Seeds

[4pygmies]

I have given in and started to sow..... ;D This morning smallest and I sowed early Peas (Kelvedon Wonder), Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Centaurea, Ladybird Poppies, Love in a Mist, Rose Campion and Parsnips in loo roll tubes. They are all in the conservatory. And we also sowed Greater Golden Knapweed and Aconitum and stood them outside on top of the cold frame (which is full of pots atm.... :)
The Broad Beans I put in pots at the beginning of the month haven't done a thing yet - which just shows how cold it was in there during the freeze.....
The plants I got from JParkers are all potted up in there too. They look as if they will do something , the Trifolium rubens looks particularly well, which is a relief. I reallyreally want the Cirsium rivulare to prosper - I love that plant.
This early sowing means I MUST now start to clear some space in the polytunnel so I have somewhere to move them too.....Got another 10/11 packets of seeds to sow in about 3 weeks......

[cheerypeabrain]

I don't know why but the J Arthur Bowers JI No 1 I used to prick out into is horrid this year It's setting like concrete which is not conducive to healthy young plants. SO today I did a 40:60 (approx) mix of that plus westland's MP plus compy (which I was well impressed with last year) and pricked out the gerbera seedlings into that instead (in 6X4 seed trays) for now. The plants seem to be OK..with good root formation and true leaves formed OK...

I'm very careful about watering seedlings, always use tap water and only when they need it...standing the pots/trays in the water rather than watering from above (which I found a problem a few years ago as the compy seemed to form a crust on top...yuk) Anyway...with the JI No1 the pots were setting solid! Not particularly wet or owt...is it just me?

[4pygmies]

You could try mixing in quite a goodly amount of horticultural grit or perlite, Cheery, to keep it a more open texture. I use New Haven peat free compost (I think is its name) which I am very happy with.
If I'm sowing something I know will be in the pot for a while then I mix in some JI no1 too. You could also try putting a layer of perlite on the surface which would help stop the crustiness I think. It stops any lichen etc forming too.

[cheerypeabrain]

Good idea Batman...

[4pygmies]

Despite the fact that it is really cold in the conservatory my Centaurea seeds have germinated already. I dooo love hardy annuals...isn't Nature wonderful??

[cheerypeabrain]

I have my centaurea seedlings in the GH and they seem to be reasonably happy...pricked out some of them the other day. I've never grown them before and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they turn out.

[cheerypeabrain]

This afternoon I pricked out a few trifolium rubens seedlings...and 3 cape gooseberry ones..I won't need more than a couple of plants in the GH.

My eryngium dwarf blue hobbit seeds are germinating YAY! ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

As we now have one of those plastic GH things in the conservatory I had enough room to do some more sowing today..... :

I have sown the trillium and lavendula augustifolia seeds...they're in the CF.

Indoors we have:-

Agastache Golden Jubilee
Delphinium Chinensis Blue butterfly
Chrysanthemum Eastern star
Gazania Kiss Bronze
Gazania Dynastar Inferno
Gazania Sunshine mixed (I like gazanias)
Amsonia tabernaemontana
Actaea Matsumurae
Greek Oregano
Tree Basil
Verbena Rigida



some to keep, some to give away...and some to sell....(hopefully)

[cheerypeabrain]

More sowings....this time it's an hhhhexperiment ;D

Tithonia Rotundifolia...3 sources/types.

1. RHS seed
2. Seed from RF in Germany
3. T&M Arcadian Mix

I've sown 10 seeds of each in 3" pots. J Arthur Bowers Seed compost, top dressed with vermiculite and sprayed with dilute cheshunt compound. Pots are in the heated propagator in the conservatory. ;D

[4pygmies]

Lovely... I bought some more seeds this morning. Some Kale 'Black Tuscany', Melon 'Sweetheart' and some Phacelia which is a green manure but it says on the packet -"Pretty if left to flower" - which really appealed to me so I am going to sprinkle it all about! Bees and Hoverflies love it apparently. ;D

[cheerypeabrain]

4pygmies said:

Lovely... I bought some more seeds this morning. Some Kale 'Black Tuscany', Melon 'Sweetheart' and some Phacelia which is a green manure but it says on the packet -"Pretty if left to flower" - which really appealed to me so I am going to sprinkle it all about! Bees and Hoverflies love it apparently. ;D

I grew phacelia last year...it's too sprawly for my garden but it is lovely...it's a nitrogen fixer as well...so if you dig it in before it flowers it's a good green manure...

[cheerypeabrain]

If you get lots of plants from your kale seed can I scrounge one pretty please? if it's a winter one....grovel grovel.....

