I always have to look back through my diary to see when I sowed what.
I wondered what everybody else was up to when it comes to sowing seeds. So hard to get the timing just right:
- Too early = lanky plants not at their best - worse still ~ planted out and hit by frost
- Too late = it takes ages for them to catch up and the crop is delayed
How about sharing sowing times although we are in different parts of the country / world?
We are sowing nothing until April 1st as we are off on holiday mid March.Will be interesting to see if things catch up. We will be putting the spuds in before we go.
We are getting some spuds in this weekend and fleecung over as going away for a few weeks in march even if does mean getting wet.
Done peas, broad beans, first batch of lettuce, leeks, onions. About to do tomatoes, peppers, first potatoes, some cabbage, cauli, PSB, celery. In a month or thereabouts carrots, turnips, parsnips, more brassica, radish and lettuce. Late April moschata squashes (butternut type) and cucumber, early May other squashes and courgettes, up to mid May beans and everything I have forgotten or hasn't germinated/been eaten etc. Late July starting on the second crops Chinese cabbage, endive, lettuce for autumn winter, turnips perhaps a last carrot sowing and radish. September the last sowings for winter veg, more rocket, lettuce, mizuna, lamb's lettuce, endive (too late to do much, but if it survives, there will be a lot of spring growth). October garlic and shallots get planted (sometimes early November).
By no means a complete list.
Wow... such a lot started off already! ;)
So far I've only put in:
- leeks
- broadbeans
- shallots
- onion sets
- garlic
At the moment only the leek seed is making an effort and a very few of the onions.
Potaotes are busy chitting.
It'd be good to know which part of the world everyone is in as I'm sure this makes a difference.
Quote from: Aden Roller on March 01, 2012, 09:31:40
It'd be good to know which part of the world everyone is in as I'm sure this makes a difference.
Sorry, you are right of course. Northants/Beds border on top of a ridge, cool and windy, clay soil.
So far, in wigan
challenge tommies are nearly ready for their 2nd transplanting, I've transplanted the rest of the handbag, oxheart, black krim, pink oxheart, galina yellow, minibel and lemon tree tomatoes, corno rosso peppers first transplant. Sowed tigerella, consto something and some burpless cucumber.
I've mixed leaves and oriental leaves ready to plant into troughs, sowed and coming up is calabrese and sowed kalibos and red fuego cabbage and express cabbage. Can't think how many flowers I've sown/transplanted apart from the swet peas ;D
Oops, forgot the challenge spuds, the vanessa spuds in the poly and the lady crystl and purple majesty planted under cloches on plot 2
OOh, and chitting parsnip seed to go in the covered bed for earlies although we haven't finished last years yet ;D
Hi
I count backwards from the date of the last frost (expected)
Here is around the third week in april which means there is six weeks to go.
I sow my hardy veg now and the half hardies that need good early growth like early toms and peppers.
The hardies can be put out in mini greenhouses in a couple of weeks time when they have good roots (already out are cabbages, broccoli, onions, and hardy flowers like cornflowers, sunflowers, echinacea) Direct sown early peas and broad beans are already out in short rows.
Then two weeks before the last frost dates i sow the tender things carrots and parsnips some of the french beans outside, melons cucumbers pumpkins, french beans etc inside this means that there isnt so much looking after of these large plants waiting to put thm out.
Good luck with your sowing it seems like a good spring season so far, but theres still a chance of heavy frosts in march so im not taking any chances.
x sunloving
In the Loire Estuary:
Peppers and tomatoes and aubergines sown indoors already
echalotes and brown onions out, garlic in over winter
early radish and turnip sowed under fleece
12 early Belle de Fontenay in
March
I will sow Kelvedon and Early onward and Alderman peas and keep sowing through to april
- beetroot and lettuce and spring spinach (fleeced probably) and leeks
- All Year Round cauli and keep sowing radish and turnip and maybe a couple of Chinese cabbages
Finish planting all onions and potatoes with last maincrop in by early April
April
Sow parsnips, and towards end of the month french beans and Runner beans probably under cover but maybe not... and probably some calabrese
Sow flower seeds and herbs
Sow indoors courgettes and a couple of cucumbers
May
Plant out tomatoes/peppers/aubergines
Sow more courgette and cukes outdoors and pumpkins too
Keep sowing beans and runners
June July August
Not too much sowing now! Maintenance! But keep up sowings of beans, and also start off some later lettuce and herbs like coriander and chinese cabbage for autumn pickings
Not much after now! mostly harvesting and preparing for the next round!!! I think I am maybe 10 days ahead of the guys in the UK...
