Plans for planting

[JamezF]

I could do with heated mats!!

I didn't realise it was possible just to get plain heated mats for seed propagation. They seem hideously expensive for anything of a reasonable size though.

James

 

[E&MBees]

I’m longing to start sowing seeds, but I only have two small propagators. Started too early last year and lost a load of plants. I must be patient!

 

[E&MBees]

Can I ask where you got you strawbs from ?I've bought a stalk planter, thought I would put strawberries it

Make sure you get some weight at the bottom so it doesn’t over balance.

 

[Curly green finger's]

I didn't realise it was possible just to get plain heated mats for seed propagation. They seem hideously expensive for anything of a reasonable size though.

James

You could make a heated bench, I used an electric tube heater under a palet on top I used dpc polythene draped down both sides to keep the heat in can't find a photo but I know I used the bench for my runner beans.
I'll look for the thread and photo.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Can I ask where you got you strawbs from ?I've bought a stalk planter, thought I would put strawberries it

Thomson and Morgan

 

[Erichalfbee]

Can I ask where you got you strawbs from ?I've bought a stalk planter, thought I would put strawberries it

I bought some from Aldi ten years ago. I have tried other fancy ones but the cheap Aldi ones are great. Still going strong.

 

[Nannysbees]

Make sure you get some weight at the bottom so it doesn’t over balance.

Yes I will thank you

 

[JamezF]

I’m longing to start sowing seeds, but I only have two small propagators. Started too early last year and lost a load of plants. I must be patient!

Last Spring here was a complete mess weatherwise. I didn't lose anything, but it was really tricky keeping them alive. I had fleece over some plants until very late in the year. My maincrop peas were about a foot tall by the time they were uncovered.

What I've sown so far are mainly seeds that really need to be sown now. Peppers and aubergines generally need a long time to develop and produce ripe fruit for example, so there's not a lot of choice there.

Onions I grow from seed because sets would cost a fortune for the number we eat. I'd honestly not be surprised if we get through as many as 400 in a year even before we give any to my in-laws. Last year's crop I actually started off in the autumn of 2020 and planted them out before the winter (during which they even got snowed on). They grew very well but I suspect the bizarre Spring weather confused them into thinking they were in their second year and being biennials a lot of them tried to flower. However, when they grow normally it's day length that triggers onions to switch from leaf production to swelling the stem, so it's advantageous to have them produce as many leaves as possible before then (since each leaf is one layer of the onion) hence starting them as early as I dare. They'd probably germinate quite happily in the greenhouse in fact, but putting them in a propagator hopefully just brings the process forward a little more.

Some plants (the peas, for example) will end up in the polytunnel or greenhouse where there's a bit of frost protection and I don't expect them to last -- it's just for an early crop. I'll sow again at a "more usual" time to go out into the main plot.

And then the likes of radishes and broad beans will actually tolerate a bit of cold, especially if they're given some protection under fleece when they go out into the plot. Some people actually sow and plant out broad beans in the autumn, though that can be a bit of a risk if it gets really cold. I know another beekeeper who lost pretty much all of theirs last year when we had a week where temperatures didn't get above freezing at all.

There are plants I have started sowing in batches almost all year round so we have them available as much as possible. We had lettuces and other salad leaves sown in September growing in a greenhouse until recently. They saw us through the winter but are pretty much done now. The polytunnel still has plenty (they're a little later because it's not as warm there). I'll sow more before the end of the month and they'll also go into the polytunnel (probably in spaces around where the tomatoes and cucumbers will be planted or between the peppers) to see us through until the next batch is available in the main plot. Some varieties of lettuce are far more tolerant of cold (and even frosts) than others and there are mustards and plants such as coriander, chervil and leaf radish that will tolerate cooler temperatures pretty well (which actually makes for much more interesting salads because of the variety of flavours, colours, textures and leaf shapes). One of my goals for this year is to keep planting and leave no ground bare for more than a few weeks, even if that means, say, sowing some of our own broad bean crop in the autumn just to cut down the following Spring having had them fixing nitrogen in the soil over the winter.

