planting veggies

angeldaisy

Just managed to get my raised beds sorted, first time ground has been dry enough!

I'm guessing its still too cold to plant anything out yet, we're still getting ground frosts at night.

I have a mix of seeds and seedlings to go out.

Any advise?

Supercell

Yep, same here, is forecast to get warmer next week so am holding off until then.I tried planting some pak choi and chinese cabbage a few weeks ago as they usually germinate at cooler temperatures than most, but nothing, was a waste of time. Lesson learned.

redser7

Hi - cover your beds with black plastic, it will help them warm up. The traditional method to test if the soil is warm enough is to plant your bare bum on it If you can stand it then it's warm enough. Another way is to watch for weed seedlings starting to come. But hopefully the next week should see temps starting to rise a bit, personally I'm thinking next weekend onwards for planting out spuds and some hardy seedlings I started off indoors. I wont bother sowing direct for a while yet unless we get some consistent warm weather.

genuine leather

Hi angel d, im going to sow stuff today.just itching for the sowing buzz and the timeline suits me. but as supercell and redster said, still a bit cold for most sowing, invariably anything sown in a week or two will germinate and grow quick when the temps rise( still waiting.....and waiting )) bum on the bed is acurate....lol.(weed seeds showing are perfect sign that is warm enough to sow) Between today and tmrw i ll sow broad beans(hurst greenshaft and red epicure),peas(early onward)leek(musselburgh)beetroot(boltardy)onions(silverskin and sets) in the greenhouse in wee pots/modules ill sow some turnips, courgettes, basil, tomato. Good suggestion on the black covering, i have the spud bed covered a few weeks with black teram so ill be tempted to get them in also, chitting in egg cartons for awhile now. i sure hope we all have better weather this season than last year, gez that was an uphill battle, Its been very dry recently, a lot of rain forecast for the end of the week, a few degrees rise in temp and everything will explode into growth, i so love the new green colours of spring, and dusting off the bbq ), Happy gardening everybody, hope its a great season
GL

Macy0161

redser7 wrote: »

Hi - cover your beds with black plastic, it will help them warm up.

There was a bit on Gardeners Question Time in the last few weeks, where they said in a previous test, that clear plastic warms the soil quicker. With the added advantage that weed seeds germinate so can be cleared before you plant/ sow.

angeldaisy

Some great advise thanks:)

Had a look at my soil today and did the hand test - wasn't getting my bum out:eek: still a bit cold.

I'm hoping to get some beetroot, onions etc in , also desperate to try some mixed salad leaves in that I got from SeedSavers. I've an old raised bed at the back of the garden that I'm going to try to plant some wildflowers in, see if I can attract some natural predators in. Might also see if I can build a bug hotel out of some leftover bits and peices.

Planning to finally getting round to setting up netting around some of the beds so I can put in some cabbages. not planning to bother with potatoes this year - last year they all rotted:(

This year I laid a base of soaked cardboard and newspaper followed by a lovely layer of our compost and top soil. Got the idea from the Hollies and Seed Savers:)

r3nu4l

You can buy small, clear plastic polytunnels. I find these useful to get seeds started and protect the freshly sown beds from cats who think it's a new toilet! Protects against frost too.

Surprised to hear about your potatoes! Make sure you get new seed potatoes and do try again. I find potatoes a worthwhile tuber for planting and good yield.

genuine leather

This year I laid a base of soaked cardboard and newspaper followed by a lovely layer of our compost and top soil. Got the idea from the Hollies and Seed Savers:)[/QUOTE]

Great idea angeldaisy, stops weeds and weed seeds from coming up thru your lovely compost, its a method i have seen charles dowding use in his no dig gardening, he has a cool site with plenty of reading, and boy does he grow fab veg.

i ve been converted to it,sceptical at first,but it works brilliant, worms and soil life do all the hard work, soooooo much easier on the back,less weeding because of not turning the seed bank in the soil up to the sun and frees up time to do the multitude of other jobs us gardeners have....:-)

Did you get to sow some stuff after?
temps rising slowly, woo hoo, getting closer to steady double digits:)

angeldaisy

[/QUOTE] Great idea angeldaisy, stops weeds and weed seeds from coming up thru your lovely compost, its a method i have seen charles dowding use in his no dig gardening, he has a cool site with plenty of reading, and boy does he grow fab veg.

i ve been converted to it,sceptical at first,but it works brilliant, worms and soil life do all the hard work, soooooo much easier on the back,less weeding because of not turning the seed bank in the soil up to the sun and frees up time to do the multitude of other jobs us gardeners have....:-)

Did you get to sow some stuff after?
temps rising slowly, woo hoo, getting closer to steady double digits:)[/QUOTE]

that's why I did the raised beds, to avoid the digging - after dislocating my ankle a couple of years ago I'm just not able to dig anymore, and the OH hates gardening:(
I'm hoping to start putting stuff in this weekend, its raining here now and is getting a bit warmer. So fingers crossed that it will be okay this weekend.
I must have a look at that website - thanks for that:)

johngavin2

Any one know of any apps to help plan what to plant and when?

jo joe

Hey

Am totally new to growing veg. Wondering when I should plant my seeds in raised beds? I have windy, fairly exposed sight but with gd sun. Any advice appreciated? Hoping to plant peas, broad beans, parsnip, spring onions, beetroot, radishes, carrots, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and lettuce. Also do I need cloches, fleece? Have fertilised beds with organic stuff from homebase (basically chicken manure pellets), should I try and get something else?

redser7

Over the next week should be the start of the sowing season, temps are rising. You could sow indoors in modules and plant out later if you prefer. Fleece is a good idea as there's bound to be more frosts.

genuine leather

johngavin2 wrote: »

Any one know of any apps to help plan what to plant and when?

Hey John
Afraid i ve no apps to plan and plant( app luddite for now), but nearest garden center/easons will have what you need to get you off too a great start.I still refer to the first( of many) book i bought"Expert veg and herb grower". most garden centers will stock it, very mucky page edges now;-) carol kliens veg book is another fav....cant go wrong following their advice.

happy growing
GL

genuine leather

jo joe wrote: »

Hey

Am totally new to growing veg. Wondering when I should plant my seeds in raised beds? I have windy, fairly exposed sight but with gd sun. Any advice appreciated? Hoping to plant peas, broad beans, parsnip, spring onions, beetroot, radishes, carrots, purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, cauliflower and lettuce. Also do I need cloches, fleece? Have fertilised beds with organic stuff from homebase (basically chicken manure pellets), should I try and get something else?

hey jo joe
Lots can be sown now, but as redser7 mentioned a fleese is important to protect young seedlings, with the weather being so varied i would not be surprised to see possible frosts into may.
A Veg growing book for ref is a must starting out.
I garden on the side of a mountain and like yourself my garden is exposed to the elements, so plant support/ screens is a must for me. Broad leaf plants like brussel sprouts, cabbages need stakes to stop root rock, peas and beans with well staked chicken wire, potato stalks with a few strands of twine running thru for support are examples. just keep a close eye on things, the plants will tell you visually what they need, be it support/ feeding

being new to growing i would encourage you to not overwhelm yourself with growing to much, and enjoy the planting as much as harvesting and eating your veg:), and next season you will know whether you would like to do a little more.

Happy growing
GL

jo joe

Thanx for the great advice! Wil invest in fleece, screens etc.Think I got a bit carried away when buying seeds. Going to keep it simple. Will let you know how I progress.

genuine leather

Brilliant jo joe, oh i still get carried away buying seeds. Most seeds except parsnips are viable for a few yrs so you have a stock:-)
Knock on my door anytime with any questions you may have, and we will weave thru it together. GL