I always feel as if I'm late with everything nearly every year especially as I'm on the sunny (?) south coast. :-\
But we do get frosts right up to the start of May and sometimes unexpectedly (aren't they all?) heavy ones.
So I tend to hang back - later I often wish I hadn't when plot neighbours have their crops planted out but sometimes it pays off.
Tomatoes must go in very soon - heated propagator.
Derbyshire area: I go by my sowing diary, so this year plan to start off my tomatoes around 10th March so they are ready for the association plant sale early May. I grow on all of my stuff in a cold greenhouse, so can't start anything too early or it doesn't survive!
This being my first year I am really not sure when to plant what.
What I really need is for someone down at the allotment site who knows the local conditions to advise me, but from what I know everyone there is as new to this as I am :'(
Depending on the weather my plan is to plant the totties and onions on the 17th March, after that...who knows??
Its all good tho ;D
Quote from: tottieheed on March 01, 2012, 17:51:30
This being my first year I am really not sure when to plant what.
What I really need is for someone down at the allotment site who knows the local conditions to advise me, but from what I know everyone there is as new to this as I am :'(
Depending on the weather my plan is to plant the totties and onions on the 17th March, after that...who knows??
Its all good tho ;D
Which part of the world are you in?
I'd keep an eye on the longer range weather forecast for your area and be ready to cover those spuds up once they break through. It can be very disappointing if the tops are hit very badly by a late frost.
Broadbeans and onion sets can go in any time now... down here anyway.
Just sowed some little gem lettuce, provence salad mix, limnanthes and all year round cauli in pots inside, transplanted the ornamental cabbage for the plant sale, watered everything that needed it and found a self sown blackcurrant growing in the pebbled area at home so potted that up. Started off some brown mushrooms in a kit, last chance ;D
Winter onions and shallots happily growing
Shallots are in and onions to go in soon
A few earlies for the spud challenge are in, more to go in soon
A few Tigerella are 1.5 inches up
Yellow bell peppers are 1 inch up
Celeriac sown underglass
Replanted out strawberrys into spacings
Parsnips and carrots will be sown direct in a couple of weeks
Peas and French beans in April
That's as far forward that I can think at the moment. :D
I planted my first early potatoes yeasterday, plus the rest of my spring sown shallots that just arrived. I haven't sown a single seed this year yet! ::)
I have started on the seed circle tomatoes
Slovenian Black
Alpatieva
Monkey's Ass
Latah
He Man rootstock
Nuffink!
Seen the forecast?
8)
Six experimental potatoes went in under a pile of straw in October.
Autumn sown/planted broad beans, shallots and onions survived the snow and frost with a few casualties.
Peas coming up in their gutters (mange touts and Alderman), sown end of February after chitting.
Chitted broad beans ready to sow today but it suddenly rained.
I am a keen seed chitter, and have lettuce and chilli seed in damp cloth in plastic boxes. Lettuce will go into gutters to plant out into a coldframe when big enough. About to chit and gutter more salad type leaves such as land cress, rocket and so on, as I think it is well worth having some early plants to pick at as soon as possible.
Off topic, but I am looking forward to asparagus next month!
Quote from: telboy on March 03, 2012, 12:26:02
Nuffink!
Seen the forecast?
8)
;D ;D ;D ditto!!
I have sown Lettuce, cabbage, brussels, kale, cauliflower and broccoli seeds in trays in the growhouse. Just to see how they go
Here in the North-East I've just planted my first row of broad beans this morning. Everything else can wait for a few weeks!
Wow this thread is making me feel lazy!
I have potted on my chilis, sowed my Toms and sown peas in root trainer. Just done some beetroot (I went early last year and did well) and Marconi peppers. Onions and leeks later this week but I wont really get going till 2-3 rd week of March.
