What to plant when, for fruit, veg and herbs, a guide for the year

Primrose

One warning about seeds sown in a heated propagator. Once they've germinated and poked through the soil, remove them from the heat as soon as possible, otherwise they will grow too tall and weedy too quickly and the daylight at this time of year is not really bright enough to sustain their growth, especially with snow and a cold spell forecast. I'd sow just a few seeds in your propagator to avoid wasting them, and reserve some to sow a little later. I've been growing tomatoes, peppers, chillis and aubergines for years. I always get carried away sowing too early in the hope of an early crop and it never really happens. Now I sow peppers/chillis/aubergines at the end of Feb earliest as they need a long growing season outdoors, and I sow my tomatoes in early April (also for growing outdoors). I gave my heated propagator away as I always ended up with sprindly miserable little seedlings which didn't thrive because it wasn't possible to vary the heat and they either cooked to death or shivvered to death.

Jake'sGran

Primrose is right. Most keen gardeners start sowing at the end of Feb (some think that is early). In The Times last weekend it said that now is a good time to sow lobelia and snapdragons. The big problem with early sowing is having to !!!!! out all those seeds into other containers for more space (I sow a lot of seeds), and then you find there is nowhere to put them all after pricking out so that they have the right conditions i.e. warmth and light. I will be sowing tomatoes, chillies, many different annual flowers and some perennial ones. Echinacea were a big success last year and also Verbena Bonariensis. I tend to go on ........

hopefulshell07

Thank you for all the advice, I have planted a few seeds to see how they go.

SuzieMum

I have planted my red pepper seeds, they are in a plastic non heated propagator seed tray thingy in my porch. I will do toms in a few weeks.

Primrose

SuzieMum - With the snow and cold weather forecast I'd be very inclinced to bring those red pepper seeds in from your porch and keep them on a windowsill in a warm room until they've germinated. They really need a minimum 20 degrees to germinate and in an unheated porch at this time of year the compost in which they're plant could still freeze, in which case your seeds will die. It would be a shame to lose them now you've gone to the trouble of planting them.

Jake'sGran

This is just an apology for typing all those !!!!! It should say !!!!! out where they are. I am still getting used to this new laptop. It just moves unexpectedly and I find my typing has gone somewhere else.

Jake'sGran

Jake'sGran wrote: »

This is just an apology for typing all those !!!!! It should say !!!!! out where they are. I am still getting used to this new laptop. It just moves unexpectedly and I find my typing has gone somewhere else.

This is ridiculous, it has happened again. Maybe they take out the word p r i c k
but I don't understand why. If it happens again with this you must have the message by now - how weird.

picklepick

yes they're sensoring that word. its a swear word is why, although obviously not in this situation!

hopefulshell07

I have a few dwarf beans that I intend to grow in pots indoors for now and I put the seeds in the propagator and I was shocked to see that they had germinated in three days! I have taken them out of the propagator and have put them on a sunnyish window sill. Thanks for all the advice.

Primrose

hopeful - it will be mid May at least before you can put your dwarf beans outdoors unless you cover them with cloches. There's always a risk of a frost until then and beans hate the cold. If you can get hold of any of the large square plastic 5 litre mineral water bottles, cut the bottoms off. They will make ideal individual cloches for your bean plants.