Be gentle...A NEWBIE! Some questions that may seem thick (!)& general advice please!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Hello all! Am new to this 'growing from seed' malarky.....in the past have bought bedding plants & not really tried growing food/plants from seed!

Sorry to have a load of questions....(!)

I bought some 'propogating startery kit' type of thing in B&M bargains for 89p a go...seedlings/compost...& a plastic lid to cover!

Last Monday I started Sweet pea spencer mixed...Jalapeno Chillis, Alpine Strawberries, Busy lizzie (Dwarf f2 mix) , Cherry tomato cerise (put these in last Thursday)... & a mixed petunia kit (sowed last thursday). Also as an experiment I've got some scotch bonnet fresh chilli seeds (2 to a small pot-covered in a thin layer of compost) & also some kenya green finger fresh chilli seeds-again 2 to a pot-on windowsill-covered in cling film.I also have a kit for mint (which I'll sow outside soon in a separate pot as i know it spreads everywhere) & maybe sow a few seeds when its warmer every 3 wks or so...love mint!)...a kit for radsihes (cherrybelle) & a purple paradise' shake & rake seed kit. I've not sown the radish/mint/shake & rake. All these kits are on the windowsill & temp in the house is from 15-23 degrees.

I have a large patio & a lower large shingled area (get the sun from 1-30...2 ish onwards) & live about 500 foot up in the pennines in Yorkshire...it can be a bit windy & cold! I'll soon be buying a walk in plastic greenhouse (£20 from b&m again-bargain!) for the patio.

I plan to put the usual suspects in pots/trays (busy lizzies, petunias, lobelia, etc for the patio/lower garden...

My questions to you kind people...

1-How long do you think my chillis will take to germinate & how big do they have to be before i transplant them (will put them in greenhouse not outside) to a larger pot?

2-My sweet peas are already 2-2 1/2 inches tall-most have 2 small leaves at top nearly open...how long before I transplant them to other pots?

3-looking for ideas of fast & EASY veg to grow-radishes have been reccomended-would also like some 'cut & grow'salad leaves...any suggestions for both in/oout of greenhouse that are aeasy for a novice/ Which are the best seeds to buy where the veg is dear in the shops?

4-Am doing a raised bed type of thing in lower garden-maybe 1 -11/2 metres squear...any suggestions for easy veg for outside?

5-I have a 'rocky' bit (wouldn't know if its a rockery as such) seperating the patio/lower garden (pennine stone with some space between & a small shrub/tree at left)....would the 'shake & rake' seeds be ok for this or are there any inexpensive bedding plants/seeds that would be suitable for this enviroment?

6-on the left of the lower shingle garden is a flower bed with a rhodedendron bush in the middle....any suggestions for something a bit 'different' to the usual bedding plants that can either be grown from seeds now or if bedding plants are cheap? Maybe another colour 'shake & rake' ??!

7-Can anyone reccomend a chilli suited for the uk climate that can be grown outside that crops fast?

What I'd like in the garden is LOTS OF BRIGHT COLOURS...& veg/fruit in the greenhouse that's EASY to deal with & cheap...

I don't want much...do I!! If any of the experienced amongst you could help a 'newbie' it would be great!

misskool

1- chillies can take up to 4 weeks to germinate. If they are in a heated propagator then they may well be quicker.

2- when the roots stick out at the bottom. did you start them in tall pots as they grow more root before leaves?

3- most companies sell a mixed salad bar, they are mostly cut and come again. Otherwise, cress, rocket, mizuna all germinate fast. Courgettes are easy to grow (if you like eating them).

Don't know about the rest, someone else will be along shortly

DEBTMONKEY1A

Misskool....sweetpeas are in a small tray which was covered by a plastic lid but seeds are too tall now) in a rectangle-probably about 4 inches x 7 inches.....they are a 'De ree ' seed starter kit.

misskool

did you take the rectangle lid off when they started to germinate?

