First seeds of 2024

[rob1693]

 

[Bingy man]

Well someone is certainly early ,, I meant to heat my greenhouse this winter but got too busy with other projects. Thinking of one of those diesel heaters .

 

[paulrbarnard]

Wife is doing the annual seed swap this weekend with her horticultural society. It’s definitely that time year again

 

[rob1693]

You have to start early with chilli's especially chinense

 

[Nail]

How does it work with the grow lights. Do they run constantly or do you have them coming on and off?

 

[rob1693]

On a timer 18 /6

 

[Glenhyrst]

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I like the idea of using cardboard boxes, lined with a reflective surface.
Is this the product of your genius or can you recommend links to early growing under lights for penny-pinching Northerners?

 

[rob1693]

Just an experiment of mine after my cat killed all my seedlings on window ledge, I've never seen any setups in cardboard boxs so I'll claim that it's far exceeding expectations

 

[niemeyjt]

You have a taste for hot chillies!

Are the lamps special horticultural jobbies balanced for plants or just ordinary ones?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

If you look on Gumtree, FB etc. there's always insulation offcuts large enough for this going free. Or there was up to now, anyway.

 

[eribaMotters]

And that reminds me. I'm waiting to sow some repair patches with grass seed. I think with the two week forecast showing air temperatures of 10-14c during the day and 5-11c at night I'll risk it.
Moving swiftly on to killing things instead of growing them. I don't think I can spray the meadow grass area brambles and nettles with Grazon yet as still to much rain to wash it off the leaves. I was seriously impressed with it last year. It seems to have killed all of the docks and about 90% of the brambles.

Colin

 

[rob1693]

You have a taste for hot chillies!

Are the lamps special horticultural jobbies balanced for plants or just ordinary ones?

Standard 6k 4ft fluorescent 36w

 

[rob1693]

Chilli's loving life in the light and heat

 

[imageel]

Certainly not as advanced as your chillies but my self-seeded acers are all looking good having spent all their time outdoors - AFAIKT these are likely 3y old as according the RHS they can take 2y to germinate and they appear to be pretty hardy, potted up last autumn - the parent tree -

and the babies -

 

[rob1693]

I have some acer seeds from my brothers acer palmatum chinense, had them about 4 year keep forgetting to try germinating them

 

[Jester129]

Put some copper wire or tape around the pots before the slugs get them! Looking good though!

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Not seeds, but we've just had new potatoes (not mine) with this season's outdoor mint.

 

[rob1693]

My chilli's are going great bit early for starting other stuff yet

 

[niall Y]

March is the month for starting off the majority of seeds . I've started my tomatoes, aubergines. celeriac, basil, mangetout, and coriander - all indoors of course. I'll get the flower seed in, in the next week or two.
I need to prepare the beds outside for some lettuce and potatoes but the ground is still a bit waterlogged for digging............ When will it stop raining?

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I used to reckon to plant my tomatoes in the greenhouse by the end of February - they didn't crop more than a few days earlier (my first one eaten was July 2nd) but the plants were far stronger for not bolting.

I bought a sage and a bay, as we didn't have either. I just potted them on, and when I took the bay out I realised it must have been grown from seed - there seventeen plants in one 5" pot.

The gardening on our allotments is static, everything is so wet.