Veg to plant in March and things to do.

Sally_A

Tomatoes when they have their first set of true leaves (the first 2 leaves to show are the seed leaves). Ideally you should hold them by their seed leaves, but so long as you are gently I tend to balance by the stem and pr ick out with a plastic fork (the sort you get with a takeaway), and just pop them into the hole in a larger pot (about a 3.5 inch one), and plant them a bit deeper, eg up to their seed leaves. New roots will branch out below the seed leaves and give them more stability, and make them thicken out.

Broccolli is best started off in cooler conditions in deeper pots, or a seed bed, so shouldn't need pricking out until quite sturdy.

[Deleted User]

CommitedToChange wrote: »

quick question - how do you know when seedlings are big enough to be pricked out - this whole area is quite confusing to me...

My seedlings have all decided to grow so each module has 4-5 seedlings, I have broccoli and tomatos and they will obviously get too crowded shortly. They are currently an inch high.

Thanks :

I tend to !!!!! my seedlings out early, even when they just have the seed leaves as I find it easier to get the whole root system into the new module. I also keep the original tray for a while, until I am sure the pricked out seedlings have settled. I think I would gently tease your modules apart rather than easing the seedlings out with a pencil (my fav tool) as the roots are probably intertwined

CommitedToChange

many thanks

Sally_A

It will soon be April, so need to get my act together and do a topic for next month.......groan........so much to do in April, thank heavens for all the extra bank holidays, shame I have to cram 20 working days into about 14 though.

suisidevw

Had a great day in the garden after football today..... sown various trays of chillis, cucumber, tomatoe, rocket and a few rows in the veg patch of beetroot, spinach and radish! LOVE THIS GARDENING LARK!

[Deleted User]

be careful what you wish for (me, rain!!) it is hammering down and I wasn`t sxpecting even a drop until wednesday. It is overflowing the gutters and beating down so hard and has been for half an hour. Am I glad I put the pvc covers over the seedlings tonight plus a fleece. I was expecting some cold in the morning but not this, I have just been putting fleeces on at night for the past couple of nights :eek:

I planted 100 onion sets and more parsnip seeds yesterday and all in a cage I made with enviromesh so they will be pretty protected. otherwise I would be finding the sets all over the place in the morning

little_sarah_2

Kantankrus_Mare wrote: »

you could try and repot them so that they are deeper in the soil in new pot.

Has worked for me in the past.

Courgette plants are quite hardy.

I planted mine out at the allotment last year and a week later they looked like they had died. Kept watering them and they revived producing right the way through the summer providing us with some beautiful corgette risotto's.

Thank you, I've got them in bigger pots now and they look much happier!

My garden's not looking bad now, especially with the potato planters out and my new mini-greenhouse built :j

radiohelen

OK bumping cos this was invaluable last year!

Mutantk

Wow what a fab thread - havent posted in yonks but have lurked - this thread has tempted me back...thanks to everyone for all the fab ideas. I have an allotment but neglected it last year having been unwell in hospital but have got two friends onboard this year - we're all rotivated and just getting going, it's a blank canvas which is nice... have planted red and white onions and shallots and garlic. Planting early spuds tomorrow and then going to get our strawbs in, going to start some seeds at the weekend and after reading the tip on here will be saving loo rolls for my leeks! All very exciting. I see lots of you recommend Marketmore cuces, I bought Tessa which I have done with success before but am tempted to order some marketmore on ebay - thats my problem - I cant stop buying seeds! Anyway, it's nice to be back on here and I look forward to reading more tips and ideas and wish everyone a fab growing season xx

radiohelen

I've got a lot of things coming through now.

Garlic is in the ground, spuds are chitting ready to plant.

On the seed front: spring cabbage, celery, peppers (jalapeno, padron, red long ones!), tomatoes (outdoor girl, purple ukraine, yellow stuffer, some mini tomato variety), leeks, onions(seed and sets), aubergines, coriander, parsley... I think that's it.

Also got sweet peas, marigolds, petunias, echinacea, snapdragons, dahlias going in pots too.

My blowaway is nearly full