Produce > Under Glass

2023 Progress

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Tee Gee:
Did a bit of planting out in my 8x6 greenhouse this morning, as you can see below.

Don't know about you, but I am having a funny season this year???

My seedlings are not progressing as well as I would expect them to do. My only thought at this stage is the homemade seed compost I used might be the problem.

I used compost that I sterilized in a microwave oven, and I am wondering if I over nuked it. It certainly looked OK after nuking, so I am not sure??

To try and overcome this, I have re-pricked them out, removed as much of the seed compost as I could (the roots looked rather under-developed)and put them into new homemade compost, and they seemed to have perked up a bit, trouble is, they are lagging behind my normal planting out times.

The other thing is, I am finding that the weather is so unpredictable as I am finding that the temperatures are rising some days to around 90º F (32ºC) in the morning, and down to 35ºF (2ºC) at night.

To think years ago when we had "seasons" my problems were mainly trying to keep my seedlings warm. :BangHead:

Due to March 2022 being the hottest on record in the UK, I am not surprised that most of my Daffodils were 'blind' this year because they died back so quickly last year, i.e. before the bulbs got a chance to plump up again.

I am hoping my new compost recipes are going to be a success this year now that I am not using peat for my humus content.

Only time will tell! All I can say is the texture and feel of my compost is the best I have seen for a year or two. :icon_cheers:

Harry:

--- Quote from: Tee Gee on May 09, 2023, 17:00:33 ---Did a bit of planting out in my 8x6 greenhouse this morning, as you can see below.

Don't know about you, but I am having a funny season this year???

My seedlings are not progressing as well as I would expect them to do. My only thought at this stage is the homemade seed compost I used might be the problem.
--- End quote ---
I'm in my first year of allotment, having grown stuff in my back garden last year.

It's been a slow start for me. Seedlings seemed to take forever to germinate in the kitchen window. Weather set back my weeding and sowing opportunities.

Spuds and onions are the only bits that are anything like up to speed.

And now, suddenly weeds are exploding into life. Oh. And this is the first year when critters ate my peas and beans :( Poor things have been nibbled to stumps.

Obelixx:
You're right Tee Gee.  It's been a funny season here too.

It's been an unusually long, cool and wet spring here so tomatoes and chillies which were germinated on heat mats indoors have taken a log time to get beyond seed leaf stage and be pricked out and thus a long time to get to the size where I can plant them out in the polytunnel beds.  This means I've had a backlog of brassicas waiting for potting on space and some of the experimental garlic kale is bolting.  Never had that problem before. 

Some seeds have stalled tho - taking ages to germinate or just sitting there with seed leaves for ages before growing further.  Odd.  However, after last year's total failure with peat free seed and cuttings compost from the usual store - unsieved, unsterilised, awful - I bought professional seed compost thru a friend in the garden club and it's been great - also no peat but fine and with perlite.

I got 6 squash and courgettes planted out yesterday and then had to cloche them against the continuing cold and wet.  The others need to grow on a bit.   I'll be planting tomatoes out this pm if the rain stops long enough for me to get there without drowning.  I need OH to clear all his weed suppressing gear off the next bed for the brassicas.  He's weighed down cardboard with pallets, posts, stones and all sorts.   

Deb P:
I’ve had no problems either germination, but certainly slower growth once pricked out. I also think the cold night temperatures are too great a drop compared to day temps, but I’ve been keeping plants on heated mats for longer as not wanting to use the electric heater overnight, but I’ve had to and it’s still been as low as 2 degrees some nights! I just hope the night temps start creeping up soon but so far I have resisted sowing my beans, squash and sweetcorn, they are usually three weeks from germination to planting out so I’m sitting on my hands!

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