Plans for planting

[Erichalfbee]

Yes, but have always found them to be a roll of the dice.

I usually start them in a greenhouse, then transplant out to a sunny spot.

I get about 7 little corns from a good plant on a good year, but sometimes just get 1 or 2 or even nothing from a plant.

Thanks. I shall have a go and see what happens. I like trying something new

 

[Amaranth]

Sowing seed from purchased produce can be risky: the plants may look good but if that fruit was grown from F1 seed your next generation fruit may not be anything like the original. Do report back when you harvest - I’ll be interested to know how they turn out in this case.
Tomato seeds are easy to save so it’s worth buying a first pack of non F1 and saving your own there after.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I realise that and the aromatico are an experiment. I have some Polish Linguisa seeds from last years crop and they should be true to their parent.

 

[JamezF]

How do you find they transplant? Do they suffer, and how many weeks before planting do you start them. I have never started peas from seed, sweet peas but not edible peas. Good idea.

They seem to transplant ok. Last year was the first time I've done it and the ones that went into the polytunnel appeared quite happy. The ones that went outside struggled a bit because the weather turned very cold and I had to put fleece over them for a month or so. And then a pair of partridges decided they rather liked them. The ones in the photo were sown on 9th February and I reckon they're not far off being ready to go into the polytunnel.

Timing is always tricky because obviously the weather affects growth rates, but I generally plan on a month to six weeks from sowing to planting out unless I know the plants are particularly fast (or slow) growers.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Peas are the easiest thing to grow, I've never faffed about measuring and spacing them out individually, I just use the back of a rake to make a shallow trench, broadcast a load of peas into it (a pound or two into a 20 foot trench is ample), cover them all up, enclose the trench between two rows of pigwire and leave them grow.

 

[Amaranth]

I realise that and the aromatico are an experiment. I have some Polish Linguisa seeds from last years crop and they should be true to their parent.

Just looked those up the Linguisa - they look great. Outdoors or greenhouse?

 

[Moobee]

Tomatoes have been sown for two weeks, no sign of life as yet!!

Are you using any extra heat?

 

[JamezF]

Peas are the easiest thing to grow, I've never faffed about measuring and spacing them out individually, I just use the back of a rake to make a shallow trench, broadcast a load of peas into it (a pound or two into a 20 foot trench is ample), cover them all up, enclose the trench between two rows of pigwire and leave them grow.

The problem with doing that for me is all the little creatures that think pea shoots are a tasty snack, though it might work if I covered the ground with fleece after sowing.

James

 

[JamezF]

Just looked those up the Linguisa - they look great

They do. Are they mostly for making sauces, or do you use them in salads and suchlike too?

James

 

[Erichalfbee]

They do. Are they mostly for making sauces, or do you use them in salads and suchlike too?

James

Just looked those up the Linguisa - they look great. Outdoors or greenhouse?

I grew them last year for sauces. They are brilliant in frozen Mediterranean veg too. Fed up of skinning and chopping I tried freezing some whole in vacuum bags. Absolutely wonderful. They come out of the freezer like tinned plum tomatoes and you can just slip the skins off
They are good to eat in salads too
I grow mine in the poly tunnel.

 

[JamezF]

I tried freezing some whole in vacuum bags. Absolutely wonderful. They come out of the freezer like tinned plum tomatoes and you can just slip the skins off

Now that's an interesting idea. I will have to try to remember it for this autumn. I am trying Amish Paste tomatoes for sauces this year, plus perhaps some Costoluto Fiorentino because I have some seed left over from last year.

James

 

[Amaranth]

I also leave skins on for cooking up sauce, then stir and pick out the skins as they cook. So I tend to halve rather than chop up so that big bits of skin can be picked out intact.

 

[Erichalfbee]

I roast my sauce tomatoes with onion and garlic and pass everything through a sieve. The tomatoes for Mediterranean veg do get skinned
I must say home grown tomatoes make excellent ketchup.

 

[Nannysbees]

Are you using any extra heat?

Yes I've recently bought a paraffin heater

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes I've recently bought a paraffin heater

You need bottom heat. Mine are germinated in a heated propagator

 

[B_north]

I roast my sauce tomatoes with onion and garlic and pass everything through a sieve. The tomatoes for Mediterranean veg do get skinned

That is how I do it. I put them in a large roasting pan, drizzle with olive oil, add spices if I wish and roast, then I take a hand blender and buzz them up. I freeze mine and we take it out in the winter as a base for tomato soup, sauces and salsa. I find it easier than making each sauce separate as I don't have leftovers of one type or the other.

Peas are the easiest thing to grow, I've never faffed about measuring and spacing them out individually, I just use the back of a rake to make a shallow trench, broadcast a load of peas into it (a pound or two into a 20 foot trench is ample), cover them all up, enclose the trench between two rows of pigwire and leave them grow.

That worked for me until I got free range guinea hens, they don't eat the full grown plant but they will pick out the little tiny shoots. LOL.

 

[Nannysbees]

You need bottom heat. Mine are germinated in a heated propagator

Yes you're right I may think of that for next year. I have a greenhouse full of trays and it would have been expensive to get heated propagators for them all. Do you have a picture of your setup?

 

[JamezF]

That worked for me until I got free range guinea hens, they don't eat the full grown plant but they will pick out the little tiny shoots. LOL.

Partridge will just eat whatever they can reach. They seem particularly partial to peas. If I catch them at it this year they'll be on a one-way trip to the freezer.

James

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Partridge will just eat whatever they can reach. They seem particularly partial to peas. If I catch them at it this year they'll be on a one-way trip to the freezer.

James

Partridge is a very nice eating bird - far superior to pheasant which is just the tesco blue label of gamebirds

 

[Erichalfbee]

Yes you're right I may think of that for next year. I have a greenhouse full of trays and it would have been expensive to get heated propagators for them all. Do you have a picture of your setup?

Here are two seed trays excuse they ramshackle arrangement but I’m not a real gardener