Planting in January

[springbok]

Alot of my seed packets are saying to plant seeds this month, including all the tomatoes.
Is this under cover in a coldframe with propogators, or do I have to do them all inside.

Thanks :)

[springbok]

[jennym]

Depends on how much room you have!
There isn't much that won't wait until it's warmer, and for certain unless you have masses of room in a heated glasshouse, tomatoes can definitely wait until April. I do a few in March for early crops, but they have to be kept frost free. I do sow cape gooseberry around mid feb usually, because they need a pretty long growing season. They are sown in a propagator. Also aubergines, sweet peppers and chilli peppers.
I don't really sow anything in January.
Took me a few years to learn to stop trying to get seeds to germinate when they don't really want to.

Edited to add, I don't grow giant onions or leeks etc, I expect these start early  ;D

[grawrc]

Thank you for that expert advice Jen! I was just mulling over my seed boxes and wondering what to have a go with... I think you're right. I'll give myself a break and wait till February or even March.

Anne

[cornykev]

I'm going to propergate some Cally and cabbage seeds in the next few weeks, I always seem to sow too late, when everybody was eating their Tommie's last year, mine had only just got fruit on them, maybe we should start a thread on when people start sowing and planting in different parts of the country so the newbies and forgetful people like myself don't fall behind.  ;D ;D ;D

[springbok]

I agree, Im a total novice, first time im growing vegetables.

Im in Bedfordshire! 

My neighbour just scattered veg seeds in his garden last year, he had never done anything like it before, and had fantastic crops.
Apparently we have good soil here!.

[cornykev]

Hi Spring I was in Dunstable on a trainers course in June, theres somebody on this site who lives in Dunstable or thereabouts but there name escapes me, I'll get it in a minute.  ;D ;D ;D

[bupster]

I hadn't a clue my first year, still haven't really. I'm probably going to start off some chillies and some peppers and the baby cherry tomatoes that I'm going to try to grow on indoors (windowsill!). I'll also start some early leeks as I love them and would like to see if I can get some really early ones in September. It's as much to have something growing as being serious about starting crops off.

[mc55]

I'll be starting some sweet potato slips off shortly (if I can remember to buy the blummin thing)

[Superstar]

mc55 - how do you do that?  Previously I have ordered them by post but they arrive soooooo late.

[springbok]

dumb blonde here, but what is a potato chit that everybody talks about?

I love sweet potatos!

[jonny211]

I think chitting is leaving seed potatoes in a cool, light place (kitchen floor for me) until the eye's sprout, giving the spuds a head start before you put them in the ground.

[star]

dumb blonde here, but what is a potato chit that everybody talks about?

I love sweet potatos!

Sweet potatoes are grown from slips, which are eyes the same as normal potatoes. But these are encouraged by placing sweet pot tuber in moist compost. As the slips grow and show through the compost (this can take a few weeks), gently pull and twist off from the tuber and place in water for roots to develop.

http://members.aol.com/SPVine/garden/garden1.htm

Our potatoes....put the seed potatoes on a light ,not sunny, windowsill. And the 'eyes' will begin to shoot. These will grow to a few inches, be careful not to break them off when planting.

Hope this has helped  ;)

[Froglegs]

I don't chit,i cannot be botherd with all messing that go's with it,why worry ???,as soon as you put the tuber in the ground it does what nature intended it to do ...grow! :)

[markfield rover]

Did sow some sweet peas yesterday ,just to get things going for 2008 ,oh and basils indoors
okay Andes caully and coleus too and I have an idea geraniums might be next.
such little things so much joy.

[antipodes]

This site:
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-212,00.html
tells you when to sow and plant in accordance with where you live.
It seems quite good but I haven't tried it in practice yet. Most of my things it says to sow from February onwards... except maybe seed onions...

Also TeeGee's site http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/ gives you a month by month guide...'cept he is up north so might  have to come forward a couple of weeks if you are in Southern UK.
Hope this helps.

[Susiebelle]

I Love TeeGee's site

[Tee Gee]

Also TeeGee's site http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/ gives you a month by month guide...'cept he is up north so might  have to come forward a couple of weeks if you are in Southern UK.

Thanks for the plugs folks!

Regarding comparative dates look in here; http://tinyurl.com/y57avq

[springbok]

I found this interactive calender which is great.  You choose your nearest weather station and it calculates it all automatically for you.
Hope its some use to some folk!! :)

http://www.gardenaction.co.uk/fruit_veg_diary/veg_planner.asp

[Tee Gee]

Just tried that link for my area.

I think it is a bit optimistic in my case e.g.

last frost mid May I would say end of May

Early frost mid Sept very rare more like mid Oct.

So I suggest you err on the the late side of the dates given

By the way; this is just an observation!!

[Trevor_D]

Down here in the balmy (or should it be barmy?) South, I don't sow anything until the last week in January: broad beans in modules for planting out late Feb, plus lettuce in the GH for planting in the frame later, and parsley. Everything else waits till early Feb when the propagator comes out and things really get going.

But having said that, I sowed carrots in a trough in the (unheated) GH mid-month last year and they were brilliant! And I happened to be at a garden centre today and a packet of summer sprouting broccoli thrust itself into my hand: might try sowing some this week to see if I can get broccoli in May to follow the EPS....