Seed planting

[frozendaisy]

Always brings so much joy.

Then, in my case, some disappointment as the year progresses.

But this is my year, I say this every year but I am getting a head start.

This weekend is broad beans and sweet peas.

I have a heated propagator this time which should help.

We all need a bit of hope in our lives right now.

have you noticed how germination seems to always be 100% or zero?

It's sweet peas that are the biggest bane of my gardening life, never grown a successful one but this year they are going to get the academically acknowledged right amount of sunshine, water and love and if that fails that's it never again!

Oh, I'd love to grow sweet peas! Tried unsuccessfully several times, but now discovered my husband can't be near them (they cause him asthma ), so can't attempt them any more.

I have planted lettuce (little gem) and aubergines this week. This is my first year with a greenhouse/potting shed so I’m super excited, hoping this years seeds will be successful.

I planted scented sweet pea seeds last weekend and have been checking and urging them on since! I'm sure they won't come up for ages but it's so exciting and hopeful.
I got a propogator last year and it makes a huge difference to germination speed! I love spring, all the planning and planting.

Oooh my sweet peas are already going strong! I grew some from seed last year which did pretty well on an obelisk. Although it wasn't really tall enough.

I have snapdragons and balloon flowers started too.

I think it's still a bit cold in my greenhouse but I've planted some leek seeds, some broad beans and a few radish, lettuce and spring onion seeds. They might germinate.

I'll plant more in February but like to put a few in once I've cleaned out the greenhouse. Always the optimist

I have a strawberry plant with a flower on it too.

Heated propagators are great!

I sadly lack a greenhouse, so I have ever-increasing numbers of shoe racks in our glazed porch from March to May, and a couple of those racks with plastic covers for when it gets really desperate.

When did you sow your sweet peas Bert? They're big! We have snow today, hope mine are not freezing.

Hello. Where do you buy your seeds from ? I'm not sure where is best.

Any recommendations welcome.

Sowed the sweet peas 2 weeks ago and they popped up after a week. Going to need pinching out soon! Hope yours make it, where have you got them?

Most of my seeds are just standard garden centre fare, the big labels, RHS, Sarah Raven. I did get some from Wilko, they weren't great. I got some from Chiltern Seeds by post but not sown those yet.

I bought some Thompson & Morgan garden's favourite, sented loved for over 100 years ones. Which won't grow for me!

Propagator is plugged in with 32 sweet pea seeds, 18 broad bean seeds, and being super ambitious some augerbine seeds as well.

And now I wait.

But it's soul enhancing to plant them.

Oh look super.

It's not fair!

I have three different heights of sweet peas (ground cover, waist height, usual tall ones) sprouting well in the greenhouse, plus some ammi majus. My cardoons are refusing, though.

Am going to do some cosmos and the free GW magazine dahlia seeds next week.

I am trying to resist buying a heated propagator ... I will be doing my usual 'turn the conservatory in to a greenhouse' trick though.

My garlic is coming on a treat too.

(Sweet peas and ammi majus are out in cold frame.)

I've got some seeds for this year that I bought last year. From memory I think they are wheat, cornflower, pepper, sweet pea. Might be others

I got my sweet pea seeds from Matthewmans online- they do a highly scented collection, six different types, 10 seeds each.

Mine are Cupani, from Johnsons. They promise amazing scent.

Cupani are a beautiful colour and scent Bert but I found they had very short stems compared to newer breeds, they're quite an old variety I believe. Really gorgeous though.

Yes, Cupani are an old variety with amazing scent, also Matucana, very powerful scent, bicolour like Cupani - one's darker than the other, can't remember which.

Chiltern do a old fashioned varieties mix, which are highly scented.