Topic: Seed sowing - I'm off

[cornykev]

With all the rain this year Digeroo I sort of overlooked the Cornys spud Challenge.     

[Jayb]

Finally started with some chilli, pepper and aubergine seeds 

[manicscousers]

Sowed the second lot of early carrots scarlet horn and some chioggia beetroot today, under fleece in case

[Ninnyscrops.]

Green globe artichokes in the greenhouse ............. kindly allotment peeps covered my plot last year, due to my circumstances, and buried my old plants. Have a few Jack Hawkins tomato seed to put in the prop this weekend - so on my way 

Ninnyscrops x

[strawberry1]

seed sowing in ernest from today 

Am working from plot plans for rotation 2014 and sowing brassicas today, all destined for autumn and winter and sauerkraut. Will sow more than I need and grow on to sturdy plants before putting in the beds, I found a cutworm a few weeks ago . I`ll be taking precautions like 2" plastic collars and diatomaceous earth but the extras might be important, young brassica plants can sit around in a neglected state in pots, under net I must add, they grow on like wildfire if needed for the plots. Several plants just toppled last year and I was so glad I hadn`t got rid of spares

[George the Pigman]

Well I've not started anything as yet as I've been on holiday. First I need to clear the greenhouse of last years hanging baskets, overwintered plants etc. But I will be starting this weekend. everything usually catches up.

Strawberry1 - how do you make sauerkraut??

[gazza1960]

Quick sauerkraut story,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

My dad was born in East Prussia in the 20,s when everything was scarce,he and his 8 sisters would meet father at the local bierkeller and roll an empty beer barrel home ,once there they would
All go to the fields and bring home plenty of cabbages,once chopped and washed these would be added in layers into the barrel along with layers of salt,the barrel would be filled,and sealed with the lid and lowered into a hessian lined hole in the ground and covered over for 1 month it had a breather tube into it with a cork stopper,and over the weeks father would remove the cork to test the smell,once ready,it would be removed to decant into large jars with herbs,it was this bottling that dad says was fun as the then starving kids would gorge themselves on sauerkraut .....and he says the resulting noxious  wind tween he and his siblings was only something a family could share in the confines of a huge bed with blankets being blown off  at random.
Anyway,father would then trade the jars of sauerkraut to the village butcher for meat,so I guess no matter how impoverished you are there is always a means to survive,,,,,,,Circa 1932,,,,,Ragnit,Northern Germany.

Gazza

[strawberry1]

I liked that gazza. Sauerkraut making is easy, shredded cabbage, some salt, I use a quartered whole apple. All in a big stoneware pot and bashed with a marble sawn-off rolling pin. Juices flow. Weight down a lid (plate) and leave then bottle. Lots of info on the net. I have a special sauerkraut. I have a 5l sauerkraut fermentation crock and use it lots. I am eating 2 year old kraut today, kept v well in a cool dark place

[George the Pigman]

A great tale Gazza!
I can attest to the gas producing properties of Sauerkraut. We ate in an Alsacian restaurant in Paris once and I ended up eating tons of it. Could have connected me up to the gas main!

[strawberry1]

cos your gut wasn`t used to the probiotics in the sauerkraut George. No probs if eaten often. I haven`t enough left now, only two kilner jars and they will go in a few weeks, so ordered some solid white organic cabbages and will make more this friday, galling to get shop bought cabbages but I cannot grow enough.

All brassica seeds are up and I am trying to get my head around some net protection that does not involve too much faff. Am thinking a cheap folding crate that has lots of small holes. I have some of these crates in my utility room and will punch a few holes in the bottom, so my seed trays and pots don`t get water logged. Net can go on top with a piece of dressmaking elastic. Yep, talked myself into this. I foolishly left seedlings exposed to cabbage whites last year and butterflies may start flying this week as the weather is lovely now

I`ll need to see if parsnip seeds are popping up this week, I`ll give them another two weeks and will be prepared to sow a new batch if needs be. I am always on tenterhooks re parsnips

[strawberry1]

   Brassica seedling protection solved: have 4 large deep troughs that were meant for the tip last week but overlooked. Pots inside and butterfly net on top with a knotted piece of elastic around. Excellent actually as plenty of depth and also sheltering. Started using first one yesterday as seeds are up and it is warm out. I am so glad that we overlooked taking the troughs to the tip. I used the balconniere troughs for 2 years but they get massively heavy and also bulge and get discoloured, this protection use is much better than original use. They have a black internal removable base so the seed pots are on that. Later, after pricking out, there will be plenty of height, if I take the black trays out, until transplanting out and if not then I will raise the net height with a hm contraption but I don`t think I will need to

like these  http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/270996842308?hlpht=true&ops=true&viphx=1&lpid=95&device=c&adtype=pla&crdt=0&ff3=1&ff11=ICEP3.0.0&ff12=67&ff13=80&ff14=95&ff19=0

[goodlife]

Code: [Select]

troughs that were meant for the tip last week but overlooked
Oh yes..those are the best discoveries...something you already had and put in good use for some other way 
I did some of 'that' myself yesterday...decided that one of my peach trees needed repotting or planting into ground...and ended up emptying old metal dustbin from 'junk' and as it doesn't hold water I just made the leaky hole bit bigger and now my tree has much heavier 'planter' that will last yeeeeears to come..not only that old marquee pole was hammered into ground as support....compost for back fill were dug out from my 'builders bag planters' , bit of fertilizer and JOB DONE.. Cost= next to nothing..
As the new dustbin planter is bit tall and any possible crops would be too far to reach without ladders...I had to dig deep hole into ground...find old slab to drop into bottom of the hole and 'drop' the planter in. Dug out soil from the hole was used to level some ground..got scattered with some flower seeds that lottie neighbour gave me that morning...didn't need them or knew what to do with them then but couldn't say no neither...now they got used.. ..and that same area has room for another fruit bush too.. ..and once the fruit bush that I already happen to have in pot (rooted some cuttings other year) is planted...there is more 'fresh soil' surface available for yet more flower seed scattering..

Gosh....its like conveyor belt...one action results many different options and jobs...

[galina]

Gosh, goodlife, you are so creative and imaginative - so full of energy and boundless enthusiasm!  I get breathless, just reading your posts 

The dustbin/planter sounds a great idea 

[strawberry1]

squashes going into pots today, they need 25 minimum so all in a heated propagator. Now I feel that summer is on its way. Just got swedes, kales and repeats left. Been an easy start this year as I have limited myself and also warm enough to leave everything outside or in cold mini greenhouse. Tomatoes are looking great and already have nice thick stems.

Improvised netted troughs are working a dream

[manicscousers]

squashes in today here, also. First 5 tomato plants in their final pots today and some of the plug plants planted outside, turnips, beet, orientals and spring onions. Just put some dwarf beans in the toilet tubes