Look under the tray. If the roots are sticking out, then it's time to move them on

DEBTMONKEY1A

Yup-lid off from 2 days ago...no holes in tray so can't see roots!

annie123

Misskool has answered 1-3, my thoughts for 4 on wards in blue below.
Good luck

DEBTMONKEY1A wrote: »

4-Am doing a raised bed type of thing in lower garden-maybe 1 -11/2 metres squear...any suggestions for easy veg for outside?

courgettes...try and stop them producing, just keep well watered, strawberries, radish, spinach...all easy and cheap to grow

5-I have a 'rocky' bit (wouldn't know if its a rockery as such) seperating the patio/lower garden (pennine stone with some space between & a small shrub/tree at left)....would the 'shake & rake' seeds be ok for this or are there any inexpensive bedding plants/seeds that would be suitable for this enviroment?
If its rocky, it is possibly dry too, so I would try herbs....rosemary, thyme

6-on the left of the lower shingle garden is a flower bed with a rhododendron bush in the middle....any suggestions for something a bit 'different' to the usual bedding plants that can either be grown from seeds now or if bedding plants are cheap? Maybe another colour 'shake & rake' ??!
rhododendrons can cast a lot of shade, is it a big plant?


7-Can anyone reccomend a chilli suited for the uk climate that can be grown outside that crops fast?

All my chillies are outside from June till it gets cold, then a few come indoors to over winter, all depends on what sort of a summer we have.
But a chili expert will be hopefully along to help

What I'd like in the garden is LOTS OF BRIGHT COLOURS...& veg/fruit in the greenhouse that's EASY to deal with & cheap...
Nasturtiums..cheap seeds, lots of bright coloured flowers, grow like mad, varieties from 6" to 6' tall....Do need feeding, get more leaves than flowers then

I don't want much...do I!! If any of the experienced amongst you could help a 'newbie' it would be great!

Wookey

Plenty of easy veg you can try, loads of varieties of lettuce, leeks and scallions should also do good. If your working with one small bed then propagate small quantities of seed and sow out the strongest ones.

Escal

Annie123 has given good advice which I think is worth following.
You have gone for a few rather exotic plants to begin with and I wish you luck but it might be easier to try some more traditional varieties for much of your garden and just experiment each year with a couple of unusual ones.
Is there a local gardening club you could join? Always a good source of help and advice as well as a social thing.
Last thoughts, try some onion sets, maybe? Usually reliable and a useful crop which can be stored, avoiding gluts. And maybe a couple of fruit bushes? Gooseberries seem to do well in cooler areas.
Good luck!

paybacktime2008

Be wary of the plastic green house in a windy garden. Lost count of how many times blew over even with, so I thought, ingenious weighting devices!

DEBTMONKEY1A

Annie123....rhodedendron bush is say 5 foot high...looking out of window its not that wide-other bits of bed will get sun from 1-30 to 2pm onwards.

Will look at Nasturtiums today....annie123 assume it was a typo & you meant do not feed too much or it'll all be leaves?

With nasturtiums if using the dwarf variety (been googling!) & mixing with other bedding plants in containers....will it mainly produce leaves if I say put in one of those fertaliser spikes in container-or will it be ok? Also...I read that you can get climbing/trailing nasturtiums too....these sound like they'd be good around the rocky bit-they could also climb up the wooden fence I have & mix with the sweet peas....good idea?

Will be using bricks/paving slabs to weigh down g/house-it'll be next to neighbours rigid wood fence so that gives some protection...


Thanks all...will get onto some of the suggestions today....01 April & SNOW has just fallen on hills nearby (!)

RAS

DEBTMONKEY1A wrote: »

4-Am doing a raised bed type of thing in lower garden-maybe 1 -11/2 metres squear...any suggestions for easy veg for outside?

I strongly recommend that you check out the width of this before you build it. Most folk can reach about 2 foot so the maximum width of a bed needs to be 4 foot, unless you put in stepping stones. if your back and arms are particularly long or short you can adjust the width to suit your body.

if you do this, you can avoid standing on the ground and grwo things much closer together.