[Robin Redbreast]

now i have cleared and i will be dug over by next week can i still begin to plant ant ad hoc? or will i be wasting my time?

[Iain j]

Any pictures to show us of your progress

[Robin Redbreast]

Any pictures to show us of your progress

sorry no but i have a heavy clay that will be manured and rotovated in the next week or so so if ya think its possible i will get growth let me know what ya think please. all advice welcome!

[DD.]

It's not too late to start planting anything.

In fact it too soon for a lot of things.

Try & get some spuds. If you've got heavy soil, stick to plants or larger seeds, like PEAS .

I'll be starting off my sweetcorn seed, beans & such like in a few days, they can go in in June.

Anything you like, really.

[Christine]

Beetroot and swede will be happy in clay soil - you can sow these from now till June. You'll probably be OK with leeks which can be sown between now and June straight into the soil. Beans and peas should be quite happy too.  Bit too late for onions sets which need to go in early March no matter what the weather but they like manured soil -  one for next year that. Sweetcorn should be ok too if you allow for the fact that it shouldn't be above ground till after the last frosts are expected.

Don't bother with cabbages if you are manuring the soil as they don't like freshly manured patches - keep a space free and put lots of compost in if you want to do cabbages.  I'd not try carrots or parsnips in freshly manured soil for the same reason.

But lots of manure is good for cucumbers, marrows and courgettes so you can plant some of those out after the chance of late frosts (put seeds in pots in the house and bring them on, harden off by bringing in when there is a chance of frost and then plant out in a sunny spot in late May).

If you have a not too sunny corner you can do things like radish and spring onions - save a sunny corner for lettuce too.

[Robin Redbreast]

great cheers for that! let the sowing begin 

[Exbattmad]

I only put my onion sets in last week, wont they do ant good then ?
a few others have only just put theirs in too.

[DD.]

On that, I don't quite agree with Christine.

Get 'em in, mine have only been in a couple of weeks.

[nwalch]

Bit too late for onions sets which need to go in early March no matter what the weather but they like manured soil -  one for next year that.

Only put mine in over the weekend. Only arrived from Marshalls on Saturday. Interestingly their instructions say plant immediatly but if very wet leave until drier weather.

[Robin Redbreast]

one of the old fellas down the lottys said (in a very yorkshire accent) they would be ok and to get em in and that they would all catch up!

[sunshineband]

one of the old fellas down the lottys said (in a very yorkshire accent) they would be ok and to get em in and that they would all catch up!

 
I always take the tack that they won't do very well in the packet so a bit late is better than not at all......