Started seed sowing yet?

[Kernowgal]

I have, and in just three days I've already had the following germinate:

Early peas
Shallots
Bidens
Physostegia

No sign of the sweet peas yet but I'm possibly being a bit impatient

I sowed some seeds last weekend, mostly bedding plants for the summer. Marigolds and sweet peas are sprouting already!

I keep thinking of getting one of those mini plastic greenhouse things, to free up my windowsills. But it's been so windy recently, it would certainly just blow away.

Does anyone have any experience of them? Any advice or recommendations?

Roisin they are ok as a last resort. The main problem with them is that they get super-hot very quickly when the sun comes out, so you've got to be quick to open them up before your plants fry. You've got to be similarly vigilant about ventilation, or everything rots.

I did some sowing today. Digitalis parviflora 'Milk Chocolate' on the kitchen windowsill in a mini propagater (for dd to watch) and Aquilegia canadensis in the heated propagater on the attic windowsill.

Nice rhubarb!

I planted a few very early Oskar dwarf peas, just for something to do with DD. We only moved here in September and we don't have veg plots dug as it has been so wet. So the peas are just in pots in the greenhouse for now.

Roisin we had a tiny plastic greenhouse thing (3 shelves basically). We had to weight down the bottom shelf with slabs and it stayed put. The plastic degraded after a couple of years being out over winter and the shelves are now temporarily in use in the big new greenhouse. They're ok but as rhubarb said you have to be vigilant about airing and watering or things fry.

My herbs went in two weeks ago & I've just put the fennel into a bigger pot.

My Swiss Chard,Beetroot,and Parsley have germinated already.

Basil's just come up!

The rest of it needs potting on so will be doing that tomorrow. Still too wet to put things out on the allotment so am waiting for a dry day (hah!) to go and plant it all out.

Now got coriander and aquilegia 'Miss Huish' in the heated prop.

Oh and I must do some sage too.

No mint? What will you put in the mohitos.

Got mint cuttings.

Mmmm, mojitos.

Ooh yes basil!

beans have started coming up teeny still, you' be just reminded I'm meant to be sowing the herbs this weekend!

Was about to give up on the coriander but yesterday a few little green shoots popped up and today there's even more. Huzzah!

Great! I'm going to sow some green beans and peas in pots under glass today. Exciting watching stuff come up!

don't do it myself aircooled but if you ever get the chance to visit garden organic at Ryton, used to be the henry doubleday foundation, they have a set of display organic gardens and 1 of those usually a full on biodynamic garden. When I visited it was the most prolific, healthy abs really impressive garden there, must be something in all that crazy shit!

Yes 1 is indeed a Biodynamic garden. I did work for Garden Organic for a few years and still deliver training courses there and the Biodynamic one is one that we visit when we do the outdoorsy stuff.
I've done moon/non-moon trials and had more than 30% increase in yields so when I can I try to stick to the 'proper' days for sowing, transplanting and cropping but sometimes you just have to get stuff done when you can.

Today we've potted up sunflowers, marigolds and sweet peas from their seed trays. I have aubretia, snapdragons and cosmos germinating. In a week or two I will plant a load of veggies.

I don't have a greenhouse, so my windowsills are full of plants!

I hope we have a mildfrost-free spring, because these will all have to go outside in a month or so: I can't tolerate them inside for long! LOL

I still have marigolds from last year - still flowering outside. And our aubretia in the front garden is starting to flower. It's an odd winter to be sure.

Oooh Funky I also love their circular fruit garden, the discovery of golden raspberries had improved my life immeasurably!

Oh yes, I know that garden like the back of my hand, and all the nooks and crannies and secret fruit bushes, including all the Japanese Wineberry plants. Luckily I've had the opportunity to buy up cuttings from the gardeners for years.

I've just sorted out old seed packets and bought a few new ones. Mirage do you think paying a lot for seeds is worth it? I was a bit surprised at some of the prices really.

Today I've planted chillies, bell peppers, leeks and basil. Tomorrow will be chitting my spuds. This year it'll be pretty much all veg with lots of sacrificial nasturtiums, some french marigolds, and lots of violas crammed in the gaps.

I need to go through the rest of my seed tin and see what needs doing now. DH always complains this time of year, there are seed trays everywhere. I dream of having a polytunnel or even just a little greenhouse...

I've organised a seed swap for local gardeners next weekend so hopefully I can get rid of some stuff I don't want and swap it for something else. Anyone else doing something similar?

forgetdieting,no,other than only buying female cucumber seeds,I only generally buy cheap ones.I do buy the expensive ones at the end of the season when they are half price or less,but can't say I've noticed a great deal of difference.I'd be interested to know what other posters think.

I've never done a seed swap,we live very rurally and apart from my relations,don't know any other keen gardeners.I tend to fund my seed buying by selling plants via an honesty box.

Thanks Mirage, we've had some great results with cheap seeds over the years. I didn't realise you could buy just female cucumber seeds! The year before last almost all of the cucumbers were very bitter. But last year we had a brilliant crop of ridge cucumbers, and they just kept going for ages. So perhaps we picked up female seeds without realising. V. interesting

I found some round courgette seeds in Aldi or Lidl last year. We only planted two and they kept on fruiting for ages. I was amazed. Think they had a lovely texture and taste - bit different to ordinary courgettes. Made some lovely soup with the overgrown ones. You pay 80p for a small round courgette in the supermarket, so worth growing. They looked nice in a bare corner of the garden too.

I grow round courgettes too.I find they last longer than the traditional ones.

I'm growing a different type of french bean this year,called Cobra.One of my customers grew them in his greenhouse last year and they cropped amazingly,he was giving carrier bags full away.They were the best beans I've ever eaten and everyone who tried them agreed.Fingers crossed they do well in the poly.

newbie here, watching with interest