Topic: How early to start?

[Garden Manager]

I fancy some early veggies this year and was wondering just how early I could start growing the following crops: (under cover or outside)

Carrots
Onions (sets)
Cabbage
Peas
Potatoes

I have read somewhere recently that carrots and onions at least can be started in January (mid winter) with some protection.

For those who dont know i live in southern england (if this helps)

Thanks

[Mrs Ava]

My japanese onions went in the ground in November.

I did try an early sowing of carrots last year, under fleece, but very few came up.  Same with peas.  I will be sowing some early peas into pots in the greenhouse in Feb and then plant them out under fleece in March, just to see if I can get a little ahead, but I doubt they will be much earlier than those sowed directly.

I think there are lots of varieties which are early starters, so long as you can provide some protection from the worse of the weather.

[sandersj89]

Richard

I will be starting some first early salad potaotoes in ;arge pots in my greenhouse soon. I do this each year so I am picking fresh spuds very early in spring.

Get your seed potato's chitting away in egg boxes and then nip to the garden centre and buy the biggest cheapest plastic pots you can find. Mine are are about 18 inches across and the same deep.

(If you don't want to buy these you can use black bin liners just as well.)

Put some crocks or stones in the bottom of the pot and then half fill with any old compost you can lay your hands on adding a bit of well rotted manure as you go.

When the potato's have produced sprouts about an inch long pop them in the pot and cover with about an inch of compost.

As they grow continue to cover the leaves a couple of times with more compost until the pot is nearly full, this builds up the area where new spuds will grow.

Last year I put two seed spuds in each pot and it worked fine. As the new tubers swell try and make sure they all stay covered with soil or else they go green.

Water well, don't give them a chance to dry out.

Keep the pot in the greenhouse aslong as you can then move to a bright and sunny spot. If there is a frost forecast bring them inside or into a green house.

In a few weeks time you will be able to tip out masses of sweet, tasty new spuds about the size of pigeon eggs. Once you have tasted fresh home grown spuds you will never buy them again in the supermarket.

Each pot will yield about 5 to 7 pounds of spuds if you do well. The only problem is they don't keep for ages once dug.

Last year I grew Mimi and Shelly in this way, I will be growing Mimi this way this years as I was very very pleased with them last year.


HTH

Jerry

[Garden Manager]

Thanks Jerry and EJ. I knew it was possible just wast sure about a few things.

If I can get some sets I might grow a few onions in the greenhouse, planted in cell trays, then plant out later. Peas ditto - i shall soon have some guttering to start them off in, so i'll try that.

I forgot in the original post, but what about salads/lettuce? I have a soil border in my GH I was thinking of growing some early salads in. Any tips please? How about outside salads, how early there?

[Mrs Ava]

Got a feeling you can do salads year round.

[sandersj89]

I forgot in the original post, but what about salads/lettuce? I have a soil border in my GH I was thinking of growing some early salads in. Any tips please? How about outside salads, how early there?

Salads can go about 12 months a year in a greenhouse. Rocket and Lambs Lettuce are good in winter. It would also be worth while starting off some such as Little Gem ready to plant out under cloches in February.

Jerry

[fat larry]

does anyone know of a comprehensive guide of what to plant when, and what else you can do in the lottie over the seasons. I flail along madly, putting everything in at the wrong times, then sulking when nothing happens (beetroot was my biggest failure last year - first lot, nothing grew, second lot grew then got eaten by those pesky rabbits etc)

[Garden Manager]

does anyone know of a comprehensive guide of what to plant when, and what else you can do in the lottie over the seasons. I flail along madly, putting everything in at the wrong times, then sulking when nothing happens (beetroot was my biggest failure last year - first lot, nothing grew, second lot grew then got eaten by those pesky rabbits etc)

A good basic guide (some may not approve) is DR Hessayon's 'Expert' book on veg growing. It covers most common veggies, recomended varieties and (most importantly) a table of sowing, planting and cropping times for each. I have just used it to work out the earliest i can grow things - and as a result may be able to 'Double crop' some parts of the veg plot and have stuff growing from march to october (i hope).

There are more 'sophisticated' volumes on the subject, but IMO for the basics the 'good doctor' is very helpfull.

As with any sowing and planting, the timing depends as much on your local climate as it does the crop itself.

[tim]

Richard - can't see much point in onions in the gh when you can put them out now?
Carrots need 40F to germinate - work that one out. Outdoor pots - get them chittting now - & then watch the frost!  Must try indoor ones - but no need to wait till the sprouts are 1", I reckon? = Tim

[sandersj89]

does anyone know of a comprehensive guide of what to plant when, and what else you can do in the lottie over the seasons. I flail along madly, putting everything in at the wrong times, then sulking when nothing happens (beetroot was my biggest failure last year - first lot, nothing grew, second lot grew then got eaten by those pesky rabbits etc)

Have a look at:

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/

Jerry

[tim]

Big G's getting a good plug today!!

Gavin's site is also fun - http://www.keirg.freeserve.co.uk/diary/default.html = Tim

[john_miller]

I do remember reading 30 years ago an article that stated that growers in the most favoured parts of the mainland U.K. (South-West Wales, Cornwall) were planting potatoes on a field scale, without protection, in February- and that was before global warming! Richard is, I imagine, in a fairly favourable area too, being where he is.

[Garden Manager]

Richard - can't see much point in onions in the gh when you can put them out now?
Carrots need 40F to germinate - work that one out. Outdoor pots - get them chittting now - & then watch the frost! Must try indoor ones - but no need to wait till the sprouts are 1", I reckon? = Tim

This was in essence Tim what i was asking in the first place! I want outdoor crops as early as possible - i dont have the greenhouse space to cosset otherwise hardy plants, just to be a couple of weeks ahead.

I shall get my onion sets and seed potatoes at the earliest conveinience. Many Thanks.

[tim]

I meant, of course, that I must try the indoor ones. Bags of room before the main crops go in. = Tim

[fat larry]

so in a nutshell -  I can plant out carrots and onions now ... but should hold fire on my pots till most of the frost is over

[tim]

Oh. dear - I've b....d it up again??

1. 40F soil temp.
2. 'Plant out'? You mean sow carrots & plant sets?? Sets yes.
3. Pots - no - chit the earlies now, but if they make foliage before frosts are over, cover them! = Tim

[swampig]

the guys on my allotments all have onions in now (LANCS) so they should really get going "dahn sarf"!! (Ive just started a new plot so will be starting with some pots in the greenhouse)

[fat larry]

thanks, i bought a set of onion yesterday that will go in this weekend, and a sprinkling of carrot seed next to em.

Bought some first earlies which I'll get chitting too - rough date for them to go in?

[Moggle]

Larry, I think first early spuds are supposed to go in around the end of march (happy to be corrected if I am wrong :)) unless they have some kind of extra protection. I am planning on getting a few in at the end of Feb under horticultural fleece to see how that goes though.

[fat larry]

oh dear.

what should I do with them in the meantime? If I chit em now won't they be about 10 inches tall by march?

should I stick em in garage and leave em and hope for best ... remember last year I started late and could barely get hold of any pots anywhere