Allotments 4 All
General => The Shed => Topic started by: Mrs Ava on March 03, 2004, 16:00:29
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Okay, everyone is hinting that they are thinking of sowing this that and the other, but what have you actually got in pots or trays growing away?
I shall start.
6 different tomatoes
caulis
red cabbage
sprouts
leeks
lettuce
kohl rabi
Actually, they are what I have just germinated, I have a few other things in pots and trays but nothing showing through yet. The brassicas have only just started to poke their noses up today.
So come on, what have you go, be brave, I know some will say, it is tooooo early, but I know you can't all be waiting.
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stocks
sweet peas
chives
basil
rosemary
thyme
a few tomatoes to encourage me to build my polytunnel!
and of course the potatoes are chitting.
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Had a sow day yesterday!
In unheated greenhouse
3 types of peas in guttering.
In house
6 types of Tomatoes (ok, no I don't know where I am going to put them all!!)
2 Types of leeks, Musselburgh and King Richard
Then flowers
Nicotiana, (white and acid green)
Black eyed Susan
Chinese Purple Bell Vine
Mina Lobata
Bupleurum
Canary Creeper
And still eyeing up my seed packets!! :-)
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:o ok actually growing as plants
tomatillo
holyhock
stocks
viola
sweet pea
nasturtum
delphinium
auborgine
tomato x 4
chilli x 1
peas
basil
lemon grass
teasle
sunflower
and 4 more propigators with no signs of life yet, also 2 root trainer propigators and 35 small pots. and i have not even started on my march sowings , my other half is seriously pissed off with me, and i put his name down 4 the lotty next to mine wich has come up so now i have twice as much room and reason to sow even more seeds, i think that it could be a bit of an indicator of how buisy my real job is at the moment.
sam
xx
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for the front garden lots of annual climbers this year
dolichos lab lab, morning glory, eccremocarpus tresco in trays
for the lottie:
gardener's delight & alicante toms and leeks all in pots
for the herb beds my husband has promised to make me in the back garden: basil, parsley
in the old herb bit now: 3 thymes, parsley (covered in snow!), rosemary
in the lottie now: garlic, elephant garlic and onions (donated by legless)
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Nothing! - As yet. Plenty to do though. Got a list (in my head) of things i want to sow.
Its just getting around to it.
Sorted out all the pots and trays i'll need today, so i shall be sowing soon.
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sweet peppers, toms (x4types) lettuce(x6types)broad beans, strawberries, raspberries,peas (x2), melon,parsley
flowers: aquilegies, echinaceas(x2) cobaens scandens,calendulas, tithonias, sunflowers (X4 varieties)
cleomes, brachycombe, stipa tenuissima, briza maxima, Waldenburgias, campanulas, delphiniums,larkspur, incarvilleas (cheron,my faves),cornflowers, nasturtiums (X3) verbena bonariensis, asarinas, oriental poppies, godetia tenella, anagallis, osteospermums, kitabelia, alliums, mirabilis, arbutilons, gazanias, dimorphothecas, sweet peas (Many types) ipomeas (x3) convolvulous tricolour, pyretherum, rudbeckia (x3).......and more including many summer bulbs, but cannot remember. I have built a new coldframe, 5m x 1.2m so have gone quite mad!!cheers, suzy
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Campanula, you have melons sowed already? Wow, now I know I am impatient, but the squashes are the last thing I sow. Got some great things growing there folks, aint spring grand! After reading all of your lists I have itchy fingers to get down to the greenhouse and do some more sowing.
Mental note/shopping list: Labels!
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I have sowed
five toms (four have come up so far)
two varieties of sweetpea (one single seed has germinated - think I didn't cut the case enough)
five aquilegias (only sowed this and last weeks)
delphinium (sowed last week)
chives (sowed yesterday)
leeks (sowed yesterday)
lobelia (coming up nicely)
iris (sowed last week)
ragged robin (sowed last week)
Verbena Bonar-wotsit (sowed yesterday - have to sow some more for my mum now)
Echinacea (sowed yesterday)
probably something else I've forgotten about.
I have the labelling thing sorted - I cut up any suitable plastic that isn't much use for mini-greenhouses and write on that with a permanent marker (it actually is - after one dried, I ran it under the tap and it stayed!)
