Just putting my first batch of broad beans to chit. Hopefully there will be a sunny day in about 10 days when I can go and plant them out.
Next new moon 8th Feb so might try a batch then as well and see if there is any difference.
Mine are up in their modules (first time ever I have done this with broad beans because of hopeless sowing conditions all winter and an over-warm autumn that might have made them too tall and soft....), and getting taller than I'd like, but the howling gales and pouring rain don't seem right for putting them out.....
Not sowing anything yet as the greenhouse is full of overwintering plants that won't like being turfed out if February gets naughty - things like new roses and clems I bought and planted in pots last spring so I could grow them on to a decent size and root system.
It's also a bit dull and dark here so any seedlings will struggle for light. I do have a fine collection of loo roll tubes for my broad beans and chillies and toms ready to go at a moment's notice.
When I do start, I shall try using this calendar - http://www.the-gardeners-calendar.co.uk/Moon_Planting.asp - combined with advice from Tee Gee's almanac. Hope it'll be a winning combination.
I am a bit sceptical of planting by the moon phases mainly for one reason and that is, ones geography,i.e. Where you operate from!
We all share the one moon so this raises a couple of questions in my mind and that is;
Would a gardener living in John O' Groats be doing the same things as say someone at Land's End or Ramsgate?
Similarly would a gardener located on the side of Ben Nevis,Snowdon or on the Pennines like me be doing the same things as someone on the coast at sea level?
I know the moon plantings are usually given in a generic form rather than by plant name meaning quite often perhaps because someone does not this could be a bit complicated.
Now I am not saying the system does not work in fact depending upon how I look I would say there is some truth in simply because I know that the moon affects many aspects of nature.
For example I have always wondered why things happen as they do,for example how does a plant know when to emerge after winter hibernation?
As I have mentioned in the past I have been experimenting with sowing dates relative to what my spring bulbs are doing.
I think most people will agree that up to date we have not had a typical winter in so far a it has been relatively warm and wet.
In my garden for example I have seen a number of anomalies for example my Tulips are further on than some of my Daffodil varieties and I put this down to the late spring like temperatures temperatures we have been having.
Snowdrop,Crocus and Daffodils usually appear after a frost spell, I got my first real spell of fros within the past week, now I find that my Snowdrops and Crocus are appearing in drifts as opposed to the odd one or two that have appeared over the last month.
As a result of this I did a bit sowing this morning now that my Snowdrops are out.
On looking at last years sowing dates in my diary I would say that generally this season is about 7 - 10 days later than than last year.
Not that I have looked but I would guess that the moon phases are as they are normally and it is this that adds to my scepticism,but having said all that Obelixx I hope your experiment works for you.
Pleased to see that you will be referring to my website as well. You will find a bit about moon phase gardening here http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Moon%20phase%20gardening/Moon%20Phase%20Gardening.htm (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Moon%20phase%20gardening/Moon%20Phase%20Gardening.htm)
tg your info is always well received im not sowing a thing untill i return from lanzarote on the 21st then i might start on my peppers chillis aubergine and toms then greyhound cabbage
Thanks for your comments TeeGee. Helpful as ever.
One thing I like about the lunar calendar is that I tend to concentrate on one task at a time. I have many interests and obligations so gardening time can be limited and needs to be focused in order to get jobs done. If I don't go out with a plan it's all too easy to get distracted by other tasks in my garden.
I think there's probably something in the moon planting idea ... but I think that the season, sun, rain and temperatures have a far bigger say in what will succeed and fail at any given time. The lunar planting guides give you days that it's good to plant root, leaf, or fruiting crops ... or if it's not a good day to plant. They don't say plant crop X on day Y ... it may say a fruit crop day but you wouldn't plant out your tomatoes during a frosty period!
I agree that it gives you a framework - and this extra level of organisation helps you get things done ... probably most of the success comes from that part of it.
This was supposed to be a thread about seed sowing. Not a discussion about the moon.
I genuinely would like to know when people are sowing things.
One of my plot neighbours is great with parsnips. As soon as he gets them in then I am out with my packet as well.
I have a heated propagator but no artificial lighting so can I saw tomatoes and chillies this early would a normal south facing window provide enough light ?
It's still about when to sow and it's far too early for me given local conditions.
It's blowing a hoollie and persisting down today so very dull and dark. Our paddock across the road is a lake. Not gardener friendly.
Sewing OH's new casual shirt today.
Have got early broad beans in pots in the greenhouse having started them on sunny window sill and a few onion seeds.
