You are currently browsing the tag archive for the ‘seeds’ tag.
I had a long overdue sort out of my seed packets this evening and, as always, there’s far too many – will I ever learn?
Then I thought why not give a few away? So if you want to have this “summer salad” collection (5 packets – all are sow 2013/4 bar the Radish which should be OK but a little old) – Wild Rocket, Mixed Lettuce, Golden Sunrise Tomatoes, Radish Rudi and Telegraph Improved Cucumbers – just leave a comment on this post. I’ll contact the first person to say “YES” and get your address and post them to you. Simple as that!
And for the record here’s what’s left:
Aubergine F1 Bonica
Beetroot Burpee’s Golden
Beetroot Pablo
Broad Bean Longfellow
Broccoli (Autumn) Beaumont F1
Broccoli Purple Sprouting Late Purple Sprouting
Broccoli Purple Sprouting Sprouting Redhead
Brussel Sprouts Bedford
Brussel Sprouts F1 Cumulus
Cabbage (Spring) Pixie
Cabbage (Summer) Ramco
Calabrese Aquiles F1
Carrot Autumn King 2
Carrot Sweet Candle
Cauliflower Cornell
Cauliflower Romanesco F1 Celio
Celeriac Brilliant
Chilli Pepper F1 Joe’s Long
Courgette F1 Orelia
Courgette Soleil F1 Hybrid
Cress American / Land
Cress Curled
Cucumber Carmen F1
French Bean Climbing Barlotta Lingua di Fuoco
French Bean Climbing Cobra
French Bean Climbing Sultana
French Bean Dwarf Pencil Pod Black Wax
French Bean Dwarf Prince
French Bean Dwarf Sprite
French Bean Dwarf Ferrari
Garlic Solent Wight
Kale Scarlet
Leek Toledo
Lettuce Artic King
Lettuce Little Gem
Lettuce Salad Bowl
Lettuce Tom Thumb
Lettuce Webbs Wonderful
Lettuce Winter Density
Marrow Table Dainty
Onion (Sets) Stuggart Giant
Onion Spring White Lisbon
Parsnips Pinnacle
Pea Oregon Sugar Pod
Pea Show Perfection
Potatoes Amour
Potatoes Charlotte
Potatoes Kestrel
Potatoes Red Emmalie
Potatoes Winston
Pumpkin Rouge Vif D’Etamps
Radish Albena
Radish Rudi
Rocket Runway
Rocket Va Va Voom
Runner Bean Stenner
Shallots Hative de Niort
Squash Butternut Autumn Crown F1
Squash Butternut Butterbush F1
Squash Butternut Hunter F1
Squash Winter Sweet Dumpling
Swede Invitation
Sweet Pepper Etiuda
Sweetcorn F1 Earlibird
Sweetcorn F1 Sweetie Pie
Tomato Tumbling Tom Red
Tomato Sungold F1
The 2013 list!!! 35 different types of veg and 60-odd varieties, don’t think I’ll get round to them all!
A walk round the garden on this lovely, mild weekend has brought it home just how far Spring has progressed and I now have the feeling that I’m behind on all the jobs that I’m usually ahead of at this time of year – too far ahead of in some cases like sowing seeds for example.
In previous years the greenhouse would be filling up with various brassicas on the go whilst at the moment there’s just half a dozen trays of broad beans germinating and some shallots – I would have sown these direct in Autumn before. And usually I’d have trays of chillies, peppers, and tomatoes growing on but at the moment there’s just a handful of tomatoes germinated and I’m still waiting for the peppers to poke through.
Yesterday I sowed some more stump carrots (Sweet Candle) and four rows of parsnips (Gladiator & Picador). So I’m on track with the roots it’s just the rest of the veg I need to get a move on with. The only thing I’ve done at the shared plot is plant a couple of hundred onion sets and I haven’t touched my half allotment plot – although on visiting I realised it’s much smaller than a standard council plot (it’s run by a village charity) so I am less worried about catching up there, and it’s still got the previous tenants cabbages and sprouts on so I have an excuse for my tardiness. This is where the asparagus bed will go and the plants haven’t arrived yet; there you go another excuse!
