I just love the way that these seedlings have burgundy coloured undersides to their leaves. It gives them a very dramatic look even at this early stage. You can’t really see here but they are just starting to produce their true leaves which are very dark green. Behind them I have some Borage seedlings.
The variety is Black Krim. They are beefsteak Tomatoes that I plan to grow inside the greenhouse with lots of support.
Once they hit the two true-leaf stage I’ll repot them into 2 inch pots and grow them on until planting time. I’m really interested to see how my Tomato-growing efforts go this year. I suspect that while I may not have any issues with blight, regular watering might be an issue instead. There’s always an issue – it doesn’t matter where you live.
The very first seeds to be sowed in my brand, new garden are these little Radish seeds. I even broke out my new set of white, wooden row tags and carefully wrote the word ‘Radish’ on there. I resisted putting the variety on there since I’ll be reusing the tags but the variety is Cherry Belle.
I planted my Potatoes. Finally!. After the mice ate my seed Potatoes I bought some more and hung them in their netting in the potting shed. They sprouted nicely and I managed to get them in the ground just before Easter. I had a few left and so I left them on the potting bench overnight. Sure enough, the next morning they were gone. Not so much as a crumb left. Fat, happy mice!
I didn’t grow any Potatoes last year. I decided that they took up too much room and weren’t worth the effort. But I missed them. There is something so satisfying about digging up those cold, hard pebbles. And something so earthy about the way they taste. Yes, I missed them. This time I’m going for an unusual variety – Highland Burgundy Red, which I’ve heard doesn’t taste as amazing as others but will keep the kids happy with its colour!
Got some time in the potting shed today. Took the time to sort out which seeds will be in the next batch to be sown. I’ll probably sow some Beetroot, Radish, Rocket and Spinach in the open ground – ready with the fleece should we get some late frosts. I’m going to sow more Borage this year too. I’m pretty sure that it will self seed from last year’s plants but I’m not taking too many chances and sowing some more too. Also several different types of Lettuce will go into the coldframe ready to transplant into the beds come late April. Last year I planted my Lettuce in this sunburst design which worked out really well. They were really planted too close together but so long as I harvested alternate Lettuces the design held together well.
I wasn’t going to show you my failed attempts at protecting my seed potatoes from the mice that live in my potting shed. But I’ve decided they’re too comical to waste. Last year, I fed all my seed potatoes to the shed mice, not on purpose you understand, but they did eat them all.
This year, knowing that their hungry little tummies were waiting, I tried to protect my potatoes while still allowing them to chit nicely. I thought I had come up with a genius plan – contain them in a wire basket on top of an upturned pot. And it worked, for a few days at least. I think they were actually figuring out a way to get up the flowerpot rather than into the wire basket.
Then, yesterday, I checked and yes they had got in, eaten two of them and scarpered. Then I realised that while the wire mesh was decent enough there were two huge holes at the top where the handles meet. Doh! Sometimes you can’t see what’s right infront of your nose.
So… my options are:
- 1. Buy more seed and plant without chitting (not a problem says Monty Don)
- 2. Buy more seed and construct better protection (this option = time. A commodity I have little of these days).
- 3. Poison mice (oh but no…)
- 4. Poison mice by inserting poison pellets into seed potatoes (more fun for me and at least they die happy, oh but no…)
Option one it is then.
I started sowing a few seeds today, in-between the over-Wintering Lettuce in the coldframe. Just a few, then if they don’t work out it’s not the end of the world. I sowed a little Cauliflower (Gipsy), Carrot (Early Nantes 2) and some pointy Cabbage (Pyramid). All early varieties.
I’ve found in the past that the early Carrots do quite well in the coldframe. I can grow them quite close together (just not touching) since I will be harvesting them nice and young anyway.
The Cabbage I will transplant into the garden in early Spring so that they can grow to their final size. There really isn’t enough room in the coldframe.
And I just sowed a handful of Cauliflowers and will probably thin them to just three and then sow some more in about a month. I really don’t want a glut of Cauliflowers all ready at the same time and they take up so much room in the garden. Starting them early in the coldframe is the only way for me as they will be grown and harvested before the Cabbage whites can get to them.
The Carrots that I sowed in the coldframe a few weeks ago are already pushing through. I think it’s all this mild weather we’ve been having. I always sow a few Carrots in the coldframe so that I can grow them on and harvest some small but perfect early Carrots (Early Nantes) before anything else gets going.
I have sowed some direct into finely raked soil in the open garden. At the moment they are covered with fleece in case we get a frosty night. No sign of them yet but I didn’t expect to see anything yet anyway.
The main garden is looking pretty bare in general right now, with the exception of some Tulips and the wall fruit flowers. But it’s all just waiting to burst into life!
The Broadbeans that I sowed on 15th Feb have sprouted. They have been in my coldframe since then and so have dodged the few frosts that we’ve had here.
I absolutely love this time of year! It makes me want to bounce around the garden like a Spring bunny! Unfortunately, not the Spring bunny that my cat brought in the other day and that was ‘having a nap’ on the kitchen floor when we got up for breakfast.
Sleeping bunnies aside I love how everything is so fresh and green. New seedlings, Rhubarb crumble, Daffodils in the shops, Easter pastels, heck even a Royal Wedding to look forward to! Yes, Spring is good.
