Is it too early to be planting seeds?

[didireallysaythat]

I'm in East Cambs and I have a cold green house which will get sun if there is any but gets down below zero at night. Should I just wait another month to start tomatoes, annual flowers etc ? I was thinking of bringing the cold frame up against the house as that might be warmer.

Alternatively should I just start the seeds inside (and drive DH crazy by filling all windowsills) ?

Watching with interest... DH wants to start planting seeds in the conservatory (sounds posher than it is) but I think it's too early and we should wait a month. They need light and warmth to germinate and nights (actually and days!) are too cold just yet.

Well I've done it. I know it's too early, but I got all excited and had a window of opportunity.

Have planted green pepper, beef tomatoes and Strawberries. They're in the conservatory.

fingers crossed

It is a bit early. In the past I have planted some early and some a month later. Quite often the later ones catch up with earlier. So you could try panting some every two weeks and see what happens

Not too early to start them inside.

Does putting a glass over the seedlings on a windowsill offer same effect as greenhouse?

Annual flowers, you might get away with.

Tender stuff like tomatoes, really just don't bother. In 6 weeks yes.

Unless you have somewhere warm to keep them, the night time temps check their growth and you lose any advantage you gained from the earlier start.

Strawberries - are fine to start.

Last year I duly put a load of potatoes in after 17th March. Then I found, at the start of June, a load of spares that I'd put aside so I put them in as well. Not only did they overtake the March ones, they matured faster, cropped heavier and were larger. All a random mix of 2013's non eaten potatoes. I used it all summer to prove to people that later really is better. It's the heat and light they love, so leave it until they can get more of what they fancy.

I have some early new potatoes "chitting", but I wait till a little later for the rest....know what you mean though, as soon as the sun peeks out I am saying "it's spring come on"!

Indoor, it's a good time to plant tomatoes and summer broccoli/cauliflower, as well as annual flowers. I wouldn't do tomatoes outside in greenhouse or cold frame though, but the others should cope. Also perfect time to sow broad beans (I start mine in pots in cold frame, mainly so they don't get eaten). I'll start chitting my spuds in a couple of weeks to go in mid/late March. I grow earlies, and this way they're ready to eat late June / early July. There's no one right way though - just play around and see what works for you balancing your keenness to get on and grow stuff with how full you want your window sills!

I'm going to start my flower seeds this weekend . I'm going to keep them inside to hopefully germinate.

I'm a first time gardener and can't wait to get going

I have been guilty of starting tomatoes in January, not realising that you don't need to do the entire packet and ending up with every windowsill covered.

I'm hacking the jungle back instead. I think I'll do a few things at half term and start the majority at Easter. It's not so much that the early plants are better, it's more about having space to move some seedlings out so I can plant more !

I've just done some, they do say feb on the packet though and they're staying indoors. Sweet peas etc are hardy so can go outside before he last frosts I think is the logic. I'll wait a month for the rest I think.
I'm only a beginner though!

I've sown aubergines, strawberries, leeks and sweet/hot pepper seeds, and dwarf sweet peas but they are indoors on the windowsills. Will be moving them into the greenhouse when the weather improves. Spring onions next.

Starting my tomatoes later this month, but they are cultivated for our Northern English weather (they are called sub arctic plenty, or something like that, sums up our weather perfectly ).

We bought our second early, salad and main crop potatoes last weekend, we haven't dig the bed yet but I'd like to chit in two stages, how to I keep the potatoes that I don't want to actively chit?

I am flatly refusing to plant any seeds until at least the second weekend of half term. I have a cold greenhouse, a cold frame (which becomes the squash bed) and use propagators as much as possible.

I don't really like the smell of seed compost in the house though I love it in the garden, so I'm waiting. Anyway if they get too leggy through lack of light they 'damp off' in my inexperienced hands so I like to germinate them indoors but then get them outside as quick as anything. So I have to wait till its warmer.

123upthere - glass over them can help, but if it is in direct sun may scorch emerging seedlings. Also, can trap dampness, so cover with paper for some of the time, and leave an air gap, except at night maybe.

123upthere - had extra spaces - that's why bold didn't work!

I've started some celeriac, broccoli and artichoke off indoors. The seed packet said Feb was ok, so I will see how they get on. They only started last Friday night, so no signs of life yet. I was spurned on by a load of herbs that I started a few weeks ago that have mostly starting sprouting.

Half term at the weekend. I may give myself permission to start a windowsill of tomatoes and chillies. But I think I'll leave outside crops for a while.

Just wanted to come back and let you all know my broccoli has sprouted and is looking quite healthy. Since it's a biennial, I will be nurturing it for quite some time before I have anything on my plate to show for it. Nothing else is seeding yet apart from some dwarf lavender and a single sweet william shoot. Hoping I will some more activity soon.

On another note, I've noticed some small hard pebble like objects in my John Innes seeding compost that I'm a bit worried about. Is this normal?