Carrots away.

The tomatoes and lettuce have germinated in the conservatory; the leeks and onions are spending their day out in the sun. I sowed two potfuls of Gigante Flakee 2 carrots today. I mixed 50/50 fresh sieved garden compost and last year's spent compost with some blood, fish and bone to add a bit of go. A good sunny day with brimstones, commas and peacocks flying around me. (Carrots up on 30 March)

Both apple tree areas have been mulched with fresh garden compost now. The wood ants were a bit annoyed!

My anemones grown from last year's seed have been opened to the air now. They are progressing well.

Early leek sowing

I sowed a 5 inch pot with a fairly thick spread of King Richard leeks today. Jack's compost used and a good spray on top. The compost was warm after a couple of days in the conservatory and so was the water. The pot is in a plastic crate "greenhouse" to keep it moist. (First seedlings up on Jan 28th)

The onions are well up now. About 3 cells with none, mostly 2 or three, some with more, may need to thin.

VERY hard frosts this last week. 

Seed tests.

I watched a YouTube video from "Home Grown Veg" yesterday on testing old seed for viability. It prompted me to copy him and do a test on all the outdated seeds I might be using this year. The seeds under test are in a plastic VHS case with a paper towel lining, alll given a good spray of fresh water.

I'll be checking them over the next three weeks to see what the results are.

Here are the seeds and my recording sheet:

Sowing onions

40 cells of Tropea Rossa Lunga (last year's seeds) sowed in Jack's Compost. 3/4 to a cell for multiple planting. Left in the conservatory to germinate. (First germinations visible on 15th January)

Solstice sowing

Well, the solstice was yesterday morning so we are on the up now! I decided to grow some garlic. I took 2 good cloves from a supermarket bulb today and planted them in small peatpots. They are sitting out uncovered and I await results?
(They were planted out into the plastic bed in late January or early February.)

Autumn sowing

On November 17th I prepared my centre vegetable bed. It's 30 x 27 inches. I dug it over, incorporating weeds, dosed it with some blood, fish and bone, added a layer of 2015 leaf mould and topped it with garden compost.

Then I sowed 30 broad bean seeds, The Sutton. I finished the job by covering it with netting to keep out the squirrels, voles and mice who tend to visit this area. Now to see when they germinate. (First three up on Dec 18th.)

I must remember to give the plants plenty of support early this time.

New gardening year again...

...always begins when I plant my elephant garlics. The four "rounds" that I lifted in July went into the plastic bed in the first week of October. The plot was cleaned out after the dwarf beans and a handful of BFB added at the garlic end before planting. The area was topdressed with sieved garden compost too.   (3 came up on 8th December.)

I have nice seedlings of godetia and saved hollyhocks coming along and some anemones from saved seed too. The foxgloves, hesperis and honesty have been planted out at the equinox and are looking good in their beds.

I have prepared a new bed to become my herb garden. It had thyme in already. Lots more to go in.
(Lovage, sage, marjoram, oregano, lemon balm, mint, chives and garlic chives in a few days later.)

Apple trees and greengage have all been mulched with 2014 leafmould and the apple tree bed has been dressed with my spent potato pot composts.