Topic: So who is sowing what when? (2012)

[Aden Roller]

I always have to look back through my diary to see when I sowed what.

I wondered what everybody else was up to when it comes to sowing seeds. So hard to get the timing just right:

• Too early = lanky plants not at their best - worse still ~ planted out and hit by frost
• Too late = it takes ages for them to catch up and the crop is delayed

How about sharing sowing times although we are in different parts of the country / world?

[shirlton]

We are sowing nothing until April 1st as we are off on holiday mid March.Will be interesting to see if things catch up. We will be putting the spuds in before we go.

[RenishawPhil]

We are getting some spuds in this weekend and fleecung over as going away for a few weeks in march even if does mean getting wet.

[galina]

Done peas, broad beans, first batch of lettuce, leeks, onions.  About to do tomatoes, peppers, first potatoes, some cabbage, cauli, PSB, celery.  In a month or thereabouts carrots, turnips, parsnips, more brassica, radish and lettuce.  Late April moschata squashes (butternut type) and cucumber, early May other squashes and courgettes, up to mid May beans and everything I have forgotten or hasn't germinated/been eaten etc.  Late July starting on the second crops Chinese cabbage, endive, lettuce for autumn winter, turnips perhaps a last carrot sowing and radish.  September the last sowings for winter veg, more rocket, lettuce, mizuna, lamb's lettuce, endive (too late to do much, but if it survives, there will be a lot of spring growth).  October garlic and shallots get planted (sometimes early November).

By no means a complete list. 

[Aden Roller]

Wow... such a lot started off already!  ;)

So far I've only put in:

• leeks
• broadbeans
• shallots
• onion sets
• garlic

At the moment only the leek seed is making an effort and a very few of the onions.
Potaotes are busy chitting.

It'd be good to know which part of the world everyone is in as I'm sure this makes a difference.

[galina]

It'd be good to know which part of the world everyone is in as I'm sure this makes a difference.

Sorry, you are right of course.  Northants/Beds border on top of a ridge, cool and windy, clay soil. 

[manicscousers]

So far, in wigan
challenge tommies are nearly ready for their 2nd transplanting, I've transplanted the rest of the handbag, oxheart, black krim, pink oxheart, galina yellow, minibel and lemon tree tomatoes, corno rosso peppers first transplant. Sowed tigerella, consto something and some burpless cucumber.
I've mixed leaves and oriental leaves ready to plant into troughs, sowed and coming up is calabrese and sowed kalibos and red fuego cabbage and express cabbage. Can't think how many flowers I've sown/transplanted apart from the swet peas  ;D
Oops, forgot the challenge spuds, the vanessa spuds in the poly and the lady crystl and purple majesty planted under cloches on plot 2
OOh, and chitting parsnip seed to go in the covered bed for earlies although we haven't finished last years yet  ;D

[sunloving]

Hi
I count backwards from the date of the last frost (expected)
Here is around the third week in april which means there is six weeks to go.
I sow my hardy veg now and the half hardies that need good early growth like early toms and peppers.

The hardies can be put out in mini greenhouses in a couple of weeks time when they have good roots (already out are cabbages, broccoli, onions, and hardy flowers like cornflowers, sunflowers, echinacea) Direct sown early peas and broad beans are already out in short rows.

Then two weeks before the last frost dates i sow the tender things carrots and parsnips some of the french beans outside, melons cucumbers pumpkins, french beans etc inside this means that there isnt so much looking after of these large plants waiting to put thm out.