It’s great to see so much colour in the garden already. This was a tiny hellebore plant I put in last year which is doing well. And the daffs are out, even an early tulip or two, but the most colourful thing is the blossom on the cherry plum tree. We often overlook just how beautiful trees can be, not just a green backdrop.
So I’ve got plenty of work to do, the next six weeks is the critical time for every veg grower, lots of sowing and planning for the season ahead!
I sowed the first of the stump carrots today, 14 stations in two old dustbins and 8 stations in a raised bed. I’ll sow some more next weekend. These are for the New Forest show at the last week in July and possibly my local village show three weeks later. The variety is Sweet Candle and I’m hoping to get a decent set out of them.
Certainly won’t win any prizes for symmetry but they should produce some nice carrots in five months time. And with a fleece over the top they will be cozy enough if we get a frost.
I’ve had the patience of a saint so far this year with no indoor seeds sowed until yesterday when I sowed 25 sweet peppers (Californian Wonder) and 15 tomatoes (Marmande, Gardener’s Delight and Moneymaker). And 140 broad beans are in the greenhouse which will be planted out at the shared plot in a few weeks. I’ll follow these with some chillies, aubergines and various brassicas over the weekend.
Have you started sowing in earnest yet??
OK confession time, I am an addict. It wasn’t until I decided to have a good sort out that I realised I have around 180 packets of seeds plus 3 cash bags full of broad and runner bean seeds. I’m not quite sure how this happened but I obviously have a compulsion for buying seeds, hoarding them and giving a home to any poor stray packet that may come my way.
I don’t discriminate, every type of veg and a whole host of seed companies are represented. And whilst the Two Chances Empire is expanding I don’t own acres of land so not quite sure were all this is going. If I can get over the cold turkey our local Project Uganda charity will be getting a donation at the end of the season!
A busy day today with around 200 onion sets planted at the shared plot, brussels and parnsips harvested for Sunday lunch. The long carrots pipes will be filled tomorrow then it’s onto the main business of sowing to reduce the seed packet mountain! Hope you’re all having a good weekend.
After a chat with my friend I share a plot with in the next village I’ve come away with some more seeds. I think between us we could cultivate half of Wiltshire! So I’m consolidating our collections and planning what to grow. And there’s a few varieties I’ve not heard of:
Radish – Rudi, Sparkler 3
Cucumber – Stimora Mix F1, Marketmore, Paska F1
Courgette – Patriot F1
Lettuce – All the Year Round
Radicchio – Palla Rossa
Cabbage – Derby Day, Winnigstadt, Drago F1, Durham Early
Cauliflower – Goodman
Beetroot – Golden Detroit, Cylindra
Carrot – Merida F1, Autumn King 2
Leaf Beet – Canary Chard
If you’ve grown any of these varieties I’d be interested to hear what you thought of them.
I like lists. And here’s the veg seeds I currently have in stock (or will have in the next month). As there’s 43 types of veg and over 100 varieties I’m not saying I’ll grow all of them this year but I’ll give it a go!
Is there anything that would be on your list year on year without fail?
