Plans for planting

[Curly green finger's]

That sounds like an interesting idea to try some time. Perhaps with peppers too, though I'm hoping against hope that last year's peppers might survive the winter in the polytunnel.

I'd have to use solar PV to power grow lights, but that's not beyond the realms of possibility. One of my hopes for this year is to build a solar-powered irrigation system using water from a bunch of IBCs that we fill from our well.

As it is, tomato-sowing will definitely be taking place before the end of the month. I still want to find a decent yellow variety to grow. The one I planned to have this year is sadly not available at the moment. (I buy many of my seeds from the Real Seed Catalogue, but they do sometimes struggle to get seeds if a crop doesn't do well.)

James

Well you might be lucky with the pepper plants if theyve not had frost on them,
I've kept chillies indoors for a few years they never last though spider mitr seem to take there course and I don't like to spray, If you do make a solar irrigation pls share very interested to know how you get on I've used solar to power a pool but that was a bought in pumb and solar panel.
What's the yellow Tom called?
Edit I use King's seeds wholesale.

 

[JamezF]

The tomato variety is Lotos. Not one I can find anywhere else, but it looked interesting to try. The Real Seeds site says:

"This variety is consistently one of the longest-cropping; ripening fruit long after others have given up. In an unheated conservatory we have picked the last tomatoes on Christmas Day."

and most importantly, they're claimed to have a good flavour.

One of the positive things about the Real Seed people is that they only supply seeds for plants that are open pollinated, so it's easier to save your own seed (and they provide instructions for how to do that) whereas many tomatoes these days are F1 and can't be relied upon to come true, though I had some success with propagating F1 varieties from cuttings last year. Too much success, perhaps, as they were attempting to flower in November. I shall try again this year and perhaps put the plants out in a cold frame once they take, to discourage them from growing too much, and bring them back into the greenhouse once temperatures drop.

I'll certainly post details of the irrigation system if I get it set up and working. The idea is to have a solar panel and battery powering a small pump that feeds a fixed-pressure drip irrigation system, the water coming from the IBCs, one of which will have a float switch in to disable the pump if the water runs out. Up until now we've used "leaky pipe", but without decent water pressure I find it doesn't really work as well as I'd like.

James

 

[Moobee]

Made a start today getting my trays ready to sew seeds, thought if i prepare early it'll be easier at sewing time if I'm more organised. Have quite an array of flowers,few veg but mostly flowers geared up for the bees. So my fellow beeks, do you grow flowers from seed, if so what?buy plugs?more of a veg grower and if so,what do you grow? Or do you just allow your bees to go and find what forage is in the area?

I’ve grown hyssop, calendula, sweet peas, nigella and forget-me-nots from seed, had a load of agapanthus seedlings from one of our neighbours, got the first lot of beetroot, lettuce and spring onions to go out under cloches this month too. Still have some hellebores, fatsia japonica and buddleia globosa to plant plus a new apple tree for a south west facing fence. It’s a recently discovered variety called Bardsey Island from North Wales which I’m hoping will do well in our windswept coastal garden!
Going to start peppers, chillies and aubergine in my new indoor propagator next week if the OH lets me plug it in indoors somewhere……

 

[Moobee]

I had this seasons seeds delivered over the weekend Mainly vegetables and herbs. My partner deals with the flower side of our growing operations. My main seed order comes from a company called Seed Parade.

Oh I like Seed Parade, very reasonable prices.

 

[Nannysbees]

I’ve grown hyssop, calendula, sweet peas, nigella and forget-me-nots from seed, had a load of agapanthus seedlings from one of our neighbours, got the first lot of beetroot, lettuce and spring onions to go out under cloches this month too. Still have some hellebores, fatsia japonica and buddleia globosa to plant plus a new apple tree for a south west facing fence. It’s a recently discovered variety called Bardsey Island from North Wales which I’m hoping will do well in our windswept coastal garden!
Going to start peppers, chillies and aubergine in my new indoor propagator next week if the OH lets me plug it in indoors somewhere……
View attachment 30342View attachment 30343View attachment 30344

They look really healthy plants, can I ask what propagator you use? I've been looking at heated mats but need quite a few for the number of trays I have. I've got the plastic covers to go on top but need some warmth for the seeds to germinate. The greenhouse is cold and I don't want loads of trays in the house!!! What do you use?

 

[JamezF]

They look really healthy plants, can I ask what propagator you use? I've been looking at heated mats but need quite a few for the number of trays I have. I've got the plastic covers to go on top but need some warmth for the seeds to germinate. The greenhouse is cold and I don't want loads of trays in the house!!! What do you use?

I realise the question wasn't directed at me, but my father-in-law made quite a handy system. In his greenhouse there is a bench with a large (about 8'x2') tray of sand on top. In the sand he has buried a heating cable controlled by a thermostat. Normal unheated propagation trays (with lids) sit on top of the sand and module trays or pots go inside those. It seems to work quite well. The only really irritating thing is that the clear lids of the propagation trays succumb to UV after a few years by which time the design has often changed and there are none that fit the old bases.