Good luck with your sowing it seems like a good spring season so far, but theres still a chance of heavy frosts in march so im not taking any chances.
x sunloving

[antipodes]

In the Loire Estuary:
Peppers and tomatoes and aubergines sown indoors already
echalotes and brown onions out, garlic in over winter
early radish and turnip sowed under fleece
12 early Belle de Fontenay in

March
I will sow Kelvedon and Early onward and Alderman peas and keep sowing through to april
- beetroot and lettuce and spring spinach (fleeced probably) and leeks
- All Year Round cauli and keep sowing radish and turnip and maybe a couple of Chinese cabbages
Finish planting all onions and potatoes with last maincrop in by early April

April
Sow parsnips, and towards end of the month french beans and Runner beans probably under cover but maybe not... and probably some calabrese
Sow flower seeds and herbs
Sow indoors courgettes and a couple of cucumbers

May
Plant out tomatoes/peppers/aubergines
Sow more courgette and cukes outdoors and pumpkins too
Keep sowing  beans and runners

June July August
Not too much sowing now! Maintenance! But keep up sowings of beans, and also start off some later lettuce and herbs like coriander and chinese cabbage for autumn pickings

Not much after now! mostly harvesting and preparing for the next round!!! I think I am maybe 10 days ahead of the guys in the UK...

[Aden Roller]

I always feel as if I'm late with everything nearly every year especially as I'm on the sunny (?) south coast.  :-\

But we do get frosts right up to the start of May and sometimes unexpectedly (aren't they all?) heavy ones.

So I tend to hang back - later I often wish I hadn't when plot neighbours have their crops planted out but sometimes it pays off.

Tomatoes must go in very soon - heated propagator.

[Deb P]

Derbyshire area: I go by my sowing diary, so this year plan to start off my tomatoes around 10th March so they are ready for the association plant sale early May. I grow on all of my stuff in a cold greenhouse, so can't start anything too early or it doesn't survive!

[tottieheed]

This being my first year I am really not sure when to plant what.

What I really need is for someone down at the allotment site who knows the local conditions to advise me, but from what I know everyone there is as new to this as I am :'(

Depending on the weather my plan is to plant the totties and onions on the 17th March, after that...who knows??

Its all good tho ;D

[Aden Roller]

This being my first year I am really not sure when to plant what.

What I really need is for someone down at the allotment site who knows the local conditions to advise me, but from what I know everyone there is as new to this as I am :'(

Depending on the weather my plan is to plant the totties and onions on the 17th March, after that...who knows??

Its all good tho ;D

Which part of the world are you in?

I'd keep an eye on the longer range weather forecast for your area and be ready to cover those spuds up once they break through. It can be very disappointing if the tops are hit very badly by a late frost.

Broadbeans and onion sets can go in any time now... down here anyway.

[manicscousers]

Just sowed some little gem lettuce, provence salad mix, limnanthes and all year round cauli in pots inside, transplanted the ornamental cabbage for the plant sale, watered everything that needed it and found a self sown blackcurrant growing in the pebbled area at home so potted that up. Started off some brown mushrooms in a kit, last chance  ;D

[cornykev]

Winter onions and shallots happily growing
Shallots are in and onions to go in soon
A few earlies for the spud challenge are in, more to go in soon
A few Tigerella are 1.5 inches up
Yellow bell peppers are 1 inch up
Celeriac sown underglass
Replanted out strawberrys into spacings
Parsnips and carrots will be sown direct in a couple of weeks
Peas and French beans in April
That's as far forward that I can think at the moment.   :D

[Deb P]

I planted my first early potatoes yeasterday, plus the rest of my spring sown shallots that just arrived. I haven't sown a single seed this year yet! ::)

[Poolcue]

I have started on the seed circle tomatoes
Slovenian Black
Alpatieva
Monkey's Ass
Latah
He Man rootstock

[telboy]

Nuffink!
Seen the forecast?
 8)

[artichoke]

Six experimental potatoes went in under a pile of straw in October.

Autumn sown/planted broad beans, shallots and onions survived the snow and frost with a few casualties.

Peas coming up in their gutters (mange touts and Alderman), sown end of February after chitting.

Chitted broad beans ready to sow today but it suddenly rained.

I am a keen seed chitter, and have lettuce and chilli seed in damp cloth in plastic boxes. Lettuce will go into gutters to plant out into a coldframe when big enough. About to chit and gutter more salad type leaves such as land cress, rocket and so on, as I think it is well worth having some early plants to pick at as soon as possible.

Off topic, but I am looking forward to asparagus next month!

[star]

Nuffink!
Seen the forecast?
 8)

 ;D ;D ;D ditto!!