Veg to plant in February and things to do.

Omega_1

If I have had a specially nice tasting tomato I have removed the seeds spreading a few of the seeds on a piece of paper napkin or kitchen roll, and when dried, tearing off a seed and planting which invariably grows on to a super flavoured tomato plant - maybe worth a try ?

Chip_Tuesday

This is probably a silly question to those of you who know what you're doing, but can I grow sweet peppers indoors? Or outside (in a pot) under some sort of closh?

CT

Sally_A

Sorry Suze72 but any rhubarb plant should be given at least 12 months to get established, but in all honesty, if I was given a chunk of root that grew 12 or more stems, I wouldn't be able to help myself from picking at least 4 of them

Omega_1 - yes, please do try, most tomato seeds will grow, but not all of them to specification of the parent plant - if you get a good one, that is half the fun.

chip tuesday - sweet peppers are always a bit of a pain for me, don't know why, I planted some on 30/1 (Yolo wonder) - none showing to date, and if they do grow the fruits are always tough and non-plumptious.........these along with spring onions and carrots are my betes noirs.

budgetboo

On the kitchen window sill this week:-
Marigolds (for companion planting with tomatoes and for borders on my estate)
Nasturtiums (for my flat balcony)
Chives
Tomatoes x 2 varieties (more to come as want to give seedlings to school garden).
Cucumbers (some seedlings to go to Mum in exchange for cuttings from her garden).
Sweet Peas - frugal way to brighten up the house as the more you cut em the more they like it : )

next week:-
Peppers chocolate
Yellow strawberries
Alpine strawberries
Peppers thin red
Parsley
Broad beans
Leeks

Dig over veg beds and enlarge strawberry patch + put down slug pellets.
My strawberry plants could do with a general tidy after the harsh winter.
Also plant garlic and onions.

Also in feb - take plastic cover off mini greenhouse and disinfect as the snow got to it before I got the chance in November.

Replace window boxes and pots that cracked in the snow with new ones from the pound shop ready to put herbs out in mini greenhouse in March.

Everything else bar leeks and broad beans will stay indoors for another month or two before being transferred to the greenhouse and then to the veg beds as and when they are ready.

Order slug nematode worms ready for April as not sure the toads will have survived the winter and the slugs round here are mean :eek:

suze72

Sally_A wrote: »

Sorry Suze72 but any rhubarb plant should be given at least 12 months to get established, but in all honesty, if I was given a chunk of root that grew 12 or more stems, I wouldn't be able to help myself from picking at least 4 of them

Here's hoping for 12 stems then

silvasava

Weather turned out good late yesterday morning so DH pruned our Bay tree before the birdies had chance to nest -now they'll be undisturbed for the rest of the year (unless pusscats sitting in the middle of the tree again!) Had a check round the 'estate' to see whats poking its nose through & what's given up the ghost! I planted broad beans outside late last year they're now up about 4 inches. Found a large tub I'd forgotten about that I can use for my potatoes - thanks everyone for their advice. Leeks are still looking good & the rhubarb is poking its nose up too. I bought a Jostaberry last year (cross between a blackcurrant & gooseberry) its full of buds so fingers crossed for a good crop this year (licks lips!)Managed to tidy up front garden & get rid of an Hibiscus that had died - just wondering what to put in its place - will have to have a think. Going to plant pea & tomato seeds this weekend & do my planting plan.
Hope everyone manages to be a little greenfingered this weekend

Omega_1

At your convenience would appreciate your advice on how to grow potatoes in tubs - my efforts last year were a total waste of time and money. A handfull of spuds each tub from 5 starter potatoes of different sorts - started off in greenhouse until sprouting from top after numerous top-ups and then placed outdoors. Loads of tops trailing everywhere but little to show inside. Watered well (don't think too much but then - what is too much or too little ?) Not feeling inclined to re-try unless someone can identify where I perhaps went wrong. Any particular spud should I be concentrating my efforts on ?

Advice Request No 2 - From an Onion expert ! I have a few special onions that I bought from a store last year which are delicious and wish to cultivate from them. I kept them in a cool and light place and when showed signs of green shoots placed them on top of potting compost where they have now sprouted numerous shoots about 10" tall. When can I transplant into garden and what steps do I need to take after doing so ? Can I expect onions from these or do I have to wait and see if they go to seed and then sow the seed next year - and if so when do I go about this ?

Sally_A

Agree, spuds in pots are treated as a novelty here, yes you might get a few a couple of weeks early, but quite frankly the faff isn't worth it. I think I'd rather cloche a couple of plants up the garden.

Don't think you'll have much joy with your onions, you may get greenery but not onions, still if you are happy to chop the stems/leaves off and use them like chives; otherwise you will have to hope they run to seed, collect seed and start from scratch next year.

Sally_A

Tomatoes for greenhouse growing are sown by me on 14th Feb, Valentine's Day, an easy day to remember as tomato in a lot of south mediterranean countries is know as the Love Apple.

Personally I can't be faffed with heated propagators - they seem to grow wimps of plants - more robust plants are achieved by planting in a light and warmish place, a transparent lid might be useful over a chilly night, but remove it during the day, and never use it once some seeds have come up as it could leave to damping off.

A 250g mushroom container is just the right size to plant 24 seeds, expect 80%+ germination; but the main key to healthy plants is to pot them on a s a p, from seed tray to loo roll, then on to 3 inch pot, and finally ending planted in an outdoor greenhouse in a flower bucket or builders bucket with holes drilled in the bottom on the first bank holiday in May.

When potting on/pricking out seedlings, your best tools are a takeaway plastic fork and spoon, use them to dig out the seedling and the handles to make a hole in the new soil. They are also less clumsy than mini tools sold by garden centres.

This is also a good day to sow for out door and patio plants, but please bear in mind you will have to keep them frost free until the end of May, if you don't have the room to keep large plants undercover - don't sow your plants intended for outdoors until the first or second week of March.

macma

We've got allotments and a veg plot but I've been very tardy this year,the weather has kept me indoors but today I sowed 3 varieties of toms for the greenhouse,will sow outdoor varieties later, garlic in cell packs ,chillies are about 1"high, sowed celeriac,lavender and nicotiana.I should have sown some hispi will do that next week.Spuds have been chitting for 3 weeks and cloches are on the raised beds to warm things up perhaps I should buy cloche hat eh then perhaps I would get motivated;)