The greenhouse is unheated but sheltered so they should be alright.
Not sowing anything that isn't frost hardy like toms etc. as got nowhere warmish and light to keep them after they germinate and they would get leggy and weak on the sill. They always catch up
Plan to sow some broad beans in my cold, leaky greenhouse today but won't be sowing anything else for a while yet.
Quote from: Digeroo on January 30, 2016, 09:20:54
This was supposed to be a thread about seed sowing. Not a discussion about the moon.
Sorry!
I have only planted onion seeds so far on the windowsill but I will be shortly putting celeriac, chard and parsnips in modules too.
Am starting to chit my broadies, they have been in the freezer overnight.
Not sure whether to start off some early mange tout. Lots in the packet so do not might loosing some. They will all be covered by bottle cloches so else the voles/squirrels eat them.
The magic field beans I sowed in the autumn look a real mess. It will be amazing if they produce anything.
No need to apologise squeezyjohn I had forgotten that the moon is a bit of a contenious subject.
My zebrune shallot seed has just arrived, and I am going to put some in modules today ready for planting out when the time is ripe. Following advice on this forum, I am hoping to get big fat single shallots instead of groups of smaller ones...... Time will tell.
Quote from: Digeroo on January 30, 2016, 13:33:29
Am starting to chit my broadies, they have been in the freezer overnight.
My compost in the cold greenhouse was so cold I don't think my seeds needed putting in the freezer!
im sitting on my hands for a week or so then it will start in earnest
Had a severe attack of Green Finger Fever this afternoon, and sowed 50 broad beans in pots in my 4 shelf plastic growhouse. Never done it before but just couldn't stop myself!
Going to plant banana shallots and onion seeds in moduals at the weekend, hopefully!!!😊
Am trying to hold back a bit - but I have aubergines and chillies in the propagator, Kent Blues getting ready to go in the greenhouse and I will dive into the flower tin later tomorrow for a bit of a sowing fest.
This is my progress as of this morning
Hot bed in action
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4944_zps2jj1alx3.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4944_zps2jj1alx3.jpg.html)
Covers removed for inspection
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4945_zpsnss80618.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4945_zpsnss80618.jpg.html)
Germination after 4 days
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4946_zpscfmu0qrg.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4946_zpscfmu0qrg.jpg.html)
Sweet Peas sown 8th January
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4948_zpspr3czjeo.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4948_zpspr3czjeo.jpg.html)
Foremost, Charlotte and PFA chitting
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4949_zps1ttbewwd.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4949_zps1ttbewwd.jpg.html)
Kestrel chitting
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4951_zpsiv0l19xt.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4951_zpsiv0l19xt.jpg.html)
........and a passing shot of the rockery which is beginning to get a bit of colour
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/IMG_4952_zpsbgwhxn6t.jpg) (http://s222.photobucket.com/user/tgalmanac/media/IMG_4952_zpsbgwhxn6t.jpg.html)
Looking good Tee Gee. I need a bigger greenhouse methinks.
Still nothing done here yet. Far too cold and wet and grey, plus I have a ball to organise for our dance club's 40th anniversary this Saturday so seating places to arrange and errands to run and I need to keep what nails I have kind of clean and unbroken.
Next week we're off to Amsterdam for 2 days and then the garden will be the priority unless the weather is atrocious, in which case, attic sorting and clearing.
First batch of chilli seeds were sown at end of December and are now potted up.
Giant onions are up - trying both Kelsae and Robinsons Mammoth this year.
Bedfordshire Champion onion seeds just starting to germinate as are Zebrune shallots.
Sweet peppers and second batch of chillis went in to propagate last weekend.
Broadbeans will be going into root trainers to germinate in a couple of weeks at half-term. Will also sow celeriac then as well.
Shallots coming nicely, time to get the get the big propagators up and running for the chillies and peppers........but there seems to be a hitch!
The thermostat doesn't seem to be working properly. It is going up, but I can't make it go below 29 degrees even when I put it in cold water, which means it isn't switching itself on to heat it. I've had it for 6 years this year, not sure how long these things are supposed to last but it was expensive at the time. Rang the suppliers who were really helpful, and they have arranged to have it collected and updated with a new detachable thermostat ( the current one is wired in) and returned in a few days for £40 including delivery.....I thought that was pretty good considering a whole replacement would have been about £130.
I've dug out my rickety old non thermostatic controlled one that I'm sure is only heated by a concealed lightbulb to use until then, the seeds are sown so I need to do something! It's so old the plastic cover is nicotine yellow........!