James

 

[E&MBees]

Last Spring here was a complete mess weatherwise. I didn't lose anything, but it was really tricky keeping them alive. I had fleece over some plants until very late in the year. My maincrop peas were about a foot tall by the time they were uncovered.

What I've sown so far are mainly seeds that really need to be sown now. Peppers and aubergines generally need a long time to develop and produce ripe fruit for example, so there's not a lot of choice there.

Onions I grow from seed because sets would cost a fortune for the number we eat. I'd honestly not be surprised if we get through as many as 400 in a year even before we give any to my in-laws. Last year's crop I actually started off in the autumn of 2020 and planted them out before the winter (during which they even got snowed on). They grew very well but I suspect the bizarre Spring weather confused them into thinking they were in their second year and being biennials a lot of them tried to flower. However, when they grow normally it's day length that triggers onions to switch from leaf production to swelling the stem, so it's advantageous to have them produce as many leaves as possible before then (since each leaf is one layer of the onion) hence starting them as early as I dare. They'd probably germinate quite happily in the greenhouse in fact, but putting them in a propagator hopefully just brings the process forward a little more.

Some plants (the peas, for example) will end up in the polytunnel or greenhouse where there's a bit of frost protection and I don't expect them to last -- it's just for an early crop. I'll sow again at a "more usual" time to go out into the main plot.

And then the likes of radishes and broad beans will actually tolerate a bit of cold, especially if they're given some protection under fleece when they go out into the plot. Some people actually sow and plant out broad beans in the autumn, though that can be a bit of a risk if it gets really cold. I know another beekeeper who lost pretty much all of theirs last year when we had a week where temperatures didn't get above freezing at all.

There are plants I have started sowing in batches almost all year round so we have them available as much as possible. We had lettuces and other salad leaves sown in September growing in a greenhouse until recently. They saw us through the winter but are pretty much done now. The polytunnel still has plenty (they're a little later because it's not as warm there). I'll sow more before the end of the month and they'll also go into the polytunnel (probably in spaces around where the tomatoes and cucumbers will be planted or between the peppers) to see us through until the next batch is available in the main plot. Some varieties of lettuce are far more tolerant of cold (and even frosts) than others and there are mustards and plants such as coriander, chervil and leaf radish that will tolerate cooler temperatures pretty well (which actually makes for much more interesting salads because of the variety of flavours, colours, textures and leaf shapes). One of my goals for this year is to keep planting and leave no ground bare for more than a few weeks, even if that means, say, sowing some of our own broad bean crop in the autumn just to cut down the following Spring having had them fixing nitrogen in the soil over the winter.

James

Amazing! Your veg plot and garden must look fantastic. I’m very lucky as I garden for a job as well as for pleasure. However, the home garden doesn’t always get the attention that it deserves. I might try some of the different crops that you have listed though, they sound interesting. I end up with quite a few gaps that I would like to keep filled.

 

[Nannysbees]

Last Spring here was a complete mess weatherwise. I didn't lose anything, but it was really tricky keeping them alive. I had fleece over some plants until very late in the year. My maincrop peas were about a foot tall by the time they were uncovered.

What I've sown so far are mainly seeds that really need to be sown now. Peppers and aubergines generally need a long time to develop and produce ripe fruit for example, so there's not a lot of choice there.

Onions I grow from seed because sets would cost a fortune for the number we eat. I'd honestly not be surprised if we get through as many as 400 in a year even before we give any to my in-laws. Last year's crop I actually started off in the autumn of 2020 and planted them out before the winter (during which they even got snowed on). They grew very well but I suspect the bizarre Spring weather confused them into thinking they were in their second year and being biennials a lot of them tried to flower. However, when they grow normally it's day length that triggers onions to switch from leaf production to swelling the stem, so it's advantageous to have them produce as many leaves as possible before then (since each leaf is one layer of the onion) hence starting them as early as I dare. They'd probably germinate quite happily in the greenhouse in fact, but putting them in a propagator hopefully just brings the process forward a little more.