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summer savory
thyme
rosemary
perennial sunflowers
dwarf heliotropes
evening primrose
a few aubergines (courtesy of EJ)
alpine strawberries
1st earlies and onion sets about to go in.
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At the last count i have sown 102 trays,3 of leeks,1 of carrots,2 of parsnips in peat pots,salsify,chard and lettuce,the rest are mainly perennials and a few annuals.
when its time to pot them all on i,m calling in the troops.
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I am trying to restrain myself as my lottie is not dug yet!
But so far I have not been able to resist sowing:
12 seeds of Tomato "Roma"
12 seeds of Tomato "Tigerella"
40 seeds of Onion "Bedfordshire Champion"
40 seeds of Onion "Brunswick"
9 seeds of Sweet Pepper "Carnival"
and I have just started off some CCA lettuce seeds, coriander and basil (for the windowsill).
And of course I have 22 tubers chitting.
Methinks I am being quite restrained really!
Ten x
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forgot to add 5 different potatoes chitting away nicely
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The seeds we have sown are, red onions, leeks,sweet peppers, 3 lots of toms, sweet corn, peas and brccoli. Flower seeds: sweet peas, pansies, taggetes and sunflowers. we have our potatoes chitting nicely and some onion sets in a composted tray. Lots of them up now. Some trays on an old pasting table in front of the spare bedroom window and also scattered all through the house on windows. We have a greenhouse outside in the garden but it is too cold at the moment for anything. The snow is gradually clearing now, and it is a lovely day today. Hopefully things will be nicely dried out for some work at the lottie over the weekend.. :D busy_lizzie
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Minerva, Have just noticed you have some teasle on the go. can I ask where you got them from? Thanks! :) busy_lizzie
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i bought the seeds from culpepper herbs, in Bath, i have lots left if you would like some?
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OK here's a few more:
Already germinated:
Busy Lizzies - Bush Sweet Pea - Linum - Cineraria - Trailing Verbena - Trailing Blue Felicia
Waiting to germinate:
Toms (Moneymaker) - Nasturtium - Pansies - Dwarf Verbena - Dwarf Antirhinums.
Also going to pot up some dahlia tubers which have been over-wintering in my greenhouse and also sow French Marigolds a bit later as they tend to germinate very quickly.
Forgot to mention my large tuberous begonias which will be going into pots - have red, white and pink.
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Petunias
Marigolds
Sweet Peas
Sweet Peppers
Chillis
Basil
I sowed all last weekend, apart from the Basil, which was the weekend before. The marigolds germinated overnight! The rest of them are have germinated although the chillis are a little slow.
The basil germinated ok, but now seems to be going nowhere, so I dunno if they're too cold or too close together or what.
I also have my tomato seeds to go in and some coriander which I will probably do tomorrow.
Only some of the sweet peas came up, but I didn't soak them or scratch them or anything, so I guess it's my own fault. Planting on the balcony, so not much room for too many of them any way.
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Pah, my chillis and aubergines are taking forever to come up! Hmmmm.....toms came up almost overnight, fastest I have ever known!
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two sweet peas were up this morning!
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Right, thats it, I am going down my greenhouse to see if anything else has emerged. I am getting jealous of you lot and am feeling left out. I thought I had a lot growing!!!!!! >:(
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EJ - at least you can just pop outside to check yours. I wanna see how mine are doing, but that would involve a one-hour journey. I hope they are ok by themselves! (I'm turning into a real mother here!)
When I said I sowed five toms and have four up - it was five varieties, not five seeds. I don't know how many seeds to was (maybe 60?) Still haven't got any growth on the yellow plum toms and I'm worried the delphiniums are doomed never to grow. :'(
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Well, went and checked and nothing new up. Mind you, checked on my chillis which are in my conservatory and got all excited.......growth..... then I realised it was more toms - Hungarian Giants. 60 tomato plants Aqui! Where are you going to plant them all? I think I will have about 30 when all are up and growing and I am worrying about that amount!
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Probably only 30 tom plants up so far. I'll need at least 20. Preferably more! I always do extra for mum and mum-in-law. (latter has absolutely no luck with seeds!) If there are still spares I'll offer them to neighbours or donate to a charity shop. I can't stand chucking perfectly healthy plants on the compost.