Spent a lovely hour or so yesterday in the greenhouse, half-deafened by the hailstone crashing into the glass some of the time, my head cooking from the sun for the rest.. 8)
Pricked out some chillis, toms, caulis, and cabbage. Sowed some leeks and a couple of things I've forgotten already..... But did remember to write down! That's a first. ;D
My tatties are looking a bit grim though. They are all shrivelling up. They might have to go in soon.... :-\
got one row of early spuds in so thats it till later in month then the rest can go in
Just onions for me..
190 yellow Onions went in Saturday, the reds will go in, in a few weeks
Just planted the first 2 of my chitted parsnips under a fleece tunel, sowed beetroot as ray's mum loves baby beet and we're running out. ;D
Just sowed some orange bell pepper seeds. :)
I am still buying in seeds ect but will sow a few things tomorrow in the greenhouse if possible
i have timber treatment,path clearing and a little digging still to do so no stress (but i am fighting the urge to go all out with the planting) ;D
Quote from: BarriedaleNick on March 05, 2012, 12:33:46
Wow this thread is making me feel lazy!
I have potted on my chilis, sowed my Toms and sown peas in root trainer. Just done some beetroot (I went early last year and did well) and Marconi peppers. Onions and leeks later this week but I wont really get going till 2-3 rd week of March.
In the sultry sunny south I'm miles behind (as is often the case ::))
Broadbeans up, leeks just coming through a month later than usual.
More seeds ordered.... and plans to start off beetroot in cells, tomatoes in the propagator and then an hour thumbing through the seed packets.
Oh... just remembered:
- Shallots are in cells rooting & shooting in a cold greenhouse (this has worked so well for the last three years)
- Potatoes chitting in the potting shed
- Garlic... sat sitting in modules also in the greenhouse... heaven knows why as normaly I'd plonk them straight in the ground... lack of time to get to the plot and my son bought the garlic for me to grow for him (how kind :D)
Patience but very very soon the marigolds must go in then a panic as I'm sure
something should have happened in February. ???
Sowed 6 Telegragh cucumbers yesterday.. ;D
Garlic, onions, broad beans, beetroot and spring onions are in - leeks and parsnips in a week or so.
Transplanted the 6 burpless cucs , Ray filled a gutter of meteor peas, I'm starting san marzano and roma toms today, plus I have some ginger in pots in the propagator ;D
And if it stops raining I will go plant more early spuds and start off the peas and salads this weekend!
Quote from: cornykev on March 07, 2012, 05:29:04
Sowed 6 Telegragh cucumbers yesterday.. ;D
Ha!
Me too! ;D
i have a few saved marigolds that need potting on checking on viability 4 lots of chillies and peppers about 6 of each kind that's all at the mo will start some more seeds as as their potted got to decide what :-\
Quote from: Nigel B on March 07, 2012, 09:55:01
Quote from: cornykev on March 07, 2012, 05:29:04
Sowed 6 Telegragh cucumbers yesterday.. ;D
Ha!
Me too! ;D
Another timely reminder. I always regret not starting telegraph cucs earlier - thanks both.
I've just started some walking stick cabbage, just for a laugh ;D
I sowed Beetroot in modules today so they'll be up and ready to go out on the plot as soon as the soil warms up.
I just planted my broad beans, in pots to keep them away from wee, sleekit, cow'rin, tim'rous beasties with nasty sharp teeth and large appetites. Aquadulce Claudia, Wizard field beans, Dumont's (a green-seeded Californian landrace), Crimson Flowered, Grando Violetto, Red Bristow's from the HSL, and a couple of Red Epicure crosses. I'm going to grow them all together, save seed, and probably add a couple more varieties to the mix next year.
Made the ground ready for Parsnips with Hamburg Parsley to follow soon
A small row of Nantes Carrots in a bath
;D
Robert, do they cross fertilise?
BB's are one of the most enthusiastic outbreeders around; that's why I've given up on trying to grow a specific variety. I'll just let them all hybridise, add more varieties, including field beans if I can find more which have been bred for human consumption rather than cattle feed, and see where I end up.
