Seed sowing 2024

Mature Cosmos will root from stems lying on the ground so I suspect you could plant them deeper when you pot them up like tomatoes. Maybe try just a few. I was given a packet of Cosmos seed this year but haven't sown them yet. Later sown ones will flower into the autumn.

 

Just sharing my sowing set up, it's not traditional, but it's close to Mother Nature's system.

It's mainly based on the system called 'Winter Sowing' method, mainly used in America where they use clear plastic water or milk cartons. There're people using this system from Canada to Italy and of course people in the UK. (It's not winter sowing as in the general terms). There's plenty information on the Winter Sowing Method on Youtube and Google.

No greenhouse, propagating paraphernalia, no cluttering up indoor window sills, no leggy plants, and the best thing is that there's no need to harden off. Plus it's relatively cheap, easy to do, and maintain. Stratification is not an issue as that will happen naturally.

Basically I bought a box of 1L food containers (any container will suffice), and some clear storage boxes bought in sales. Containers have drainage holes made (used a soldering iron), with the storage boxes having drainage holes and holes in the lids to let rain/snow in. This year we've had such a lot of rain, the containers are a bit on the wet side. I think next year I'll take more care of the compost mixture, perhaps adding pearlite and/or vermiculite for better drainage. It's advised to have 3 or 4 inches of compost in each seed container. On the base of the clear storage box I've put old pieces of garden fleece, then the seed containers are placed on top of the fleece to stop root cutters and slugs burrowing up.

When the sun is shining directly on the seeds, I take the lids off to stop them getting too hot, as soon as the sun moves off them the lids go back on. When it's frosty or icy they don't get covered, they are pretty hardy, even the tomato, cucumber and peppers are treated the same. I understand tropical plant seeds can't be treated this way.

After two pairs of true leaves the seedlings are ready to be planted out, frost (within reason) is not an issue. I have ran out of room in the boxes on several occasions, therefor robust seedlings have been moved under a garden tunnel until they're ready to be planted.

Growing them this way doesn't make them mature any earlier, but it does make them strong plants with a strong root system.

When it's time for the seedlings to be planted into their permanent positions (after 2 pairs true leaves) they're not pricked out individually like normal, they are planted in clumps (like lobelia seedlings) so their roots are not so disturbed, then when they're bigger and when the time is right, perennials can be split.

I couldn't grow this amount of plants from seeds without doing it this way.

Just to add the shortest day is when this system begins. It provides a lot of gardening interest during the dark days of January/February.

 

After reading @Jenny_Aster account on sowing seeds, it puts my posting to shame. I'll even add I've been all-in-a-tiswas, checking on my seedlings first thing in the morning and making them cosy at night. May be next year I will have earned a few stripes, taking it all in my stride.

So, this is where I am today:
Its been my second attempt in sowing seeds for spring onions and radish, as the first attempt ended up with only a few germinated
I was using biodegradable pots at the time and wondered if it was due too- over watering as the sides of the pots were wet with no proper drainage at the bottom -OR- it may have been me sowing too deep or not using fine compost for the seeds?

Second try was on 5 March - results are in photos below.
First is a group photo of seedlings on my kitchen table “all home baking has stopped in our house as my future plants are taking priority.” (Whoops)

Photos will show small pots 3inches across and larger pots 5 inches for the radishes so they should have room to mature for harvest.

Snow Queen bunching spring onions will be transplanted outside under a cloche 1 or 2 week in April. They still look weedy may be because i didn't scatter them into bunches
Never mind once a mistake has been made I usually learn by it and will start afresh when sowing both every 3 weeks throughout the summer.

NOW for my Tomatoes - I had taken the cover of the propagator as soon as their heads popped up and have been rigorously turning all my seedlings, 2-3 times a day so they don’t bend towards the patio windows…BUT some have still been growing tall and lanky so I’ve been adding more compose to support them.
They were sown on the 17 March so I will have to wait at least another week before they get their first true leaves and then at least another 1-2 wks before repotting.

A question I would like to ask is - Does anyone remove the cotyledon leaves after the first true leave grow ?

Group seedlings



Radishes -these are only a try-out the proper sowing will begin in 3-4 weeks, it really depends on how many in the family wants to eat them?


Spring Onions- looking just like blades of grass, should be in bunches of 8 ( one bunch for each meal) lol - I might get one hand full out of this



Tomatoes -just one week old today- you can just see the little tiny ones after I added more compost as they were very spindly and would have just blow over if someone had sneezed.

 

A few observations, now I have finished seed sowing until Autumn.

This year for the first time, I was fully peat free, using MPC with no additions.

There were no issues, everything germinated pretty much as expected.

The compost was not nearly as fine as peat containing MPC, so did require sieving.

A lot of fungi grew, presumably wood fibre in the compost. These were removed and caused no problems.

Seed trays often looked dry, but a finger prodded into the trays often showed it was not.

Overall I was very happy.

 

Collected seeds from our morning glory plants last year and sowed them indoors. Amazing germination rate. Wont be long before I can transplant them out.

 

There's a lot of seedlings there @On the Levels

 

@Logan it does give me more areas to plant them out. I was amazed at the germination rate but will look at different areas to plant them out.

 

I collect mine [Ipomea] too, but I have far too many of them for the spaces I have. I usually sow around 4 to a pot, then plant the whole pot out. I put some into borders if there's room, but they can be a bit slug prone there, so most are potted.

 

@Jenny_Aster it’s so good to see you winter sowing set up going strong! I posted the winter sowing threads on Gardeners World under the name Yessica Haircut.

It took me a while to get going this year, so it’s been mainly spring sowing, and then my brother died which threw a spanner in the works too, so a more modest project this year with just twenty something containers and a few things are behind where I’d like them to be, but so be it. I’m also trying a lot more direct sowing this year for seed that was plentiful, as there’d have been no time otherwise.

I wanted to change things up from last year as I lost a lot of seedlings to molluscs, which was so disappointing. I’m still using the same containers, which is one grape box upturned on top of the other with holes cut for drainage/ventilation. What’s different is that I bought some net curtains from the charity shop and have made each container its own little bag to keep the blighters out. So far so good! Everything’s looking very healthy.

 

Like your idea Renn worth a try let us know the results . Only the other day my OH was a bit Having found 3 Jacobs Ladders in 9cm pots with their heads bitten off .

 

Ahhh @Renn so you're the one . It was Yessica Haircut that started me off 3 years ago, I'd never heard about Winter Sowing before. About a good 90% that's growing in my garden has been winter sown. Good idea about the net, it surprising how those little blighters can squeeze themselves in the tiniest of holes.

 

Need to sow my kale soon. In planning to plant them between rows of maturing garlic for autumn harvests. Will do that for beetroot and the psb too

 

I've tried many times to grow ginger and failed each time. Sorting out my cupboards I found a brown paper bag.............
I had bought some 6 week ago and due to a senior moment I forgot where I'd put it

What a nice surprise to find it with 6 developing white pointed spruts from the eyes which I hadn't seen either............

So they say you learn from your mistakes ......... I have
So into the cupboard it goes now and not forgetting the brown paper bag

Might try thhe dahlias next year !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I have posted this tip on here before but cannot find it so it may have been in a pm.

I make my cosmos plants into bushes. Simply start nipping the growing tip out when around 6 to 8 inch tall. Continue on all the sideshoots too.
Pot on as normal curling the roots around the pot . Pot into the garden at the end of June or earlier depending which area you r in.
They mostly give a spread of 24 inch and sometimes more from just one seed
A bit of messing about but we'll worth it.!!!!!!!

THEY LAST LONGER TOO