Vegetable Growing 2024

It depends upon the facilities you have and the energy budget. Think about the future care, are you able to provide light and warmth to make early sowings able to develop and survive the average conditions. Heating greenhouses is generally not cost effective for vegetable crops.
Hotbeds are traditional but not within the skillset of 'average' amateurs.
You being in Hampshire , if coastal as myself, will have a zone 8/9 climate: whereas if inland, say Odiham, it will be typically cooler at this time, at night, probably 3-4 degrees less at night.
My earlist sowings for outdoor crops, made in modules in a unheated greenhouse will start from 'week 6' (February 12th) (Schedule for next 4 weeks)
CABBAGE SUMMER Golden Acre RS24

6
CALABRESE 60d QUICK HEADING RS24

6
CHILLI
OWN

6
SPRING ONIONS KYOTO MKT RS24

6
CALABRESE GREEN RS23

6
ONION SETS STUTTGATEN OWN

7
RADISH GIANT RED 14 LIDL

7
ROCKET CULTIVATED RS24

8
TOMAT0 Moneymaker LIDL

8
TOMATO MARMANDE LIDL

8
KALE NERO DITOSC RS23

8
LETTUCE REINE DUGLAS
RS23

 

Thanks for the great info. I am actually odiham for now Howd you know!?
I have a single fat growlight I have some plants under, I suppose I can start around your time indoors there and transfer the cold hardy stuff out? Based of solar power data, febuary gets about double januaries sun and march double februarys so there isnt much point any earlier I suppose.
Ill just have to be patient till then. Thanks!

 

You can check online for your daylight hours, when you get ten hours of daylight which will be in february sometime, that is a good time to sow early seeds as it's about the minimum needed for good growth and it's increasing rapidly. For me in glasgow its the third week of February, down south its probably the second week. Up north I wouldn't start till march. When I sow early seeds i do so in my house in modules then when germinated transfer immediately to my unheated greenhouse to get full light. The exception being things like peppers, aubergine, tomatoes etc which need more warmth so they stay in the house as seedlings/small plants till May at the earliest. I also have a light and heat mats/temperature control for them too

 

Not stalking !, its the regional met point, (RAF) and reliable for data. Had a plot for four seasons near Crondall on London clay, guess you could be on chalk?

 

Its deep chalk here, yes. They removed the topsoil for a big building project recently near an old chalk pit, about 4 feet down its solid white.

Along the fourseasons road... suspicious! There is a christmas tree farm that along there that has been raided 4 times recently for a big drug operation: are you sure you know what youve got growing on your plot? Joking of course!

Thanks for the tips. Ill germinate them in trays, i guess you need to trick them to come up early. From previous tries sowing them right as they have broken out the shell reduces risk of transplant shock.

 

No interest in 'herb', seen what it does to others....
If you sow singly, or perhaps 2-3 seeds in each module, you can select a dominant seedling to grow on to 4-6 leaf stage, then to plant out once hardened off.No disturbance as you can just pinch out the surplus, and plant strong plants with the rootball intact.
Getting them up is not usually the issue, its having increasingly leggy plants which are too early for outside conditions, not just cold but often windy (in March)
Cold frames and poly cloches are a good middle ground approach, then thermofleece and/or debris netting for the late, hostile Spring.
One can be adventurous but be prepared (second planting just in case!) for early losses.

 

This year's first batch of pea sprouts are on the go. Quick, easy and any old dried peas will do. Meanwhile, in the heated propagator, the Greek basil and wild rocket are germinating nicely.

 

Finally mixed my compost /perlite ready for my first seeds for the electric propagator.
Its been left in a plastic container in the kitchen instead of being kept in the freezing shed.

Sowing "Snow White Queen" spring onion first, as they have a tolerance to cold weather sometime next week.
Followed by "Little Gem" and "Cheery Bell "radish in March in unheated covered trays... they will probably sit in the living room until germination, then be move to a table near the patio window.

Leaving the propagator for tomatoes.

 

Just wondering. I had made some raised beds last year for flowers, probably like 2 inches of compost in each. Realise it wasnt enough for starting a no till raised bed so have alot of mushroom compost dumped from a neighbour. Curious on opinions as weed growth wasnt bad as i did cover with cardboard before hand, however again not enough.

Ive covered the beds over winter with cardboard which is pretty wet now but wont break down above the ground. I was wondering if i could dump more mushroom compost now on top of that again and just keep building up? Id prob do a green manure end of this growing season instead.

So throw compost on top of remove the cardboard?

 

Either will work.
Add 40-50mm of mushroom compost and just plant.Worms will mix it in.
If you compost your green waste (and I think you should!) , the cardboard is a useful source of 'browns' to mix with lawn mowings etc. Remove sellotape if you can, simple from damp card ,and any evil wire staples. Tear into 15cm pieces.
Any additional mushroom compost can be added to your compost heap, stockpiled, or bagged for future use.
Just for interest, what surface was the raised bed placed upon?

 

Yup its all clear! I've 4 beds in total but this new and last

Yup all the cardboard is clean! I do need to get into composting properly as I can get loads of cardboard and green waste like veg waste at work, than the usual grass clippings!

Its on a field basically, hadn't been cut or grazed in decades. I've 4 beds, the first 3 are last years and need topped up and also covered in the cardboard. The last bed is going onto scythed back grass but I'm doubling the cardboard amount. I'll hopefully then be able tk fill up to 5 or 6 inches of compost, How's that sound?

 

My only further observation is that you may find a compacted layer beneath the old turf/pasture layer which may cause your plants to root laterally, restricting their drought survival ability. A broadforking can break this layer without destructive soil inversion; subsoiling in agricultural parlance.

 

I'd actually thought of a Broadford to add to my growing tool collection haha! I must do that before I go much further!

Luckily in my part of the world we've never had a hose pipe ban, we get too much rain sadly! Od trade some of that South of England sunshine for some rainy days if I could!

 

There are potential sources of nanoplastics in most inputs/possible ingredients t hat we apply to soils, from tea bags, plastic packaging, polybags, osmacote fertilisers, textiles, mains water, crop protection fabrics, netting, etc.soil improvers (composted green waste)
Do you have a link to research into this topic that confirms transfer of microplastics (or nano) into cells of vegetation?