Topic: should I be sowing anything now?

[Karen Atkinson]

I want to grow a good variety of squash this year, and greenhouse toms. When do I start sowing?
I have a small electric propagator. Is there anything else I can sow now? basil, eg?

[sunloving]

Hi Spud counter,
If you have a greenhouse and lots of windowledge space its time to sow a small number of each of your tom varieties in the propagator, ive got six of each on the go and will sow another six in about three weeks. Best to start with the hardier ones such as gardeners delight and the russian varieties.
Also its time to sow chillies aubergines and any hardy perenials or annuals indoors.

But its 6 weeks here to the last frost so six weeks of keeping everything but the very hardy protected. Just judge what space you have to do this and fill it accordingly.

I have large sunflower, larkspur, viola, and many other hardys already outside in the minig but they need to reach a good size before they go out at the moment.

So go for it but size up your windowledges!

x sunloving

[manicscousers]

we have 6 different toms and one pepper on the go, basil, thyme, parsley and dill , just taking cabbage, red and green and pak choi to the cold polytunnel, they've come up remarkably well on the windowsill and will be fine in there.  :)

[chriscross1966]

It'll be a while before you start squash away, but tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, chillis etc can all get going now if you have somewhere to keep them out of the cold once they're up. Also a good time to module-start leeks, early beetroot, a few early lerttuces, all sorts of onions from seed, spring sown garlic and shallots can go in modules too. If you push a toilet-roll tube into each cell of a 24-cell tray then you've got a cheap version of a rootrainer, good for module starting carrots and parsnips. You can kick off celeriac now too, and seed-grown strawberries, you might try a few summer cabbage though it's a bit early, all-year round caulis fmight be worth a few modules too...

[manicscousers]

forgot about my celeriac, waiting for it to be big enough to prick out, so fiddly  ;D

[kt.]

Apart from what has already been mentioned,  I have

6 Parthenon calabrese
6 Candid Charm caulis
Red spring onions
White spring onions
Broad-beans
Leeks - Giant Winter

All the above was sown last weekend.

[pigeonseed]

Agree with all the above, though shallots can go straight in the ground as well.

As the others say, it's all down to space!

Squash and beans grow very fast and vigorously but can't go outdoors till it's really warm - I'd say end of May earliest. So probably start them off in April, they'll get going in time. Otherwise the beans climb all over everything and get tangled up (speaking from experience ::))

PS I meant French and runner beans - broadies are earlier.