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I have 2 types of tomato ( gardeners delight - which were gorgeous last year, and a plum variety)
Broccoli ( already poking through)
parsley
basil
cucumber
onion (seeds)
cauliflower
potatoes chitting ( jersey royals & king edward)
flowers:
gazania
and loads more packs of seeds ready to sow ......but I haven't prepared the ground at the lottie yet !!
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Just to update I have (finaly!) got my first sowing of the year done. I always find the first one the hardest to do. Questions like: "Have I remembered what to do?", "What seeds first?", "Hope i do it right and not mess it up ...."etc Quiite stressfull really.
After that i am off and running, just that first one you know?
Any way I have sowed: Sweet peas, Tomatoes (4 types) Nicotiana and Calistephus (china aster).
Lots more to come though......
Peas, basil, lettuce, ................ :D
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I can honestly say I have never found sowing seeds a nerve wracking experience, exciting, yes, and frustrating when the little blighters refuse to come up, but I don't get nervous about it. I have tagetes in, and sweetpeas, broadbeans, loads of south african lovlies with complicated names, red cauli and white caulis. Now it is March, I can officially go through my seed box and oik out all of the seeds that say sow in March and start all over again! The hardest thing for me is moderation. Do you lot find that? I find it hard to only sow a few seeds, wanna bung the whole pack in in one go! Did that with digitalis last year, then spent days and days pricking out and ended up with about 20 seed trays with neat little rows of foxgloves, and did anyone want them, no! PAH!
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The hardest thing for me is moderation. Do you lot find that?
nods. Oh yes. I'm getting better, though, after last year having forests of seedlings. (just a few more for luck, and then some!)
Agree it's exciting, not nerve racking. I only sow half a packet at a time, though, just in case they don't come up. Am worried about my Aquilegia Roman Bronze, though, there were only about 15 seeds in the packet, so I sowed them all. Better work. But then, if they don't, I can always buy some more! It's all a learning experience, so if it doesn't work, learn where you went wrong and try again!
I get nervous waiting for things to come up - bit like an expectant father (Aqui realises the gender inaccuracy of this simile) pacing up and down the waiting room. But as soon as the shoots pop up from the soil, cigars are passed round!
weekend now (it's almost 5pm!) ;D ;D ;D Mother-in-law's taking me on our first gardening shopping trip of the year!
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oh yeah! its march - time for seed sorting! i am away for the whole of april so i'm having before or after april sowing dilemmas!
p.s. just bought more seeds too :o
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Hi everybody here are the sowing results from the netherlands;about 80 variaties of tomatoes and i dont now what happens with them this year but the pooked there noses after 5 days through the soil.I will take pics from them after one month,must be one green tomatojungle.Thats not all foks,then we have 10 variaties pepers,what are they slow comparing to the tommies.Outdoors i sow broadbeans,peas,early lettuce,cabbage,russian kale leeks.they are all under glass.So these are the results of the dutch sower.
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Hi, Minerva, Re Teasle seeds. If you have some spare would love to take you up on your offer. Is their anything you would like to swop for them? Thanks! busy_lizzie :)
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My trouble is once I get going i find it hard to restrain myself. I want to grow all sorts from seed, but on a pracrical leve can only grow a fraction of what I want due to space (or lack of). Last year i went a little mad, particularly with oenothera (evening primrose). The seeds of this are fine and I ended up sowing loads more than i needed (i was pr*cking them out for ages!). Of corse i can never bring myself to throw seedlings away (unless I damage them), so endea up with trays every where. This on top of every thing else I had sow and needed growing on. ;D
This said i never sow a whole packed (unles there arent that many seeds in it and i need them all), but even then i seem to over do it. I never use full or half trays, and use 'strip trays' these are strips of trays about one fifth/sixth the size of a full tray (used by nurseries for bedding plants i think). I find they are just the right size for the quantity of seed i want to grow. Pots i find waste space in the propagator.
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Ruud: You probably heard of the tanker spilling Bromine at Antwerp port? I was barred foom my plot this weekend due to that. The soil is ok but the lake alongside is still being checked out so we're all banned until next week!
Still, I spent the day in the greenhouse sowing onions, sweetpeas, lettuce and more sweetpeas.