Asparagus Pea
Asparagus
Aubergine Bonica F1
Beetroot Boltardy
Beetroot Burpee’s Golden
Beetroot Pablo
Broad Beans Bunyon’s Exhibition
Brocolli Early Purple Sprouting
Brocolli Late Purple Sprouting
Brocolli Early White Sprouting
Brocolli Sprouting Redhead
Brokali Apollo
Brussel Sprout Bedford
Cabbage Golden Acre Primo
Cabbage Pixie
Cabbage Offenham 2
Cabbage Ramco
Calabrese Aquiles F1
Cauliflower Snowball A
Cauliflower Deakin F1
Cauliflower Cornell
Carrot Royal Chatenay Red
Carrot Nantes Frubund
Carrot Sweet Candle
Carrot Early Nantes
Carrot Early Nantes 2
Carrot Amsterdam Forcing 3
Carrot Amsterdam 3 Sprint
Carrot Early Nantes 5
Carrot (Long) New Red Intermediate
Celeriac Brilliant
Celery Loretta
Chard Swiss Chard Bright Lights
Chilli Pepper Cayenne
Chilli Pepper Jalapeno
Climbing French Bean Sultana
Courgette F1 Orelia
Courgette F1 Defender
Courgette Black Beauty
Cress Curled
Cucumber F1 Carmen
Dwarf French Bean Borlotto Firetongue
Dwarf French Bean Purple Teepee
Dwarf French Bean Pencil Pod Black Wax
Dwarf French Bean Prince
Dwarf French Bean Sprite
Garlic Purple Wight
Herb Summer Savoury
Herb Chives
Herb Parsley
Herb Oregano
Herb Coriander
Herb Chervil
Herb Rosemary
Herb Dill
Herb Basil
Herb Thyme
Jerusalem Artichoke Unknown
Kale Dwarf Green Curled
Kale Scarlet
Leek Porvite
Leek Lyon 2 Prizetaker
Lettuce Artic King
Lettuce Little Gem
Lettuce Lollo Rosso
Lettuce Webb’s Wonderful
Lettuce Tom Thumb
Lettuce Winter Density
Mangetout Oregon Sugar Pod
Okra Clemson’s Spineless
Onion Red Baron (red)
Onion Globo
Onion Toughball
Onion (set) Radar
Onion (set) Electric (red)
Onion (set) Troy F1
Onion (set) Hercules F1
Onion (set) Centurion F1
Parsnip F1 Picador
Parsnip Exhibition
Parsnip Gladiator
Potatoes Charlotte
Potatoes Pink Fir Apple
Potatoes NVS Amour
Potatoes Salad Blue
Potatoes Nadine
Potatoes Kestrel
Potatoes Blue Belle
Pumpkin Rouge Vif d’Etanps
Radish French Breakfast 3
Radish Albena
Red Orache
Rocket Va-Va Voom
Rocket Runway
Rocket Wild Rocket
Runner Bean Moonlight
Runner Bean Stenner
Savoy Cabbage January King 3
Shallot Hative di Niort
Shallot Jermor
Spring Onion White Lisbon
Spring Onion Paris Silverskin
Swede Invitation
Sweetcorn Lark F1 Hybrid
Tomatillo Purple de Milpa
Tomato Gardener’s Delight
Tomato Tumbling Tom Red
Tomato Golden Peardrop
Tomato Marmande
Tomato F1 Incas
Tomato Moneymaker
In a bid for early flowers I sowed my first sunflower seeds this morning. And it reminded me of a lyric in the late 80s Tears for Fears song ‘Sowing the Seeds of Love’ which seemed appropriate for this time of year as we enter March and a frenzy of sowing activity. That song also included a rant against Margaret Thatcher, ‘politician granny’;by that time the gloss had well and truly come off her leadership with the Poll Tax. We’ve come full circle politically again as we do in gardening every year.
So what’s happening on the Two Chances Veg Plot at the end of February? Well on the plot I’m still harvesting leeks and parsnips with PSB eagerly anticpated. Parsnips were sown in the pipes last week and the overwintered broad beans and onions are coming on well. Tulips are starting to come through in the tubs and in the flower beds there’s crocuses, daffs and more tulips doing their thing and taking advantage of the mild spell we’ve had recently. In the greenhouse the shallots are starting to sprout and I’ve got a loads of brussel sprout seedlings pricked out into small pots.
Daffodils provided a great display last year, although later than usual. This photo was taken on 10th April, I’m hoping for blooms a couple of weeks earlier, in time for our Spring Show.
Indoors the spuds are chitting nicely and the second batch of broad beans is starting to germinate. On various windowsills a tray of lettuce (Webb’s Wonderful) needs pricking out, tomatoes are poking through and the first true leaves are showing the peppers and chillies. The onions look exactly the same as they did last week and I’ve just sown the first batch of sugar snap peas along with cabbage, early and late purple sprouting broccoli and some asparagus peas.
