Kitchen Garden Forum

I could not wait any longer .
I was trying to get to at least this Sunday (1st Feb) but I have failed.

Last evening I had a few hours free and I made a start.
I did manage to restrict myself , to the correct amount of seeds (inc losses) to get the small number of plants I will need and the few I give to my friend.

I have used a 32 cell rootainer and some nice warmed up home made soil.
Its now on the windowsill in 18 C.

Broad Bean (Masterpiece Green Longpod) - heading outside eventually, via the flimsy plastic mini greenhouse.
Pea (Oregon Sugar Pod (Mangetout)) - planned to go in unheated greenhouse as soon as up. These were MOST prolific & tasty last year, picked young and thrown into many stir frys & salads.
Pea (Early) - No name! I bought them loose and did not write the name down , also heading for the unheated greenhouse as soon as up.

Have you been tempted to plant early
If so what have you planted

last weekend i put a few early potatoes in the tunnel, and a few broadbeans and dwarf french beans in trays with glass lids to stop the mice ,... a sprinkle of salad greens and cabbage in a couple of pots.. but dont plan on planting much else till at least mid month,.. unless this first lot surprises me.

Hi,
I have put in some broad beans (Aquadulce claudia) but only because I have only had six come up from the autumn planting. I planted them in pots in a cool greenhouse to give them a start before the slugs find them. I will put in a few more in a couple of weeks to plug any further gaps. I do note that you are down in Cornwall - up here in Wiltshire the clay loam takes a bit of warming up! I have learnt to be patient with seed planting - mainly since I have learnt that even if they do germinate they often fail to thrive which I have put down to the light levels. I have put some black plastic down to warm the soil and intend to put in my first earlies first week of March.
Hope you are successful.
Hilary

Well i started 60 3'' pots of broad beans off the other week, and have just sown 60 3'' pots of peas, three peas to the pot.

Ok - maybe I will start of some peas this w/e then ..... in gutters the way Geoff Hamilton showed us all those years ago!

Hilary

Good evening OH... are you feeding an army!!!!

Aaah, Hilary, I have some spare gutter standing by. I have drilled holes in it. Never done it that way before, but the theory sounds good. I will try it in a few weeks when I want to get the main bulk of peas and mange tout on the go.

And yes I think our climate here in the Tamar Valley Cornwall can be very kind to us growers.

I know the feeling, gardenserf - a little bit of spring sunshine and off we go! Yes, about a fortnight ago I sowed some broad beans Aquadulce Claudia in rootrainers in the unheated greenhouse (nothing showing yet) and also planted some more garlic Solent White (just starting to sprout). I also have all the potatoes chitting there and have planted three potatoes Rocket in a large pot, all in the cold greenhouse but individually insulated with bubble wrap and newspaper. If it really gets cold, as they are warning us, I can bring them in or put the electric heater on, if at all necessary.

Not cracked yet but have filled some pots and modules, watered them with Cheshunt and put them in the propagator to warm up for sowing tomorrow. Will be sowing Aubergines, Tomatoes, Cabbage Primo, Cauliflower Snowball, Basil, Parsley, Lettuce and possibly some of the free Oregano I have just rediscovered. Will be using the lights in the propagator again. Bought the seed potatoes on Tuesday so they are on the spare bedroom window ledge on egg trays.

I am still hanging on - and with another very cold spell forecast might be just as well. I do still have some turnip seedlings in my mini-greenhouse so had been thinking of planting them out, but now might wait and see what the weather does next week. I am going to satisfy my gardening urge with building some new compost bins this weekend - hopefully if my friend manages to deliver the pallets I have found.

me! onions and shallots! I have also put out international kidney seed potatoes to chit in my greenhouse. They are all tucked up under newspaper tonight as it is sooooo very cold.

Hi GS,
Having drilled holes in your guttering you may find it a drawback when planting out. The whole idea with guttering is that you manage to slide the plants out easily. It will take one root through one hole and you will be in trouble. My advice is to block the holes up again if possible. When the guttering is dry you could tape over the holes and the compost will hold tape in position until you slide them out. I found that 3ft sections were easier to handle when planting out. Remember to fetch out your trench, place the gutter where you want the peas to be, hold the peas firm at the end of the gutter and pull the gutter out.
I no longer use the guttering method because I am no longer as agile as I would like to be. I sow in 7cm square pots which I find so much easier to cope with, even though the job takes a lot longer.
JB.

I started some Cherry and Alicante tomatoes off about ten days ago,
in a heated propagator.Have now moved seedlings to the greenhouse
for a bit more light.There is a heater in there.
Have also done a few "Pixie" cabbages and Meteor peas.
All look ok at the moment, but I expect they will all be a bit spindly
with the lack of light.

I have no greenhouse and no propagator but i do have a very light veranda. it is unheated but is attached to the house so doesn't freeze.

Because of this i'm going to start beans and peas off tomorrow in special root trainers(the cardboard centres of toilet rolls - tried them last year nd they worked a treat) but thought i would wait until feb to start chitting the potatoes.

I sowed Chillies and Aubergine on 10th January in a 24 cell module plastic propagator kept in my bedroom.They have all germinated .I will pot into 3 inch pots today.
BAL

JB...Thankyou sooooo much, you have saved my bacon by explaining about the roots. It takes a man who has done it to say it!!
And now you have said it I can see it clearly I would not have known as I have not done it that way before.
I had cut it to a 1 metre section (thats a modern 3ft!! ).
I have not planted the peas in the gutter yet and I have loads of spare gutter. I will ditch the one with the beautifully drilled holes in!

I am loving reading about what people have done so far.