Don't panic!

tim_n

Lots of threads of gardeners saying 'is it too late' etc

No, it's too early, go back to sleep!

If you've got the chance to put some stuff on a southfacing windowsill and get it started, go ahead, otherwise don't panic and put the kettle on.

I wouldn't even dig the plot yet, I'm in the south east (east of London) and the ground is so wet I end up 3" taller just walking to the shed.

If your local market is selling veg plants, it's because they know everyone is starting to get itchy feet. As one guy on the market said 'I can sell twice as many plants, demand is for plants now, and those same people will be back after the frosts buying the same plants again once they've died, sometimes they'll be back twice'

So don't play into their hands.

Tidy your plot, trim your plants and enjoy being in the warm for a few more weeks yet. I'll be planting my tomato seeds (extra super early variety) in the next few days but won't be planting out for weeks yet!

:beer:

Gillby1

Thanks for this. I'm just starting out, and there's so much information out there on the web that it can be really difficult working out what to do, when and how. I really appreciate being able to ask lots of questions to some experienced gardeners.

Gill

poorly_scammo

Well said Tim. I'm in West Yorkshire and there's no way I'm doing anything except a bit of weeding and mulching my apple trees.

meg72

tim_n wrote: »

Lots of threads of gardeners saying 'is it too late' etc

No, it's too early, go back to sleep!

If you've got the chance to put some stuff on a southfacing windowsill and get it started, go ahead, otherwise don't panic and put the kettle on.

I wouldn't even dig the plot yet, I'm in the south east (east of London) and the ground is so wet I end up 3" taller just walking to the shed.

If your local market is selling veg plants, it's because they know everyone is starting to get itchy feet. As one guy on the market said 'I can sell twice as many plants, demand is for plants now, and those same people will be back after the frosts buying the same plants again once they've died, sometimes they'll be back twice'

So don't play into their hands.

Tidy your plot, trim your plants and enjoy being in the warm for a few more weeks yet. I'll be planting my tomato seeds (extra super early variety) in the next few days but won't be planting out for weeks yet!

:beer:

Great post, so many newbies get conned by this, may I ask what extra super early variety you are sowing please.

tim_n

meg72 wrote: »

Great post, so many newbies get conned by this, may I ask what extra super early variety you are sowing please.

certainly!

http://www.realseeds.co.uk/tomatoes_bush.html

From the site (condensed)

Latah (Super-early Salad type)
This is the one for your earliest crop. It might just be the best early tomato ever. It’s a super-early variety that tolerates short or cool summers, covered in 1 inch spherical red fruit on a sprawling bush.

"I had my first tomato appear on the Latah on the 18th May"

Not cheap, but lovely idea and fingers crossed it works!

RedLass

<sits back down with a cuppa> :whistle:

So easy to get into a mad panic. This will be my second year growing veg. I keep getting a feeling that it is surely time I started sowing some seeds... then the temperature drops to zero again and the gloom goes on and on, reminding me we're still in the depths of winter.

Funny you should mention plants on market stalls - I saw similar at our local last weekend. They looked so tempting, all green and healthy. I didn't buy any, but I can see how easy it would be to think "if they're selling them now, it must be time to plant them".

I do need to get into the garden and tidy up and pull a few small weeds... I have 3 or 4 shrubs that I also want to prune, one of them quite hard (hope I don't kill it!). But it's so horrible out, I haven't worked up the motivation yet.

<goes in search of the hot water bottle>

Davesnave

tim_n wrote: »

Not cheap, but lovely idea and fingers crossed it works!

It will work, but they are horrible looking plants and frequently develop spotty and diseased looking foliage. Despite this, the tomatoes are OK.

I scrap mine once the 'normal' varieties kick-in.

P.S To anyone looking for early peppers and chillies, those should be sown as soon as possible.

tim_n

Yes, I did realise the chili seeds need to go in about now - it's not wrong to start planting seeds, but don't go planting much other than broad beans out in the cold!

Rummer

Oh but I really love starting early :rotfl:

midnightraven3

my 1st real year of growing, i started off loads in paper pots indoors around this time of year, i was soooooo keen
when it came time to plant out they were quite leggy, and i planted more seeds directly
the seeds planted directly yielded way more than my early planted plants, and no sooner than the others either
lesson learned
i havent even began to think about planting yet
i am raring to go, seeds lovingly poured over, many times
400 paper pots made

but i am just tidying up the garden in prep just now

Davesnave

Rummer wrote: »

Oh but I really love starting early :rotfl:

May I commend to you growing hellebores from seed. Then, if you fail to plant May/June's seeds by August, you can kick yourself for being too late! :rotfl: