Beginner - is it too late to plant any seeds?

[Cloud44]

In the last couple of years I’ve started to get more into gardening but I really am a beginner so I apologise in advance for my really basic question! I don’t have a green house (garden not big enough), but would like to try and grow some tomatoes, lettuce etc. Is it too late to plant seeds in pots and keep them outside for them to grow this year?

There is still plenty of time to start things off. For starting off outside - lettuce and all the salad things like radishes and beetroot, courgettes, runner beans all have time to get going. For outdoor tomatoes I would buy plants, and would focus on smaller tomatoes (cherries, tumblers) rather than go for beefsteaks, so they have a chance to get going before blight/the end of the season.

I’ve often planted things later than suggested and generally done well. Been so wet and cold this year that I’m sure ones planted now will have an easier time of it! (Assuming it ever does stop bloody raining that is! 🙄 )

I’ve planted my French beans today. They will spend about 3 weeks indoors before I plant them out.

You can sow lettuce and other salad leaves any time you like really.

Thats great thank you 😀

I suppose the best advice is just give it a go. We’ve all made mistakes, that’s how you learn!

It’s too cold for tomatoes to be outside yet anyway, unless you live in a warm area, so you can get a plant or two from a garden centre and keep them on the window ledge until the end of May, then you can plant them outside. Lots of people use grow bags, but I prefer large pots because it’s easier to get canes to stay upright in them. My favourite is Sungold - orange cherry tomatoes, fine outside, and resistant to disease.

It’s so exciting to eat something you have grown yourself. Picking warm tomatoes and eating them for lunch is such a treat.

Mmmmmmmm sungold! Top tomato ever

Bit on the late side for tomatoes - you could try using a heat mat if you're after some heirloom variety you can't get at the garden centre. Fine for the rest.

It’s been too cold for things to germinate outside until recently and you can buy veg plants if you only want a few.

I planted annual herbs (coriander, dill, etc), radishes and salad this weekend and will continue to succession sow throughout the summer.

Thank you for reminding me I need to sow my French beans!

Well I’m planting my courgette seeds today. I normally struggle with holding them back until it’s warm enough to plant outside. Did cucumber yesterday.All the packets I’m using say you can sow in May.