My Home-grown Journey

gtx

Hi everyone
i'm very new to gardening - in fact i don't have a garden just a back yard but i'm going to try growing some veg in containers this year. i've already bought the seeds and last night i put them in propagators and now for my first of what i'm sure will be many silly questions ..

Do i have to keep watering the seeds? i watered them when i put them in last night but i can't find anything about watering them while i wait for them to grow

thanks
gtx

Lotus-eater

You don't have to water them again unless the compost dries out, which it shouldn't in the time it takes for them to germinate. If they do need watering at a later date, stand the pots in a bowl of water and wait until you see the top of the compost just begin to get wet, then take them out allow them to drain a bit and replace them on the windowsill.

Jayne, onion sets are fine out now, I'm still waiting for DT Browns to deliver mine.....

tim_n

Cheapest and easiest way to make plant markers is by slicing up a plastic milk bottle into strips with pointy ends. you can get loads from just one 2pint bottle.

morganb

I planted loads of very old (some dating back to 2003!) seeds up on Sunday and put them in a mini greenhouse in the conservatory. So far, absolutely nothing. Should I wait a bit longer?? Don't want to demotivate DS2, who helped me for hours, so if I reckon they're goign to do nowt I'll have to go out, buy some new and plant them up without him knowing!!!

nodwah

morganb wrote: »

I planted loads of very old (some dating back to 2003!) seeds up on Sunday and put them in a mini greenhouse in the conservatory. So far, absolutely nothing. Should I wait a bit longer?? Don't want to demotivate DS2, who helped me for hours, so if I reckon they're goign to do nowt I'll have to go out, buy some new and plant them up without him knowing!!!

give em a chance!
some seeds will take weeks to germinate - what have you sown?

gtx

i've been and bought some more seeds and seed potatoes! is it possible to be addicted this early?

the potatoes are chitting and i've bought some rubble sacks to grow them in (6 for £1) but when i'm covering them with more compost the 2nd and 3rd time etc do i cover the leaves as well or do i carefully put the compost around them?

sorry for another question so soon

gtx

morganb

I know, I know, I'm so impatient, but I've got DS2 badgering me every day!!

I planted ... peppers (from seeds from organic peppers I already had), an avocado, broccoli (old seeds), sweet peas (old seeds), sweetcorn (old seeds), cherry tomatoes (splashed out and bought some new seeds this year so planted them!!), rudbeckia (old seeds) and some simplicity ... which I chucked in the ground.

I have also attempted to thwart the squirrels and have planted up two troughs of old bulbs which, along with horseradish and something else which I can't quite remember, I've put in the coldframe and covered up so they can't get their greedy claws on them. It was quite funny, they were literally lining up under the trampoline waiting for me to finish planting up!!!

However, the conservatory has a tinted glass roof, I presume this isn't going to affect light getting to them though, is it, and is it possibly too cold in there for them??? Or am I just impatient? Or is it because the seeds are old? Might plant up some mustard and cress, that will stall DS2 for a short time ...

JayneC

Primrose wrote: »

JayneC - the large round Roses chocolate tins are ideal if you grow either your climbing beans or parsnips in empty loo roll containers. Just put an empty plastic bag in the bottom of the tin to catch any water or compost which drains from them to stop the base going rusty and then pack your compost filled loo rolls into the tin to keep them standing upright. The seedlings will then grow and can be planted out in their cardboard loo rolls to avoid any root disturbance. Over the growing season the carboard will just disintegrate and it saves the space of having to clean out and stack those pots after seedlings have been planted out. .

Thanks for that suggestion I'll give it a go. I was thinking of using some as planters in on my kitchen worktop - some lettuce leaves maybe...

I do use a few for cake tins but have loads - probably about 10!!:D

betterlife

well ive been really busy in the garden but not planting, w where going to get some chickens but decided on ducks instead so are collecting 2 on saturday, very excited! we have nearly finished fencing off top of garden for them and i have bought a 2nd hand plastic dog kennel for them just need to put a door on it and we will be ready. there 4/5mths old so only a few weeks before they start laying eggs. and as im getting a male aswell i`ll be able to have some ducklings aswell.

Leopardlady

Hi Guys, well i have done very little in the garden these past few days, although i have planted three new potatoes, but only the skin bit with the root popping out?? I read somewhere that this can work, so i have put them at the opposite end of the plot to my nice potatoes and will see what happens!

The weather has got a little colder here, so i am hoping that everything is going to cope ok and that the seeds in my tower will be warm enough.

Enjoy the weekend and i look forward to catching up on here on monday