I'm tempted to build something similar of my own, but put the sand in a tray about 8" deep and then have a hinged polycarbonate lid over the entire thing. I'd probably put some insulation between the tray and sand too, to keep as much heat inside the propagator as possible.

The heating cables and thermostats aren't too hard to find online.

James

 

[JamezF]

Today I sowed spinach in module trays, three seeds to a cell, and two different varieties. I've never had a lot of luck with spinach for some reason; it either sulks or runs to seed at the merest whiff of a warm day, but we eat quite a lot of it in curries amongst other things so I feel I should keep trying.

I also collected together all of my leftover pea seeds from last year, mixed them together and sowed three per cell in module trays again. Once they're a few inches tall they'll be planted out in the polytunnel just to provide pea shoots to go in salads early in the Spring (though I'll plant more later to go outdoors for the same purpose).

I'm switching to a tall pea variety (Alderman) for my actual pea pods this year in an attempt to get a larger crop from the same space. I've read that the reason dwarf varieties are so prevalent these days is because they're easier to harvest mechanically, though I've no idea if that's true or not. Not sure how I'm going to support the taller plants yet though. Possibly I'll just stick a couple of 8' stakes in the ground and run some string horizontally between them.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Possibly I'll just stick a couple of 8' stakes in the ground and run some string horizontally between them.

wooden posts and pigwire

 

[JamezF]

wooden posts and pigwire

Should work, and I have some lying about.

On the other hand, if I use something like jute string then when the plants are done I can just cut the plants off at the base, run a knife down each post to cut the string, pick up the mess and throw the entire lot on the compost.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

Today I sowed spinach in module trays, three seeds to a cell, and two different varieties. I've never had a lot of luck with spinach for some reason; it either sulks or runs to seed at the merest whiff of a warm day, but we eat quite a lot of it in curries amongst other things so I feel I should keep trying.

I also collected together all of my leftover pea seeds from last year, mixed them together and sowed three per cell in module trays again. Once they're a few inches tall they'll be planted out in the polytunnel just to provide pea shoots to go in salads early in the Spring (though I'll plant more later to go outdoors for the same purpose).

I'm switching to a tall pea variety (Alderman) for my actual pea pods this year in an attempt to get a larger crop from the same space. I've read that the reason dwarf varieties are so prevalent these days is because they're easier to harvest mechanically, though I've no idea if that's true or not. Not sure how I'm going to support the taller plants yet though. Possibly I'll just stick a couple of 8' stakes in the ground and run some string horizontally between them.

James

The peas I plant never actually make it to the house, I pick at them every time I'm in the garden, which is constant during the summer months, absolutely delicious, nothing better .Caught the dog eating the peas on the lower part of the plants last year, little tinker

 

[JamezF]

The peas I plant never actually make it to the house, I pick at them every time I'm in the garden, which is constant during the summer months, absolutely delicious, nothing better

I absolutely agree. The taste of peas picked fresh from the plant is one of the best things there is.

James

 

[Moobee]

They look really healthy plants, can I ask what propagator you use? I've been looking at heated mats but need quite a few for the number of trays I have. I've got the plastic covers to go on top but need some warmth for the seeds to germinate. The greenhouse is cold and I don't want loads of trays in the house!!! What do you use?

Ah, I started all these late autumn and they have stayed in the unheated greenhouse. We’re down on the south coast so relatively mild although we’ve had more frosts this year,
In the next few weeks, these will all go into the cold frame and I’ll start more veg and flowers in the greenhouse. I do have a windowsill long heated propagator I bought for the chillies etc to save all the sunny windowsills being covered in pots!

 

[JamezF]

Sowed lots of peppers today, both sweet peppers and chiles.

I don't go mad with blazingly hot chiles, so I just bought jalapenos and cayennes. Usually I pickle the jalapenos and dry the cayennes to use as chile flakes or for making chile oil. However, I've also sown a load of seed I collected from some jars of "Peppadew" pickled peppers. I really like them, but apparently the plant "owner" doesn't allow anyone other than the farmers growing their peppers to have seed so it's pretty much impossible to grow them at home. Despite the fact that they've been pickled, I'm hoping that if I keep collecting as many seeds as I can then one day perhaps one will germinate and eventually produce fruit. If it does, that's all I need to grow more (peppers are apparently quite promiscuous and will cross with just about any other pepper, but they'll also self-pollinate if bees can't visit the flowers so I just have to stop the bees getting to some of the flowers).

For the sweet peppers I have red, yellow and brown varieties. I was hoping to have a purple type as well, but haven't managed to find any seed for full size fruit yet (I did find some miniature ones). I grew some for several years a while back, but perhaps they turned out not to be very popular. I enjoy having a salad with lots of different coloured peppers in though.

James

 

[E&MBees]

Had a lovely time at the garden centre choosing seeds. Bit like being in a sweet shop. Stocked up on the usual suspects such as beans, peas, sweet peas, shallots etc but also brought a few packets of pollinator friendly annuals that I haven’t grown before. Looking forward to spring.