Nothing outside yet but all the toms,peppers and aubergines are sown. It`s now pricking out time and already one greenhouse is full of babies hoping to find good homes later on.
Three varieites of TPS today; Skagit Magic, Blue Belle and Russian Blue. Lots of Skagit Magic, since it's allegedly blight resistant. It didn't get tested last year as there wasn't any blight.
started my sweet peas,morning glory and toms in the gh and started my onion sets in modules for a kick start for planting out in a few weeks.
my desiree are chitting nicely in wait..
will start my peas in modules in the gh this week as i had great results this way last year,was a super crop ;D
have leeks and carrots to start yet,maybe next week.then my sweetcorn,pumpkins and courgettes indoors at the months end.
managed to get on top of the lottie now,little digging left and a raised bed to build ( for herbs).
thinking of growing french beans again or runners so will need to sort my canes out
purple podded mange tout going in tomorrow, plus some more salad leaves. Little gem started off today, plus more radish, spring onions and early carrots under fleece. Sowed the rest of the early pre chitted parsnips, need to start more this week ;D
Having been 'allotted' an allotment only a week ago, I've sown nothing so far. Tomorrow will be a day of digging and planning.
However, I have a class of budding gardeners (aged 5/6) who have been amazed and delighted at how they can make a plant pot out of a carefully folded sheet of scrap paper and so I have a classroom full of broad beans, runner beans, french beans, potatoes chitting on the windowsill, dill, coriander, alpine strawberries, sunflowers, marigolds, etc. But they've all been wise enough to label them with their names as well as labelling the plantpots with what they have grown.
After years without a garden suited to a true veg grower, I now have 26 school allomenteers, with their own plot to tend and sod all grown for my own patch of heaven.
Time to redress the work/life balance! Happy weekend :) I've had to spend the week since getting my lottie writing reports. The weekend is mine!
Quote from: gerbera on March 09, 2012, 21:32:24
Having been 'allotted' an allotment only a week ago, I've sown nothing so far. Tomorrow will be a day of digging and planning.
However, I have a class of budding gardeners (aged 5/6) who have been amazed and delighted at how they can make a plant pot out of a carefully folded sheet of scrap paper and so I have a classroom full of broad beans, runner beans, french beans, potatoes chitting on the windowsill, dill, coriander, alpine strawberries, sunflowers, marigolds, etc. But they've all been wise enough to label them with their names as well as labelling the plantpots with what they have grown.
After years without a garden suited to a true veg grower, I now have 26 school allomenteers, with their own plot to tend and sod all grown for my own patch of heaven.
Time to redress the work/life balance! Happy weekend :) I've had to spend the week since getting my lottie writing reports. The weekend is mine!
After 36 years of teaching full time I know exactly where you're coming from!!
How I wish you hadn't typed the word "reports" :( I'd forgotten all about the rotten things and the endless hours I've spent in the past producing them by the ream.
Your plot will truly be a bit of heaven. I loved escaping to mine. It was, at times, the only thing that kept me sane. ;)
Getting one was a very wise move. Getting time to go down there... ???
I wish you lots of enjoyment. :) :) ;D
Sowed sunflowers yesterday. :)
spuds onions broadbeans to day....AT LAST !!
celeriac is showing at last, just sowed some purple podded mange tout in a gutter ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on March 10, 2012, 16:35:26
celeriac is showing at last, just sowed some purple podded mange tout in a gutter ;D
I hope the neighbours don't park their car on them!!! :o
;D ;D
Quote from: Aden Roller on March 10, 2012, 19:33:14
Quote from: manicscousers on March 10, 2012, 16:35:26
celeriac is showing at last, just sowed some purple podded mange tout in a gutter ;D
I hope the neighbours don't park their car on them!!! :o
;D ;D
;D ;D
Five rows of potatoes (40 plants) and 300 onion sets in today. Tomorrow parsnips, salsify, early carrots beetroot and peas are going to be planted.
First french beans sown in the greenhouse and cucumber, possibly also melons to be sown by the end of the week.
Busy, busy time of the year - but fun too. :)