Starting to Sow
I wanted to share this way of sowing seeds which I learned from gardener and writer, Stephanie Hafferty (link at the end). I think good tips are always worth passing on.
The recent spell of good weather has focussed my thoughts on sowing and I'm keen to catch up after a wet, cold start to the spring. The soil is warming up nicely and I'll start sowing direct in the next week or two but for now I'm sowing in seed trays under cover to improve the chances of germination.
As you can hopefully see from the photo (click to enlarge), the method is to fill a small seed tray, divide in half and then sow short rows of seeds on each side. This allows 20 or more different varieties to be sown in just a small amount of potting compost.
I prefer to use a good quality, peat-free compost which costs a little more so I like the fact that this is very economical. I can also sow out-of-date seeds with less risk; if they don't germinate I haven't lost much in terms of space and effort.
Once the seeds germinate, I choose as many of the strongest ones as I need to prick out into modules to grow on. You can see some earlier ones in the background. These are tomato and chillies which I germinated in the propagator last month. They stay in the house overnight on south-facing windowsills and during the day I bring them out onto the decking for some sun. Once the risk of frost has passed they'll get planted in the greenhouse. The hardier seedlings will go into a mini-greenhouse and potted on until they're large enough to plant out.
Although this process is time-consuming it does allow for some early crops. I have concentrated on salads and herbs, spinach, chard, early cabbages and calabrese. Next week it'll be beetroot, radishes and spring onions. Tasty crops to look forward to!
For another description and more photos, here's a link to Stephanie's post on her No Dig Home website.
The recent spell of good weather has focussed my thoughts on sowing and I'm keen to catch up after a wet, cold start to the spring. The soil is warming up nicely and I'll start sowing direct in the next week or two but for now I'm sowing in seed trays under cover to improve the chances of germination.
As you can hopefully see from the photo (click to enlarge), the method is to fill a small seed tray, divide in half and then sow short rows of seeds on each side. This allows 20 or more different varieties to be sown in just a small amount of potting compost.
I prefer to use a good quality, peat-free compost which costs a little more so I like the fact that this is very economical. I can also sow out-of-date seeds with less risk; if they don't germinate I haven't lost much in terms of space and effort.
Once the seeds germinate, I choose as many of the strongest ones as I need to prick out into modules to grow on. You can see some earlier ones in the background. These are tomato and chillies which I germinated in the propagator last month. They stay in the house overnight on south-facing windowsills and during the day I bring them out onto the decking for some sun. Once the risk of frost has passed they'll get planted in the greenhouse. The hardier seedlings will go into a mini-greenhouse and potted on until they're large enough to plant out.
Although this process is time-consuming it does allow for some early crops. I have concentrated on salads and herbs, spinach, chard, early cabbages and calabrese. Next week it'll be beetroot, radishes and spring onions. Tasty crops to look forward to!
For another description and more photos, here's a link to Stephanie's post on her No Dig Home website.
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
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