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heeheehee...oh Ruud, you sound just like you are giving points in the eurovision song contest. ;D
ooo, and I have chillis poking through today! Yippee
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My final variety of tom popped up to say hello at the weekend, along with about 10 sweet peas! (Aqui does the germination dance!) Nothing else new just yet, but I suppose it is rather soon since I sowed them!
note to self: learn to be more patient!
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I am pleased to report some of my seeds i sowed last friday are begining to germinate already. One type was one of those 'dont cover types, so can actualy see the germination taking place, first the root then the stem and leaves. Amazing! :)
Hopefully the rest wont be long ;D ;D
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Did it? E .J.,lol.But serious now.I sowed some lettuce today,called black seeded simpson.
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Hurrah! My chillis and peppers are up, and most of my £2.99 for the pack and only 10 seeds tomatoes are up this morning too. I am a happy girl.
Sweet peas, petunias and marigolds are up too, and my basil, although the basil seems to be giving me a bit of trouble.
Moggle
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germination dance time again...
one delphinium was up yesterday. And my verbena seeds (which are on the compost surface) look like they are starting too wake up (tiny dots on them). overslept this morning, so didn't have time to check them today. And the mushrooms are finally looking like mushrooms rather than white fuzzy stuff, so should have a harvest soon!
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Seed Update: My tomatoes are now well on the way, with the calistephus already well advanced.
Just waiting for the nicotiana and the sweet peas now, the former are starting to show signs if I look hard enough, but no sign as yet of the sweet peas.
I do wonder whether i soaked them long enough. Perhaps i should have tried sprouting (chitting) them first, like they showed on GW last week
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Richard - my sweetpeas took about two weeks to come up. I cut them slightly with a knife (forgot to soak and was too eager to get going!)
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Hmm perhaps i am being a little impatient. Unfortunately i cant remember how long they took last year (didnt make notes -naughty me! >:( ). Also whilst the others are 'on heat' the SP's are not and it has been cold so there we are. More patience required! :D
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So far I have 4 types or tomatoes plus some 'tumbling toms' for mum and dad. They dont have a garden but love toms in a few large pots on the back yard wall. Dad feels dead 'agricultural' when he goes out to forage for a few for a salad. :D Just pricked out my nicotiana seedlings yesterday and marigold 'glowing embers' are pricked out and thriving. The cosmos is well on its way too. Have hundreds of fuschia cuttings all rooting nicely. Havent started on stuff for the lottie as yet as the ground is still inpenatrable. But roll on Saturday when the digger man comes. ;D
Yippppeeee just got my 'Jacaranda mimosaefolia' seeds I bid for on e bay. Got them for about £1.50. So I can get started on them. :-*Dontcha just love this growing lark. ;D
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What the hell do you do if you havent got a greenhouse ?? :(
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Fingle you made it back :D. I actually have very little growing in the green house. Just some sweetpeas and a few rooted cuttings of fuschia and geraniums. Oh and my agavae and some callas and pineapple lilys. Ok sorry yep you could do with a greenhouse. However I still have every available windowsill and table top covered in plantpots and seed trays. Even though I dont yet have my busy lizzie plugs yet. OOoo errr Mrs. where am I going to put them? :-\ When the time comes to put them all out I feel not as though I have planted out but more that I have gained my house back. Wouldnt have it any other way though. Good job I have The BESTEST hubby in the world :-*, and he is very understanding and loves to see me having fun.
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Fingle - I don't have a greenhouse. I use the living room windowsill to start things off and then move them into the kitchen when they are establishing (it's a little cooler in there). The other two windowsills in our flat are too cold and don't get enough light for much else.
Harder things (mostly aquilegias and wildflowers) are started in my plastic greenhouse. I'm also going to make a coldframe to harden things off in.
The trick I've found is to use square pots as they take up much less room than round ones. Soon I may have to start using the kitchen worksurface as well - I'm rapidly running out of room!
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Everytime my husband comes home from work he mutters the obligatory 'bl***y plants, I can't see out of the windows for bl***y plants'. The dining room table has now been pushed up against the window and is covered, as well as every windowsill in the house with seed trays and pots. I'm hoping that the oft repeated words - "if only I had a greenhouse" will eventually take their toll!