[4pygmies]

ONE?? Is that enough? ;D Course you can angel cake! I have 250 seeds in this packet...I shall send you some asap XXX

Oh 'ang on - you want the plants doncha? : I'll sow you a tray shall I? It says you can use the leaves for salad when young too. Or would you like some seeds?

[cheerypeabrain]

OOH thank you kindly...I don't mean to cadge.....

Just a few seeds (not a lot of room) or a plant next time I see you will be just perfick.

[Sweetleaf]

Rooting through the pots in the GH, early this morning, I discovered seed pods on the remains of the stem of Zantedescia Fiorex gold, I opened the pods and discovered they had seeds in them which were sprouting, of course I sowed them straight away!

It will be interesting to see how long it takes to bring the resulting plants to flower and if they remain true. I have them on a windowsill in damp compost, just covered with vermiculite and sealed in a plastic bag, of course I have no clue if it will work, but free seeds should always get a chance. ;D

[4pygmies]

Ooh, that is very exciting! How lucky that you found them. What an interesting experiment. Coo!

[Sweetleaf]

4pygmies said:

Ooh, that is very exciting! How lucky that you found them. What an interesting experiment. Coo!

That comment is exactly why I treasure this board, if I were to witter on about this anywhere else I would have got ....." : oh, did you? (yawn)" ;D

[4pygmies]

I'm trying to get my friend who lives in Paris to join AF as she is quite isolated atm (not very fluent French speaker yet) and loves gardening - she says she will keep emailing me pictures of plants for ID, so I suggested she join us as there are lots of like minded people here. I hope she does - she's a really nice and funny lady.
We are NEVER bored with plants on here are we?

[Sleepy]

4pygmies said:

I'm trying to get my friend who lives in Paris to join AF as she is quite isolated atm (not very fluent French speaker yet) and loves gardening - she says she will keep emailing me pictures of plants for ID, so I suggested she join us as there are lots of like minded people here. I hope she does - she's a really nice and funny lady.
We are NEVER bored with plants on here are we?

Oooh... I hope she does

[Sweetleaf]

4pygmies said:

I'm trying to get my friend who lives in Paris to join AF as she is quite isolated atm (not very fluent French speaker yet) and loves gardening - she says she will keep emailing me pictures of plants for ID, so I suggested she join us as there are lots of like minded people here. I hope she does - she's a really nice and funny lady.
We are NEVER bored with plants on here are we?

I hope she does too, must be nice, if you call her friend.

We are bound to love her! ;D

[4pygmies]

cheerypeabrain said:

OOH thank you kindly...I don't mean to cadge.....

Just a few seeds (not a lot of room) or a plant next time I see you will be just perfick.

It's not cadging, is it? Besides you have sent me loads of seeds!
Interestingly it says on the Kale packet that you can sow them anytime indoors and use the leaves in salads all year round. I'll sent you some seeds then you can eat them whenever you want angel X
I am going to sow a few in a pot and keep them in Mum's spare bedroom window where it's warm and sunny. I have never heard of using Kale as a salad leaf before....

[4pygmies]

I suddenly realised last night that the Kale is the one Monty Don was going on about last year - Nero di Toscana - I think it's called. I've sown some in a deep plastic tray and put it in the conservatory. I wonder if I shall get any leaves for salad from it in a few weeks?

Also sowed a tray each of Gardeners Delight and San Marzano tomatoes and some pots of Squash, Cucumber, Aubergine, Pepper, and Melon. I want to get ahead with the veggies so I have room to sow all the perennials flower I want to plant out this year (if I ever get the ground dug over...).

[madonplants]

4pygmies said:

I suddenly realised last night that the Kale is the one Monty Don was going on about last year - Nero di Toscana - I think it's called. I've sown some in a deep plastic tray and put it in the conservatory. I wonder if I shall get any leaves for salad from it in a few weeks?

Also sowed a tray each of Gardeners Delight and San Marzano tomatoes and some pots of Squash, Cucumber, Aubergine, Pepper, and Melon. I want to get ahead with the veggies so I have room to sow all the perennials flower I want to plant out this year (if I ever get the ground dug over...).

You will, knowing you. How BIG is this conservatory and can you use it for it's proper purpose!! Don't worry I have done the same, when we have had conservatories before.

Keith

[4pygmies]

Its proper purpose? Whatever do you mean? ;D It's my seed and baby plants room, where I keep everything planty and no one else can do much in there but sit and read in the summer (if there's room on the old settee, usually it's stuffed with seed packets and my books...). That IS its purpose..... ;D

[4pygmies]

I just sowed Orange Hawkweed and Lady's Bedstraw, sooo tiny. like Poppy seeds. I do love seeds ;D