On the ‘to do’ list this weekend is the mix for the long carrots which I need to get into the pipes and sown. More brassicas to be sown – cauliflower and calabrese which can grow on in the greenhouse. So that’s it you’re up to speed on everything going on!!
Hope you all have a great weekend!
Regular readers will know I’m a laid back grower, but when it comes to sowing seeds I can be a little impatient. Despite sitting on my hands I can’t resist getting a few seeds on the go towards the end of January. Now it was time to prick out those seedlings and let them grow on all cosy in a south-facing windowsill.
There were half a dozen Tomato ‘Golden Peardrop’, 4 Aubergine ‘F1 Bonica’, 6 Pepper ‘Annaheim’, 4 chilli ‘Cayenne’ and some Onions ‘Globo’. They should be OK on the windowsill with the radiator below giving them some gentle heat. I resisted sowing more, just a few Lettuce ‘Webbs Wonderful’ for some early salad leaves.
One veg that I will be sowing soon are parsnips. But we haven’t finished eating last year’s crop yet. There’s about 20 left from sowings almost a year ago. They’re such a reliable veg standing in the ground all winter. I’ve not had any trouble with pests and the pigeons and caterpillars don’t like them. If it wasn’t for their long growing season they would be the perfect veg.
Best of luck if you’ve already sown some seeds. If you haven’t then you have the patience of a Saint. I’ve tried to wait and failed miserably!!
Despite my laid-back approach to growing my own veg I can be a bit impatient at this time of year and today saw the first seed sowing for the Two Chances Plot.
Into a couple of unheated propogators went Onion ‘Globo’, Peppers ‘Etiuda’, ‘F1 Denver’, ‘Anaheim’, Chilli ‘Cayenne’, Aubergine ‘F1 Bonica’ and Tomato ‘Golden Peardrop’. The propogators will sit on the south-facing bathroom windowsill over a radiator so the seeds have a reasonable amount of warmth to germinate……..fingers crossed!
I used my standard approach to seed sowing. Filling up the cells with moist multi-purpose to about 2/3rds full, then topping up with seed compost. Sow the seeds on top of the compost then cover with a vermiculite. Seeds need a nutrient poor start hence the seed compost but it’s expensive so I keep its use to a minimum and when the roots start to form there’s a layer of multi-purpose to keep the plants going until they’re ready to prick out. That’s the theory anyway, based on an excellent talk from Ray Broughton last year. Check out one of my earlier posts for more detailed info on seed sowing.
What’s that I hear you say? Yes, I know it’s too early but I’ve been itching to get something underway since the New Year and seeds are cheap and I have them in abundance so what’s the harm? I’ll sow another batch in a month’s time and what I have left over will go into the Horticultural Society Plant Sale in May. If my first batch fails there will be less for the Plant Sale I’m afraid. Come the end of March I’ll select the strongest plants to grow on through the summer.
After much heated debate on UKVG following the announcement of the peat ban due to come into force I’m trialing a new peat-free compost this year from New Horizon which was highly recommended in recent Which magazine trials. I picked up half a dozen bags at Wyevale.
Have you got any compost recommendations? And any seeds on the go yet??
Well that’s another Christmas over, so did you get what you wanted?
On the gardening front Rach gave me a pair of Felco No2 secateurs which are fantastic. I have four pairs of cheap and battered secateurs in the garage which annoy and frustrate me every time I use them. They will now go in the bin and I’ll never need to buy another pair again. I’d recommend these as a must buy for any gardener, they’re in a different league to anything I’ve used before.
The Gardman frost guard will come in handy in spring to get some tender veg underway and I was also given some more seeds, well you can never have enough can you! A leaf salad mix, sunflowers and sweet peas.
Carol Klein’s “Grow Your Own Garden” will teach me some propagation techniques, I must admit I’m a bit lost with cuttings etc so this will be a great help.
I was also given a copy of Jamie’s America which has loads of great recipes to try and Mike Harding’s Walking the Peak and Pennines. Regular readers will know I’m a keen hill walker currently completing the Pennine Way in stages so this book will be well thumbed over the winter months.
I hope you’ve all had a great Christmas and got what you wanted from Santa!!