 

[JamezF]

It's been a miserable wet and windy day here, but I sneaked out to the greenhouse earlier to sow aubergines, radishes and parsley. There's no space left in the heated propagators now but that's mostly because I filled the spare space with onions, so if there's something that needs heat more then I'll just move them out.

It looks like some of the broad beans (sown five days ago) are already making some progress without even needing to be in a propagator. The compost in a few of the pots is clearly being pushed up by the seed leaves. I guess that means I really need to start planning where everything is going to go in the beds. Last year plants just went in where there was space, but this year I need to make sure I can put all the brassicas in the same beds so I can put net over the top to keep the butterflies off.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

It's been a miserable wet and windy day here, but I sneaked out to the greenhouse earlier to sow aubergines, radishes and parsley. There's no space left in the heated propagators now but that's mostly because I filled the spare space with onions, so if there's something that needs heat more then I'll just move them out.

It looks like some of the broad beans (sown five days ago) are already making some progress without even needing to be in a propagator. The compost in a few of the pots is clearly being pushed up by the seed leaves. I guess that means I really need to start planning where everything is going to go in the beds. Last year plants just went in where there was space, but this year I need to make sure I can put all the brassicas in the same beds so I can put net over the top to keep the butterflies off.

James

Horrible day here no seeds sown because the tunnel was taken over to wax rendering and potting perennials, We must get a riggle on because time will run away with us.
I have ordered 28 bare root strawberry plants and potted up 40 blackcurrant plants.

 

[Pembroke]

Sowed lots of peppers today, both sweet peppers and chiles.

I don't go mad with blazingly hot chiles, so I just bought jalapenos and cayennes. Usually I pickle the jalapenos and dry the cayennes to use as chile flakes or for making chile oil. However, I've also sown a load of seed I collected from some jars of "Peppadew" pickled peppers. I really like them, but apparently the plant "owner" doesn't allow anyone other than the farmers growing their peppers to have seed so it's pretty much impossible to grow them at home. Despite the fact that they've been pickled, I'm hoping that if I keep collecting as many seeds as I can then one day perhaps one will germinate and eventually produce fruit. If it does, that's all I need to grow more (peppers are apparently quite promiscuous and will cross with just about any other pepper, but they'll also self-pollinate if bees can't visit the flowers so I just have to stop the bees getting to some of the flowers).

For the sweet peppers I have red, yellow and brown varieties. I was hoping to have a purple type as well, but haven't managed to find any seed for full size fruit yet (I did find some miniature ones). I grew some for several years a while back, but perhaps they turned out not to be very popular. I enjoy having a salad with lots of different coloured peppers in though.

James

Good luck with your quest, I suspect if the pickling process doesn't kill the seeds then the canning process will.

https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/how-to-can-pickles-weekend-warrior-article
The wiki article about Peppadews says the peppers used in the jars are de-seeded so the ones you're getting may not be true peppadews but they are a recognised genus Capsicum baccatum chillies | The Chilli Guru so maybe you can go that route to rearing your own?

 

[JamezF]

Good luck with your quest, I suspect if the pickling process doesn't kill the seeds then the canning process will.

The wiki article about Peppadews says the peppers used in the jars are de-seeded so the ones you're getting may not be true peppadews but they are a recognised genus Capsicum baccatum chillies

I suspect I'll be very lucky to get anything that germinates. It seems highly unlikely, but then again million to one chances happen nine times out of ten And I'm feeling lucky. Last year I managed to get this to grow:

(It's not obvious, but it's a pineapple, grown from the top of one we bought from the supermarket. The dull leaves are the parent plant and there are what would appear to be three new plants growing from it.)

I think I can be reasonably sure they're genuine seeds. The peppers are supposed to be cored as part of the processing, but it's not always done perfectly and I've had a few where the seeds and pith are still attached to the pepper.

There is a Capsicum baccatum variety called "Malawi Piquante" which is allegedly the same as the Peppadews, but looking at the photos from various sellers there doesn't seem to be much consistency between them in terms of colour and shape so I'm not completely convinced. This one does look about right, but despite advertising "free shipping worldwide" on the website, it adds more than twice the price of the seeds for shipping if I attempt to place an order And I'd still not know if they were the genuine article.

James

 

[Nannysbees]

It's been a miserable wet and windy day here, but I sneaked out to the greenhouse earlier to sow aubergines, radishes and parsley. There's no space left in the heated propagators now but that's mostly because I filled the spare space with onions, so if there's something that needs heat more then I'll just move them out.

It looks like some of the broad beans (sown five days ago) are already making some progress without even needing to be in a propagator. The compost in a few of the pots is clearly being pushed up by the seed leaves. I guess that means I really need to start planning where everything is going to go in the beds. Last year plants just went in where there was space, but this year I need to make sure I can put all the brassicas in the same beds so I can put net over the top to keep the butterflies off.

James

I could do with heated mats!!

 

[Nannysbees]

Horrible day here no seeds sown because the tunnel was taken over to wax rendering and potting perennials, We must get a riggle on because time will run away with us.
I have ordered 28 bare root strawberry plants and potted up 40 blackcurrant plants.

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