New to growing veg in containers

[purpleapple1234]

Sorry for the huge post but I want to figure why kids under the age of 3 can grow bloody radishes and I can't (don't even especially like radishes but it is the principal now).

Can I pick you expertise? I have a very sunny balcony and am growing veg in containers. I live in sweden so have germinated the veg first in a mini-greenhouse on the window sill. Have re potted the successful plants and moved them all to a greenhouse on the balacony. Although temperatures are between 0 and 10 degrees over the course of the day/night.

I have a couple of questions. First cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet peas have grown great. But radishes (apparently the easiest veg ever!), beetroots, spring onions, lettuce and spinach have all not germinated or died shortly afterwards. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

Shall I stop with the mini greenhouse and start to sow outside now it is bit warmer?

Finally, what the hell is the difference between compost and compost? NOTHING makes sense to me. To me compost is the stuff that is made by rotting organic substances for a time, so that you end up with nutrient-rich alternative to artificial fertiliser. Compost also appears to be the alternative to soil that comes in bags from the garden centre with different types. Surely shop-bought soil? Then gardening websites recommend making your own "compost" using compost! Add to this that I am buying "compost" in a foreign language (that I do understand, but when you don't understand it in your own first it is limiting). Have I been using the wrong compost? Although I germinated the veg on peat brickettes first then re potted into shop-bought soil.

Thank for any advice.

Have a look at this chap's blog, he's very good container gardening

Lot's of sympathy, can imagine how hard it must be doing this in a foreign Language. There is home made compost which as you said is broken down plant matter in the garden. Great as a soil improver, not so good for sowing seeds in. In the shops here there are different composts - seed compost (few nutrients as seed contains enough to keep plant going for the first bit) ,multi purpose which can be peat free or with peat and usually has added food which feeds plants for about 6 weeks. Then there s ericaceous compost which is for acid loving plants such as camellias and blueberries.

Then finally there's sol based composts such as John Inness numbers 1, 2 and 3. Can't tell you a lot about them to be honest but think they are for potting up more mature plants and mimicking the environment the would have in the ground.

Lettuce and spinach don't germinate so well if temperature is too high so wondering if greenhouse is getting very hot in the day. Spring onions are beyond me as I can never get them to germinate and I hate radishes.

Cucumbers and tomatoes are tender amd don't like cold temperatures. Sweet peas not so fussy. Another enemy of little seedlings is 'damping off' where the condensations makes them go a bit moldy and the stems collapse.

I'm on the UK south coast and things are taking a fair time to come through if planted directly . Pak choi amd Kohl rabi were quite quick having said that but Nigella has taken longer. One idea is to sow seeds in big pots and cover with horticultural fleece pegged down with stones. In the past I have sown seeds and covered with plastic bottles cut in half to act as mini cloches.

Things sown later usually catch up so still plenty of time. Our old allotment site didn't open to May the first year we had it and by the end of summer the whole site was heaving with things to harvest.

Thank you sugar!!! Lots of great advice

Awwww, it's rotten when things don't work out when you're trying so hard.

I have 2 guesses as to why things might not have worked: compost and water.

1. I think you might be onto something when you say there may be a problem is the compost you are using - as a PP said, there are varieties for seedlings that have more sand and a finer texture to them than some of the coarser-textured varieties that are for mulch. When I first started gardening, I made the mistake of trying to grow seeds in really cheap, crappy compost and they all died! It is worth paying extra for the seed stuff, and the seedling stuff for when you pot on.

1. Overwatering is as bad, if not worse, than underwatering for little seedlings. Too much damp and you can encourage nasty funguses to grow, which will take everything. (Cleaning pots with Jeyes fluid helps to avoid this).