seed sowing
21 April 2008 by colouritgreen
is mostly what I have been doing lately. We have a big slug problem, it being a damp and mild place to live, and so I try to start most things off in the greenhouse, and give them a head start. Of course a lot of plants have to be sown in frost free conditions - such as tomatoes, and some wont tolerate being moved - like carrots, and are sown direct.
In the greenhouse at the mo I have tomatoes (gardeners delight, sweet olive and fantasio), aubergines, gherkins, peas (mange tout), peas (maincrop), beetroot, rhubarb chard, beet spinach, woad, chives, leeks, (trialing both indoor and outdoor sowing), dill, sorrel, celeriac, chilis (5 varieties) red cabbage, cauliflower, calabrese (second sowing) and have started to sow borlotti beans.
It is difficult to hold off sowing the next batch, as the seed packets do say from April, but I know it is a mistake to sow too soon, as the chances of frost in mid May is high.. and sometimes we get a meanie in late May (just by then it is a matter of chance..) So the courgettes, pumpkins and squashes, sweetcorn and beans all have to hang on a bit longer.
Just as well as I have officially ran out of space in the greenhouse. I need to rig up some staging in the other one to continue.. and have run out of modules - I don’t want to buy any more as that somewhat defeats the purpose of growing your own veg and trying to be self sufficient etc. So, I have to plant some of the hardened off plants, to free some up.. and get drilling holes in the bottoms of all those saved up cream pots..
Every year brings some successes and some failures. I wonder what it will be for this year.
Your greenhouse looks beautiful, the ‘old-fashion’ greenhouse always look like they have a story to tell
thanks. I love it too - sadly though it is nearly falling down.. we have to make a botch patch up job each year.. and each year will be the year we rebuild it.. this year might really have to be the year, as I don’t know it will survive another storm.
But we willto put it back just as it is (minus the rot)