Some plants (the peas, for example) will end up in the polytunnel or greenhouse where there's a bit of frost protection and I don't expect them to last -- it's just for an early crop. I'll sow again at a "more usual" time to go out into the main plot.

And then the likes of radishes and broad beans will actually tolerate a bit of cold, especially if they're given some protection under fleece when they go out into the plot. Some people actually sow and plant out broad beans in the autumn, though that can be a bit of a risk if it gets really cold. I know another beekeeper who lost pretty much all of theirs last year when we had a week where temperatures didn't get above freezing at all.

There are plants I have started sowing in batches almost all year round so we have them available as much as possible. We had lettuces and other salad leaves sown in September growing in a greenhouse until recently. They saw us through the winter but are pretty much done now. The polytunnel still has plenty (they're a little later because it's not as warm there). I'll sow more before the end of the month and they'll also go into the polytunnel (probably in spaces around where the tomatoes and cucumbers will be planted or between the peppers) to see us through until the next batch is available in the main plot. Some varieties of lettuce are far more tolerant of cold (and even frosts) than others and there are mustards and plants such as coriander, chervil and leaf radish that will tolerate cooler temperatures pretty well (which actually makes for much more interesting salads because of the variety of flavours, colours, textures and leaf shapes). One of my goals for this year is to keep planting and leave no ground bare for more than a few weeks, even if that means, say, sowing some of our own broad bean crop in the autumn just to cut down the following Spring having had them fixing nitrogen in the soil over the winter.

James

I'd like to be better at succession sowing but I'm not that organised

 

[JamezF]

I garden for a job as well as for pleasure. However, the home garden doesn’t always get the attention that it deserves.

The cobbler's children have no shoes

Not sure it looks that fantastic, but it does bring me a good deal of peace, especially given the events of the last couple of years. My GP went mental over my blood pressure when I had quite an unpleasant infection last summer (What did she expect? I was really not well!) and as a result I had to regularly take my own blood pressure for a few weeks. It was consistently lowest after I'd spent some time working in the veggie plot This is one evening last August:

For salads in the colder months I mainly grow Reine des Glaces and Rouge Grenobloise lettuce; land cress; lamb's lettuce; salad rocket (not wild rocket); Pizzo, Golden Streaks and Red Frills mustards and Leaf Radish. I've also tried red Little Gem, but it does seem to be quite bitter if (I think) there's not enough light so it's a bit hit and miss. If I can get the timing right for sowing then coriander and chervil can also make it through the winter quite happily. Timing for coriander particularly seems quite tricky as it appears to take the weakest excuse to bolt. Last winter I managed to get things right, this winter it's been more tricky and then mice seem to have taken to the taste of coriander which further diminished the crop With all of them, rather than cut the entire plant we pick a few leaves off each one and they last quite well (so I might aim to have half a dozen or so of each growing at the same time, say).

I've been really tempted to try growing radicchio and endive for the winter, but I'm not getting much interest from the rest of the family. I'm happy to grow too much of something everyone likes because it's always there if we fancy it and any excess just gets returned to the compost heap eventually. I'm not sure I want to put the effort into growing something that almost everyone turns their noses up at though.

James

 

[JamezF]

I'd like to be better at succession sowing but I'm not that organised

In all honesty, I'm hideously disorganised if left to my own devices. The only way I can handle it is to write a plan of when I need to sow what. Actually, since I'm getting a bit older having lists of stuff that needs doing is how I manage to get through most things in life I now have a spreadsheet that I jiggle about a bit every now and then so I know what (if anything) I plan to sow each weekend throughout the year. That seems to work fairly well and I go through it at the start of each year to add anything new that I want to try. For instance, my parsnips have always done pretty well, but I'm a little concerned that they may be causing sinkholes in Australia when I pull them. This year I'm going to try sowing them in succession just to see how they turn out. I'm quite happy if we end up with smaller parsnips from later sowings as lifting one that will feed thirty people is slightly overkill when there are only three of you eating, never mind needing to fire up the chainsaw to chop it...

