make sure they are separated ,pop the lid on to keep them moist then pop the box in an airing cupboard if you have one or other warm place, look at them daily and watch till you see a tiny shoot, then plant then as soon as you can, don't put them too close, they have already germinated so you will have less duds.

I remember one year doing this , the weather was lovely, but the day they popped it was raining , same next few days, eventually i had no choice but to plant them in poring ,really soaking rain, I was frozen but the snips came up.

When you do your corn remember this tip, you have to start in advance  to get a jump on the weather, no direct seeding in the UK ,but only three weeks..no more it will not be a benefit to sow them any earlier than that, they don't like to be moved, I start in 3 in pots, if you leave then too long in the pots,they have a memory, when you move them on  they go dormant and sulk, so don't do them too soon and give them some room when you seed them. I never have a problem with corn that way.

I have seriously thought about root trainers for some things so you just enjoy them. XX Jeannine

[chriscross1966]

I'm going to have a crack at making some of my own.... I reckon thinnish plywood, well varnished with yacting varnish in a frame should allow me to make them fairly cheaply....

chrisc

[:(]

When you do your corn remember this tip, you have to start in advance  to get a jump on the weather, no direct seeding in the UK
 XX Jeannine

Do you mean no direct sowing if so why not? I direct sow my sweetconr no problems.

[Jeannine]

Yes  that is what I mean, in the Uk you cannot rely on the weather being warm enough when you need to sow, you need soil temp of at least 65F  for untreated seed so insurance is to start off in pots, a transplant will go out better than a seed if the weather is not right, this is especially important  if you use Supersweet varieties which need at least 5F more heat than all the others, the seed will rot in cold damp soils, whereas a plant that has already  germinated is safe and if the weather is a bit cool you can protect your seedlings with row cover , you can do very little for a seed that is in cold soil.

XX Jeannine

[:(]

Intersting theory. Ive sown direct 4 different varieties last few years and not had any failures. I have  sweetcorn down as one of the easiest direct sow seeds.

[Jeannine]

Then you are extraordinarily lucky as it not a theory but a  recognised fact , the temperatures are very well posted on line and in most seedsmans catalogues. To wait for the required temps in the  UK unless you are in a very small minority hot area or sowing in the occasional hot summer would be a waste of a season for me. Even using the very short season varieties like Fleet and sowing late would be a gamble to get good full ears of corn.Personally I wouldn't gamble if I didn't need to nor would I advise a newbie to do so either.

XX Jeannine

[PurpleHeather]

I am not getting enough toilet roll tubes for all my jobs but there are lots of ways of making the same thing if you have the time to cut up newspaper pages and either staple or tape them into the right shape.

I would certainly use root trainers if I were to be given any but find pots do the job very well, the trick is not to water before you get them out of the pots so that they are mushy. I know we are told to water first but a good double dousing when in situ works equally well.

A roll of damp proof course is an excellent idea too.

These are all ways of getting a good start to growing, but some people get excellent results waiting and planting directly into the ground later on because in truth plants will catch up, often planting weeks ahead only gets harvesting a few days sooner.

We are hobby gardeners and the need for 'something to do' instead of just waiting means we are vulnerable to buying all sorts of thingamejigs to give us that something.

On days when we are not able to garden we shop for things for the garden. Then because we have spent money on them, we are gonna use them and to be sure we are not going to admit we were fleeced. Every buy is a good bye (to money).

[:(]

Then you are extraordinarily lucky
XX Jeannine

Ive only got vey limited space to start things inside so everything gets sown direct unless its something Ive noit been able to get decent germination by sowing direct. Ive always got good germination from sweetcorn so thats why I do it. Im in very light soil and a warmer part of the country which probably helps. Its probably differnt in heavy clay in the north. But not much in gardening is black and white so always worth experimenting .

[artichoke]

I absolutely agree with Jeannine. My only success with sweetcorn was last year,when I followed her instructions to the letter. If you have wonderful deep, warm, fine soil, and a lucky year, I suppose you can get away with direct sowing, but not for me any more.

It is SO easy to germinate the corn in damp paper, pop it into a loo or newspaper roll, then bury the whole thing when the time is right. Consistent temperature and never checking the growth EVER seem to be the secrets.

[:(]

If you have wonderful deep, warm, fine soil, and a lucky year, I suppose you can get away with direct sowing, but not for me any more.

It is SO easy to germinate the corn in damp paper, pop it into a loo or newspaper roll, then bury the whole thing when the time is right. Consistent temperature and never checking the growth EVER seem to be the secrets.

I wouldnt describe my soil as being that good and the weather the last few summers hasnt been brilliant but it still worked. For me its not about being easy to do it indoors its baout not having room and with direct sowing you dont have to worry about growth being checked at all.