Topic: Sow.....what have you sowed?

[Mrs Ava]

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!

[rdak]

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

[Mrs Ava]

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

[mysticmog]

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?

[Sparky]

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

[aquilegia]

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!)

[rdak]

yes, that's right. am using this variety:

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.

[Moggle]

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.

[kenkew]

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!

[Sparky]

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

[aquilegia]

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.

[Moggle]

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)

[aquilegia]

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!

[aquilegia]

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...

[Les_Woof]

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

[Garden Manager]

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

[Mrs Ava]

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

[aquilegia]

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!

[rdak]

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?

[tina]

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