Anyone starting some seeds yet?

yellowlabrador

I've been sorting out my polytunnel this week and it's surprisingly warm in there. In the past few years I postponed starting seeds until March due to the cold weather. My house isn't very warm and it was just too cold to move the seedlings on, but in years before, January was always my starting month?
I can't wait to get things started but is it too soon?

redser7

It depends what you want to grow. If you are using natural light you'll lose nothing by waiting a couple more weeks if you are thinking of getting early crops.

yellowlabrador

I was thinking of tomatoes, peppers etc. I feel an early start ensures bigger plants at the beginning of Summer. I also like to start bedding plants early.
I would start them indoors and transfer to the polytunnel.

lazeedaisy

valentines day is my start day every year - no point for me otherwise

redser7

They will need heat and light which isn't naturally available right now. Even the end of this month will have noticeably longer days than now. So be prepared to molly coddle them on south facing window ledges for a while. It's a tricky balancing act.
I plan to sow only a few of my toms (maskotka) and all my peppers at the end of the month for an early crop. My main crop of toms as such will be sown a month later. I've sown too much too early in the past and it's a miserable experience trying to keep tender plants happy through the long cold weeks of January - April.
Hardier stuff (peas, certain salad leaves, onions, calabrese etc.) is no problem though and they should be fine under fleece for extra protection in the tunnel.
The weather has been unbelievably mild so far, but don't get caught out. There's not a doubt in my mind we'll get plenty of sub-zero weather yet

looksee

I don't sow much these day, but I got a couple of packets of 'shrub mixture' seeds from Chiltern Seeds which my DiL and I are going to try and raise shrubs for their proposed new garden. Years ago I grew a packet of these and got dozens of lovely shrubs for my quite large plot, some quite unusual at the time, Arbutus Unedo, a quince, several brooms and an Indian Bean tree are some that I recall.

Supercell

I got some comfrey root cuttings on a southern facing window inside doing great.

I did sow six different veggies in a tomato bag as an experiment last month and they did all germinate but are looking pitiful in the greenhouse. So will be waiting another few weeks before trying again.

Oldtree

grass is still growing, but I am going to hold back for a few weeks till start of feb jic there is some really cold weather, but I think it will be safe to start my tomatoes then in a propagator then onto a south facing window just above a radiator.

josip

The only thing I'll be growing in January is one of those 3-herb cups our son picked up in Ikea last weekend.
That'll keep him happy until March.