James

 

[E&MBees]

I'd like to be better at succession sowing but I'm not that organised

Me too! Work & kids get in the way

 

[JamezF]

Me too! Work & kids get in the way

Same for me for quite a while. However my son is now at university and my daughter is only a couple of years behind and fairly self-sufficient. I sort of ran out of work about a year back and am still trying to work out where I go from here so in the meantime I'm just trying to make the best use of my time.

James

 

[E&MBees]

Same for me for quite a while. However my son is now at university and my daughter is only a couple of years behind and fairly self-sufficient. I sort of ran out of work about a year back and am still trying to work out where I go from here so in the meantime I'm just trying to make the best use of my time.

James

With all your experience of gardening and how it can make a difference to physical and mental well-being, have you ever thought of following it as a career? This organisation has loads of information. I’ve attended their courses and they are very good.

 

[Moobee]

The cobbler's children have no shoes

Not sure it looks that fantastic, but it does bring me a good deal of peace, especially given the events of the last couple of years. My GP went mental over my blood pressure when I had quite an unpleasant infection last summer (What did she expect? I was really not well!) and as a result I had to regularly take my own blood pressure for a few weeks. It was consistently lowest after I'd spent some time working in the veggie plot This is one evening last August:

For salads in the colder months I mainly grow Reine des Glaces and Rouge Grenobloise lettuce; land cress; lamb's lettuce; salad rocket (not wild rocket); Pizzo, Golden Streaks and Red Frills mustards and Leaf Radish. I've also tried red Little Gem, but it does seem to be quite bitter if (I think) there's not enough light so it's a bit hit and miss. If I can get the timing right for sowing then coriander and chervil can also make it through the winter quite happily. Timing for coriander particularly seems quite tricky as it appears to take the weakest excuse to bolt. Last winter I managed to get things right, this winter it's been more tricky and then mice seem to have taken to the taste of coriander which further diminished the crop With all of them, rather than cut the entire plant we pick a few leaves off each one and they last quite well (so I might aim to have half a dozen or so of each growing at the same time, say).

I've been really tempted to try growing radicchio and endive for the winter, but I'm not getting much interest from the rest of the family. I'm happy to grow too much of something everyone likes because it's always there if we fancy it and any excess just gets returned to the compost heap eventually. I'm not sure I want to put the effort into growing something that almost everyone turns their noses up at though.

James

Have you tried land cress? Tastes just like water cress, fairly easy to germinate and we’ve been picking it since it got going late summer all through the winter. It’s outside in a spot that just gets sun until about midday and is sheltered from the worst of the wind.

 

[pargyle]

I bought some from Aldi ten years ago. I have tried other fancy ones but the cheap Aldi ones are great. Still going strong.

YES ... about 50% of my strawberries came from Aldi .... I've no idea what the variety was but they are really productive plants and nice flavour as well. I've tried some newish fancy varieties (The latest experiment was with an RHS recommended variety called 'Strawberries and Cream' .... second year was good but the runners really did not produce good plants and the original plants really deteriorated after the second year. I reckon some of my Aldi ones are in the same place as they originally were and apart from chucking a bit of compost on them in the autumn still going strong along with lots of their offspring.

 

[JamezF]

With all your experience of gardening and how it can make a difference to physical and mental well-being, have you ever thought of following it as a career? This organisation has loads of information. I’ve attended their courses and they are very good.

That's an interesting idea, and one I'd not really considered. Thank you for the information.

James

 

[JamezF]

Have you tried land cress?

Oh yes, land cress is wonderful. We've had some in the greenhouse and polytunnel since the Autumn and it's done really well.

James

 

[JamezF]

You could make a heated bench

Long term I think that's the sensible way forward.

Oddly enough, all my greenhouse staging is already made out of pallets

James