Shortest day gone .......sow seeds..

[ecogeorge]

Taking holiday (not losing it) so today continued with the allottment free shed (may be another story) and sowed the first seeds for next year.
3 types of hot chilli along with aubergine ,pepper and some early cauliflower sown in propagators.....
George

[Joeboy]

I will dig out my chilli seeds George and get going, cheers. A couple of mates just moved from Turkey to France. I gave them a load of our chilli variants and they sent a picture of them all in soil a few days ago. That was a nice one to see.

[ecogeorge]

Seeds are up and Aubergines pricked out today. Living on bedroom window cill.
Prick chillies out soon........
Broadbeans ready to plant out sown more today......
3 types of tomato seed sown in propagator .....
How is everyone else doing ?
George

[AE-NMidlands]

We have learned not to put seeds in early. Plants are up and getting leggy indoors when it is too cold to transfer them to the greenhouse (which does have enough light, but no heat.)
I went to a beekeeping talk on Thursday where, as an aside, the speaker recommended potting up tomato cuttings in the autumn and keeping them growing for the next year, he didn't say how he kept them over-winter though. Also said it works for peppers. I often increase tomato plant numbers in the early summer by planting the axillary shoots which you have to pull off.
I have read that you can treat Runner and climbing French beans like Dahlias, pull up the roots and keep them dry and frost-free before planting out the next year, but not done it though.

However I might put some onion seed in a tray: last year we tried Ailsa Craig from seed in addition to sets and the results were astonishing. Started late, seedlings potted on (3 to a pot as there were so many) then planted out in early to mid-summer. No special treatment but a huge crop, many over 2lb! Downside was that they were too big to string and didn't store well either. A friend says he puts his upside-down in a milk crate so the water can drain out of the bulbs, which I can understand. In fact the worst only had 2 or maybe 3 soft brown outer leaves/layers and when they were peeled off the onions were fine for use...
Anyway, they were so big that we only used 1/4 of each when we would have normally used a whole onion, so we didn't start on the real stored onions until after Christmas. 4 strings still hanging in the garage.
I'm looking forward to the purple sprouting coming (and kale ) which is looking very promising, ate the last of our Swedes tonight, lots of spuds still in store, although the Desiree are finished... Frozen cooked tomato still in freezer, I must remember to use it instead of a tin next time!
A

[Moxi]

Too early up here for much seed activity yet but the rhubarb is crowning, the shallots are bought ready and the potatoes are under the cold frame chitting.

Butternut squash, zucchini’s going in for later in the year and I’m going to try to grow some perennial veg this year including walking onions.

Moxi

[ecogeorge]

Too early for courgettes ? surely ....
George

[AE-NMidlands]

Too early up here for much seed activity yet but the rhubarb is crowning, the shallots are bought ready and the potatoes are under the cold frame chitting.
Butternut squash, zucchini’s going in for later in the year and I’m going to try to grow some perennial veg this year including walking onions.
Moxi

Our spuds are chitting in a cool (unused) bedroom and the onion sets are spread out in a shallow box in there too. I wouldn't want to risk the spuds getting frosted.
I'm not a huge fan of rhubarb, but it is growing... we have loads of Kilner jars of fruit to eat anyway, plus so many stored apples that we are halving any scruffy ones and throwing them out for the birds.
Plus a freezer full of frozen currants, rasps and strawbs. The theory / system is that if we have a disastrous year we can keep eating them, if not they can be defrosted and turned into wine when we freeze the new ones.
A

[Moxi]

My bad grammar George zucchini’s and butter squad will be going in at the right time for planting out later in the year. We are lucky in a sense that being as close to the sea as we are and prevailing westerly winds we don’t get many frosty days so the cold frame is usually ok.

Does anyone grow walking onions (Egyptian onions or allium prolifium) ?

Moxi

[Moxi]

Thats sounds like a no for the onions from the forum then , I will purchase some from the internet and keep you informed and if they are good and by next year I should hopefully be in a position to provide anyone who want some starter sets with them.

Moxi

[Mr Gus]

Lavender for bee forage.

Best get a move on, conservatory grown