frost free christmas time veg

[hedgerow pete]

two threads generaly the same conversation.

i would normaly sow onion seeds, not sets , seeds, in january and parsnips and leeks in february.

last year i missed the boat completely because i was still expecting more frosts and snow in april and so i did not plant any seeds untill april and really did miss the march start.

so what is the general opinion for the winter spring starts on the allotments.

i think we are going to have a few frozen weeks in feb but thats it (feet are now firmly planted inside ones throat for when we have snow in april!!

so to back up the talk with the walk i went to my local garden shop today and brought four packets of seeds, parsnip, onion, leeks.


what do you lot think?

 

[jakethedog]

Sowing onions outside in january? if so, i can't see any real advantage on waiting for a couple of months. If growing for championship sized specimens Medwyn Williams recommends running the grow light for 24hrs a day for the first six weeks after germination and then reducing down to 14hrs a day (from a late Dec sowing).

 

[Cazza]

I think it definately pays to get the leeks in early in trays in the greenhouse, the longer they grow the better they seem to be. Parsnips need to wait til it's warmer or they won't germinate well, March is fine, April too. (I have sandy warm soil.)
Cazza

 

[Luminos]

Hmmm, I thought carrots/parsnips had to wait until the soil warmed up?

 

[susbees]

I think it definately pays to get the leeks in early in trays in the greenhouse, the longer they grow the better they seem to be. Parsnips need to wait til it's warmer or they won't germinate well, March is fine, April too. (I have sandy warm soil.)
Cazza

Think it's down to variety a bit - ours look really good this year despite a late start and the bad drought. The year before they were not up to much.

Japanese onions in under fleece, mains will wait til late Feb. We can grow good onions here (unlike carrots and brassicas except under fort knox conditions).

 

[BeeJayBee]

I don't see what would be wrong with sowing under cloches or fleece, but germination might be a bit patchy.

Onions you could germinate indoors, on a windowsill, and plant out when they're big enough to handle, same with leeks, but there's no point in trying to transplant either parsnips or carrots, they'll fork.

 

[drstitson]

Garlic needs doing tomorrow if you missed the chance on 28th October.

 

[hedgerow pete]

shed loads of garlic inside the ground all ready growing great times there.

onions are normaly planted in jan inside the green house in trays

leeks and parsnips are planted inside the grren house in news paper pots twin thickness layers these hold well for 5 weeks when the are in the green house. so since we are planting parsnips thats at least two weeks waiting for germination and another five or so which means that from a late feb march sowing in the green house we are ready to plant out in april

 

[yeogi75]

I don't see what would be wrong with sowing under cloches or fleece, but germination might be a bit patchy.

Onions you could germinate indoors, on a windowsill, and plant out when they're big enough to handle, same with leeks, but there's no point in trying to transplant either parsnips or carrots, they'll fork.

try this to stop forking roots, i have used for years,milk bottle roll around damp news paper,remove bottle place paper roll into cardboard box, fill with soil based compost sow seeds germinate in greenhouse ,transplant plant and paper together,cover with cloches,no damage get off to flying start

 

[yeogi75]

we went to the same school pete

 

[jakethedog]

or you've too much time on your hands, making paper pots, sowing into them, transplanting, all for the sake of a parsnip that'll grow fine if sown in situ.

 

[yeogi75]

dont grow veg anymore, had four allotments before we moved house,i have put name down for allotment and been told could be three years

 

[jakethedog]

dont grow veg anymore, had four allotments before we moved house,i have put name down for allotment and been told could be three years

seems a very common situation all over the country. have you looked at the Fearnley-Whittingstall landshare site? always a chance that there's something private available in your area.

 

[hedgerow pete]

if i dont do my parsnips in paper pots I dont have parsnips, they dont germinate in my soil from the start they need a little cuddle to get going, carrots i always plat ball or globe type for my very first crop as they are very quick to grow, same with radish and rocket and spring salad crop leaves i grow lettuce "all year round" variatity

 

[yeogi75]

carrots I'm a Nantes man myself main crop cauliflower Clapton savoy cabbage,
try planting parsnip on ridge like spuds great for producing thick crown, works for carrots as well

 

[busybee53]

I like the best results with the least work. I put my parsnips in drills in a fine tilth in March even if the packet says from February, having learned the hard way that they don't always germinate that early.

When I thinned my carrots one year I planted the thinings the same way you plant leeks, with a dibber. I knew they were supposed to fork but I did it anyway. Guess what, they were fine. Sometimes its fun to do the opposite of what you are told.

I have learned to plant my ridge cuecumbers and curcurbits (marrows etc) in a shallow depression instead of on a mound. In my area they need all the water they can get and I don't want it running away.

Mind you I wouldn't do the opposite of what you are supposed to when it comes to bees. That might not be fun.

 

[countryman]

so what was the fourth packet you bought

 

[RoofTops]

I used to sow parsnips in February but now wait well into March or early April. I find germination is better and the parsnips don't seem to suffer. I usually sow Gladiator for its canker resistance.

 

[Poly Hive]

I am lifting the last of my carrots tomorrow for that extra taste on the Xmas plate.

PH