The all new 2019 growing your own thread!

timehastoldme

I did mine a week ago, they're sat in a propagator on a heated airer with an IKEA grow lamp pointed at them, it's by far the earliest I've ever tried. This so we will see

Suffolk_lass

Chilli seeds are my nemesis. Every year I grow a little tray of tomato seedlings on the top of my bug zapper on the kitchen windowsill and they flourish. In complete contrast none of the chilli seeds do anything, irrespective of when I plant them, whether they have heat whether I soak them, water them or whatever. Any advice to trigger their germination would be gratefully received please.

Just to add, once I buy already germinated seedlings from somewhere else (outside the gates of neighbours, local garden centre) I am fine. It is just starting them off that is a nightmare!

carolbee

I’m leaning over the fence from my allotment peering in!

I’m in Kent and have an allotment within walking distance from home. Not sowed anything yet, as no heating in greenhouse. First year we had it went crackers and sowed far too early. Won’t do that again.

Got a dehydrator last year and it’s amazing, especially when the courgette glut arrives .....

Looking forward to following and joining in

AdventureWanted

Hi,
We are hoping to grow some vegetables this year, as not only will it be nice having home grown veg, but it'll be a brilliant learning experience for our kids.

My question is - do I need a greenhouse? We've been toying with the idea of getting one, but wasn't sure if it was a necessity or not. We will have 2 raised trugs that hubby made, as well as a couple of reusable rectangular grow bags, so not a huge area.

unrecordings

I'd say wait a while for the greenhouse - if you site it in the wrong position then you're stuck with a white elephant, especially if you've not much space for the kids to expand into

unrecordings

For me, tomato seeds indoors - looking over past years:

2013
13th Feb (windowsill) then 1st April for a batch of second choice varieties (probably greenhouse)

2014
8th & 9th Feb which failed (might have been stupid an put them in the greenhouse - 2nd attempt 6th April (probably greenhouse again)

2015
7th Feb (windowsill) then 29th March for a second batch of other varieties (probably greenhouse)

2016
6th Feb (windowsill)

2017
5th Feb (windowsill)

2018
5th Feb (windowsill) which failed - 2nd attempt 21st & 25th Feb (windowsill again)

2019
5th Feb (windowsill) - and a few more in the next couple of days...

-taff

Suffolk_lass wrote: »

Chilli seeds are my nemesis. Every year I grow a little tray of tomato seedlings on the top of my bug zapper on the kitchen windowsill and they flourish. In complete contrast none of the chilli seeds do anything, irrespective of when I plant them, whether they have heat whether I soak them, water them or whatever. Any advice to trigger their germination would be gratefully received please.

Try a heated propogator. Normal compost, firm it down, add the chilli seed, make sure it's in contact with the soil and then lightly cover it with some more compost, not very deeply, only a few mm at most and water gently.

They don't like it cold. It's too cold here to sow them yet [SW england], and I don't have a heated propogator. I wouldn't be sowing them until at least the beginning of March and that's only if I can keep them warm and inside. I don't sow tomatoes until March either, I haven't seen any benefit from early sowing in the past, most of the ones I like are black, and a lot of them are grown in short summers [Polish, Russian etc] rather than longer ones, so they do OK.

unrecordings

Here's a question then - assuming propagator & windowsill - sowing earlier results in seedlings that more likely to be leggy. Sowing later means less leggy ?

-taff

Yes. They need warmth to germinate and light to grow.
Warmth doesn't = sturdy seedlings.
If there's not enough light they will get leggy. Not so bad for tomatoes because you can pot on much deeper, but chilies not so sure of.

-taff

I have done it a few times, with bog standard chillies like jalapeno, but wouldn't like to risk it with something a bit rarer...and never much deeper either..