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Re sweet peas - I am growing the bush variety (saved seeds from last year's plants). I put them in an envelope and then into a plastic container with all my other collected seeds and put them in the fridge. When I took them out of the fridge they had already started germinating, so planted them up and they are now about 2inches. Anyone know anything about bush sweet peas. Do you have to pinch them or will they bush automatically ??? :)
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Alas, the girlfriend isnt so understanding.
She would have a blue fit if i started to put pots on the sideboards and everywhere.
I guess il have to build something down the plot.
bum
:-[
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More advances from Aqui's windowsills...
Last night I spotted two Delphiniums that have come up. Out of two 3-inch pots that I sowed, the two seedlings have emerged right next to each other (initially I thought it was one plant!) Another one (in another area) had popped up this morning.
Leeks have started coming up. But no sign of the chives yet.
Verbena is definitely doing something. Tiny roots emerging from the seeds.
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Just started off the jacaranda seeds. They have to be 'scarified' apparently which involved soaking in just cooled boiled water a couple of times. Then an overnight soak in warm water and then place in a small bag of vermiculite in the propergator. Stand back and wait............ ;D
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On Tuesday I sowed (indoors)
tomato
cucumber
broad beans
peas
watermelon
broccoli
bell peppers
the broad beans (I presoaked them for a day) are sprouting already !
-B_B-
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Hoorah, aubergines at last, altho still no chillis >:(, purple caulis, brocolli, sea kale and yellow swiss chard. Lots growing now, gotta do some potting on over the weekend ;D
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I have.
10 Toms "planted out in pois 3in high
30 broard beans "showing
30 runner beans "showing
20 cabbage "planted out in trays"
20 cauliflower Dito
20 sprouts Dito
50 onion sets "all showing"
20 lettuce Webbs " planted out in trays"
20 garlic just showing
40 pots chitting
Planted today
10 pepper
2 trays of Leeks
Not to bad for abeginner (with your help)
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Blimey, runner beans already :o, now I am impatient, but I am not that early. Don't let them catch a cold.
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Don’t worry EJ they are all kept in my green house, if it gets to gold I will put the heater on, ;)
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more news...
more leeks are showing and some of the bigger ones are unfolding.
more Delphiniums are up.
more toms up (I think all the seeds I sowed have germinated - now have at least twice as many plants as I have room for - would have no trouble eating them all, just don't have room for the plants!)
Also sowed this weeked:
bronze fennel
more Delphiniums (this time butterfly mix)
lettuce, rocket and radish in a pot outside (with protection)
pre-germinating carrots and parsnips
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We are all sowing away, but have any of you thought about the dreaded pricking out time?? Or am I the ONLY one who absolutely DETESTS doing it! >:(
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DP - I can't wait. I love pricking out. It's really soothing and I go all Zen doing it. Hoping to do my tomatoes this weekend.
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Can I send mine up to you Aqui?!! ;D
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OK then. How's £1 per seedling sound? ;D ;)
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They are nicotianas, and I reckon a magnifying glass will be needed!! Blimey that would cost me about a hundred squidleys........maybe I shall have to do it myself :'(
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I am sooooo pleased. I tried sowing toms from seed this year for the first time. Thought they were not going to germinate - two days ago nothing, today 8 seedlings all about 1 inch high ;D Also my nasturtiums have come through.
As for pricking out - love it - very therapeutic. Have pricked out about 200 busy lizzies, 30 cineraria, 24 linum, 18 cleome and plenty more to do ;D :D
One question: When do you start to feed the toms. Is it when the first trusses start to appear or before ???
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Another that likes to prick out, am I alone here?!! :-\
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No DP, I am with you. I start with all good intentions, but get very frustrated when doing it. I now try to only sow a few things per tray, easy with the bigger seeds, impossibly with the smalleeees. Hate it!
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One question: When do you start to feed the toms. Is it when the first trusses start to appear or before ???
when the first flowers appear. You want to feed the fruit as it's developing, not the leaves.
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Thanks Aqui :)
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I am so happy, all of my expensive tomatoes came up, and now are getting second leaves. ;D
Peppers and chillis coming along nicely, with chillis getting second leaves too.
Will be potting on this weekend, along with sweet peas, I'll have a spare room full of little plants :)
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Patricia S.... I've just seen your bit about 'bush' sweet peas. You create the 'bush' by careful pinching off of the side shoots that are going the 'wrong' way. You will still need to nip out the leader or it will gallop away turn 'blind'. This will give you little or even no flowering side shoots.
PS: Done a bit of searching and come across 2 s'pea types that are more prone to bushing than the norm. They are Lathyrus Latifolius and L.Vernus. The former is the 'ever lasting perennial. Bot will form better bushes than the 'ordinary' s'pea.
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Speediest showing so far is the Amaranthus. Sown on Sunday,popped into propergator and seedlings up last night :o about 50 hours. Not bad eh?
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Not done them this year. Just sown 100 sweatpeas, 5th variety of Tom's, Hot chilli's, brussels, more white/red cabbage, spring onions, Chinese lanterns and getting set for sweet corn.
(sweatpeas?..well, it was hot in there.)
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Ken, I got some chinese lanterns seeds from Germany, but cant translate instructions. Can you help out?
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I know the gen. stuff but will get you more detailed info before the day's out.
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Ken - thanks very much for the info on my bush sweet peas. If they do ok I will post a photo :)
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More plants are saying hello to the sun... One Echinacea has awoken, my verbena now has its first seed leaves (before they were just roots), my pre-germinated carrots are developing roots (although the parsnips have yet to do anything), chives are coming up, the salad bowl (radishes, rocket, lettuce) has something happening (I think it's the radish seeds that came to the surface and have roots growing - I only sowed them on saturday - I gently poked them down again).
My tomatoes have true leaves now, so they'll be pricked out at the weekend. I was going to do it yesterday, but when I got in from the stables, I was too tired and the weather was too yucky to go outside again!
The leeks are starting to form those blobby bits in the end. Although they are very spindly still (only babies really!)
And finally, all I'm waiting on is everything in my mini greenhouse (about six varieties of aquilegia and my wildflowers), and the bronze fennel and delphiniums that I sowed on Saturday.
:D
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We are all sowing away, but have any of you thought about the dreaded pricking out time?? Or am I the ONLY one who absolutely DETESTS doing it! >:(
Why do you detest doing it Doris? It is supposed to be part of the funof doing it, though i myself find it a little stressfull, particularly if it doesnt go right (or if the leaves are small, the seedlings are crowded etc). When it goes right it can be enjoyable but often i worry too much about damaging them or making a mistake. You are not entirely alone.
I wouldnt not do it for the world though, growing plants from seed is wonderfull , if a little stressful at times. ;D
PS: most of my sweet peas have now germinated. I have now put them out in my minigreenhouse rather than indoors, now the weather is warmer, if only to make room for other less hardy things.
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To Mimi: Cape gooseberry. Physalis Edulus.
This bit is from the packet; Sow Feb-April. Plant out 1/2 May-June. Harvest Sep-Nov.
"Sow in a propagator under glass at 15-18 0in good compo. Transplant into 3" pots and later into large pots in the greenhouse border or one plant per grow bag."
My added bit; Sow seeds individually or well spaced in a propagator. Put glass or a lid on it. (Will also grow from cuttings.) When the seeds poke through, remove the cover. Don't plant where you've had spuds or tom's as the cape is prone to the same diseases. I start sowing now and plan to have them in a cold frame end of April and permanent by the end of May. (Yes, outdoors. Might try them in my plastic thing at the plot, too.) I've grown them in bottomless pots sunk in the ground with manure under that. They need support as they grow and sun and shelter is best but with a good plant you should get a few pounds of fruit. Cook it or eat raw. Yummy. Pick when they are a golden yellow. If they're outdoors and the first frost is due, if they're in pots, get them under cover. If not, take off any fruits showing any yellow and leave them in the husk on a window sill to ripen. Have I missed owt?
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To Kenkew: :-*Many thanks. can get them start today. Just one more thing? Are they perennial ???
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I think they originate in South America where they might well be perennial but treat them as an annual over here.
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Okey dokey. ;)
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Mimi, I grew 4 plants last year and picked a big bowl full of fruit, and as I am the only one that loves that acidic taste, I ate the lot! They looked very pretty whilst growing also, and it did seem a shame to pick them. Growing about 24 plants this year, want an even bigger bowl to scoff! YUM!
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my progress so far:
tomatoes and companion marigolds pricked out and transplanted into some really useful cell insert trays I've found - 3 x 5, so each one is about the size of a 3 inch pot
basil and lettuce sowed about a week ago and seedlings are coming along
chilli and aubergine seedlings doing OK (thanks again EJ!), although progress slower than tomatoes
leeks and brussell sprouts sowed into a seed tray today
still too wet and miserable to get my 1st earlies and onion sets in..fingers crossed for the weekend
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Pleasures all mine Ross.
okay, feeling left out of this post now so will update with all I have growing....if I can remember!
Germinated - aubergine, beetroot, broadbeans, sprouts, red cabbage, Caulis, chard, chillis, chives, kohl rabi, leeks, lettuce, parsnips, peppers, sea kale (thanks stephan) and 6 varieties of toms. I have in the ground, 1 row of pentland javelin, still have a row of them to go, onions, garlic, shallots and peas. ;D
Have lots of other things in but not germinated yet. Lots of flowers, shrubs, bulbs and stuff germinated and growing, but as I am not sat sitting in my greenhouse, I can't tell ya what....I know I have sweetpeas, poor mans orchid, protea....umm...mecenopsis, jacobs ladders, penstemon...eerr... nope, lots more but can't think what. ;D ;D ;D
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Me tomato plants are HUGE now but nothing else is doing owt - is it me, or do chilli's take a lifetime to show their faces?
Is it just too dark for them to make the effort?
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my progress so far:
tomatoes and companion marigolds pricked out and transplanted into some really useful cell insert trays I've found - 3 x 5, so each one is about the size of a 3 inch pot
Sorry for the silly question but why do you grow marigolds with tomatoes?
Sparky
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Sparky - the marigold flowers attract insects to pollinate the tom flowers and hover flies and other predators that will eat the pests off the toms.
Growing basil near toms is supposed to improve the flavour of the toms too. (although I've never tried it as I can't get basil to grow outside!)
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yes, that's right. am using this variety:
http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/299/1 (http://seeds.thompson-morgan.com/uk/en/product/299/1)
Description: For many decades in certain parts of the old world it has been the practice to grow African or French marigolds of a certain type to repel white fly on tomatoes in greenhouses or outdoors. It has also been found that the tomatoes grow better and bear more fruit with marigolds around them.
they germinated in 1 day, so seem pretty easy to grow.
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My marigolds germinated in one day too ;D
Didn't know that about them with the tomateys though, so I think I'll sow some more this weekend in preperation.
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Gawd, Marigolds. I had thousands saved from last year in a plastic box. Went into the greenhouse this morning intending to sprinkle a few, took off the tight plastic lid...and...well, I suppose it's to do with the seeds rubbing on inside of the box, but when I got the top off hundreds of 'em flew out and stuck on the glass and all the propogator plastic lids. Never seen the like before. Looks like I'm going to 'em growing all over the greenhouse. Shish!
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have just looked at variety on link but have already sent my seed order and don't think i'll find them in local garden centre... does anyone know if any marigolds will do?
Sparky
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I pricked out my tomatoes yesterday (hiding from the wind in the shed!). My south-facing window sills are just about big enough to contain them all. But as I also have lots of other seedlings, I've got loads of pots on the kitchen worksurfaces. Oh well - no cooking for a while! ;)
I have 48 tomato plants! (25-30 for me, 4 for mum, 4 for mum-in-law, still got 10 left over. (That is assuming they all make it through to that stage!)
didn't manage to sow anything - had planned to do some basil, peppers (two varieties), marigolds and chamoumille, but after all that pricking out, I'd run out of little pots.
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Impressive Aqui. My tally is far less impressive.
I too pricked out on the weekend, but only 10 toms, 5 peppers and 2 chillis. Also 12 sweet peas. Was so hard chucking the others out, but had to for final space and lack of pots reasons.
My windowsill in the spare room is covered with plants, also part of a table, the top of the fridge, and my ironing board. (No ironing for a while ;D)
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Moggle - I cannot throw out perfectly healthy plants - hence my overpopulated window sills!
And thank you for the ironing board idea - it might as well be used for something! I have some backless small bookcases at my parents' house which I think I may have to collect to put on the window sill to triple my space!
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More germination - more excitement (I'm sorry, I get so excited every time a new seedling appears!)
Bronze Fennel (thanks again TraceyM) and Delphinium Butterfly have appeared.
That means that everything I have sowed has come up now!
Until tomorrow, when I sow marigolds, chamoumile, peppers, basil...
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Well we are sowing tonight.... :D :D
We as yet haven't got the lottie dug over yet so concentrating on getting things gowing for the grow bags for the moment:
Sowing:
Toms (x4 varieties), Courgette, cucumber, a variety of Erbs, and not forgetting EmmaJane's chocolate chiliies.
Also planted, Strawberry (x2 varieties), rhubarb, apple tree, blackberry bushes, raspberry canes.
And salvaged 15 raspberry canes found at the bottom of the lottie.
Looking forward to the weekend, the Head Gardener (Sophie- the better half) has decided that we will not be using a rotavator to turn the plots, but for the sake of fitness we will be hand digging it all... :) :o :)
Here comes the sun, dada dada,
its alright, dada de dada de dada de.....
take care all
happy sowing
les n soph
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Just had a big sowing session on saturday.
Tomatoes (second batch two varieties)
Lettuce
Basil
Osteospermum (annual)
Bidens (annual)
Nicotiana sylvestris (loads!)
Anagalis (annual)
Cephalophora
Geum
This is just for starters. I have more to do both indoors and out. ;D
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I have sowed so much now I can't even think! Every day I poke my head around my greenhouse door and there is a new flush of growth. Some things come up so quickly, and quite large, other things are like little green pin pricks! Going to do some pricking out and potting on tomorrow (Wednesday) and am currently hardening off leeks and brassicas, hoping to get them out over easter as I need the room in my greenhouse. My conservatory is getting packed also, and Ava has just gotten us some fresh bird of paradise seeds, white, yellow and orange! :o
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Lots of excitement yesterday as even more things have germinated. All six varieties of basil have come up - even the ones that Mr Aqui accidentally kicked over and spilled. My Aubs are up, the peppers are just coming through (well one variety - the other one is rather old!) Some of my Aquilegias are coming up at last (only a month since I sowed them, but I was starting to worry!)
Yesterday I also sowed:
sweetcorn
squash
sunflowers (oh - must register that)
fennel (thanks Emma and Stephan!)
I thought there was more than that - at least it looks more on the kitchen worksurface!
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sowed some squashes yesterday:
Tiger Cross marrows
Tancheese and Twango squashes (it says May on the packet but I got too impatient)
Thinking about sowing french beans and Runners soon...or is it too early maybe?
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E-J, you putting your leeks out already?
Mine are really small still, maybe a couple of inches high, but they have been outside for a couple of weeks in their seed trays.
Do you reckon they could be transplanted to the lottie?
Tina
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Well, mine are only small also, and I was going to, but now I have spoken to Jethro and he says once they are pencil thickness, so it looks as though they will be staying in their modules for another couple of weeks yet! :-\ Oh well, at least it means I might have space for them on my new plot as I am fast running out of room on the main plot! :o
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Oh drat - I forgot to experiment with putting a couple of leeks in the mini greenhouse. I think I'm too nervous of losing them yet!
All I'm waiting on now are ragged robin, ox-eye daisies, field scabious (why are wild flowers so reluctant to germinate?) and some rather old peppers, as well as the veg that I sowed last week.
Sowed 10 sunflowers, nine have come up!
I think I shall sow a few more of the wild flowers....
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In the new year, put a few Kelsae onions, a few leeks. Still in January, did some herbs, but only the parsley survived the nearly 3ft high pest/helper.
February - some onions, idol caulis, toms and chillis, flowers - cosmos, marigolds & tagetes, pansy, achillea (trying for useful companion flowers).
March - well, was neglected til the last few days of the month - flowers, herbs, broccoli, cauli, kale, brussels, cabbage, lettuce, cardoons and artichoke...
April - broad, french and runner beans, peas, melon, toms, squashes,chillis, amaranths (for grain), more leeks, celeriac.
Still got lots to sow, then transplant.
First earlies went in last week. Got overwintering allium things and broad beans. Got asparagus coming up (though another year before harvesting)
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Some potatoes
Some garlic