[Hodgey]

I'm trying to get some spring onions, leeks, carrots, chillis and basil going on the windowsil, annoyingly some of each crop are going well and others are not doing a thing. Are seeds so fussy that some will do well and others fail in the same conditions? My girlfriend says i should stop swearing at the failures as this is not constructive!

[Tinbasher]

I'm trying to get some spring onions, leeks, carrots, chillis and basil going on the windowsil, annoyingly some of each crop are going well and others are not doing a thing. Are seeds so fussy that some will do well and others fail in the same conditions? My girlfriend says i should stop swearing at the failures as this is not constructive!

What I do for many indoor sowings, especially early, is set up a trestle table under a window sill in the spare room, and put an electric blanket on it.  An old one, a bit nasty now (though not frayed).  I turn it on to the lowest setting (of 3) and put the seed tays and pots, etc, within a large tray on top of the blanket.  Obviously be careful with any watering.

[helluvatractor]

whereabouts are you whippetmaster?, i'm in braunton.  i haven't got an allottment although my mate has got one, by the new velator road.  got a veg plot in the garden with two greenhouses.  only got into this gardening lark last summer , so this spring will be a whole new experience!!

[Aidy]

What I do for many indoor sowings, especially early, is set up a trestle table under a window sill in the spare room, and put an electric blanket on it.  An old one, a bit nasty now (though not frayed).  I turn it on to the lowest setting (of 3) and put the seed tays and pots, etc, within a large tray on top of the blanket.  Obviously be careful with any watering.

 :shock:  :shock:  :shock:  I suggest a ever so slightly safer way, put your trays/pots whatever you have sown your seed in, cover or pop in a butty bag and pop on your windowsill during the day and pop them near (not to close) to the raditor at night, seeds will germinate no problems, then once up put on window sill and wrap foil around the back to even the light until ready to transplant and move to greenhouse etc.

[paintedlady]

I'm trying to get some spring onions, leeks, carrots, chillis and basil going on the windowsil, annoyingly some of each crop are going well and others are not doing a thing. Are seeds so fussy that some will do well and others fail in the same conditions? My girlfriend says i should stop swearing at the failures as this is not constructive!

Seeds germinate at their own optimum temperature, and in their own time frame.  That's why it is a good idea to get chillis and peppers off a lot earlier than you might think - you are talking at least a month before you see life, and ideally temperatures should be well above 15oC.  I have to admit I was getting a bit worried about mine but nearly 80% have only just started to germinate, and I think the warm sunshine this past week has given them an incentive  

Most brassicas sprout within a week at a surprisingly lower temperature than you might expect!

Celery & celeriac seed should be sprinkled on the surface because it is the LIGHT that persuades them to germinate.

One tip if you are sowing individual seeds - choose the biggest and fattest if you can (obviously a bit difficult with some seeds if they are small anyway, but I hope you know what I mean) and they are most likely to germinate as they have a bigger food store.

So I suppose the answer to your question is YES, some are downright fussy

[WhippetMaster]

whereabouts are you whippetmaster?, i'm in braunton.  i haven't got an allottment although my mate has got one, by the new velator road.  got a veg plot in the garden with two greenhouses.  only got into this gardening lark last summer , so this spring will be a whole new experience!!

Im in Bideford just down the road from you!!!

[digby]

As a matter of interest, does anyone know if the instructions on the seed packets have changed much over the last 50 years to keep in line with our increase in climate temperature.  Daffodils this year were 1 week earlier than last but 1 month earlier than 10 years ago.

I planted my runner beans last year mid April, 2 weeks earlier than it says on the packet, and I was still the last on the allotment site to do it - our climate is getting warmer, and I don't think the seed packets are keeping up with it.

 :?:

[Vampyer&Angel]

I know you are not to sow to early but I have read that you need to start as soon as possible with tomatoes, peppers, aubergines etc. So when should you sow these  :? I have a coservatory with under floor heating at about 15 deg C with moderate light levels. Any advice?

[PeterR]

I have already started mine, they are kept in the kitchen.

Petunias, pansies, lobelias for the hanging baskets.
Peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers as well. I just couldn't wait.  :oops:

[paintedlady]

I know you are not to sow to early but I have read that you need to start as soon as possible with tomatoes, peppers, aubergines etc. So when should you sow these  :? I have a coservatory with under floor heating at about 15 deg C with moderate light levels. Any advice?

Tomatoes can be sown indoors any time now/March and still be alright.  If you sow them in January, unless you can provide excellent light and warmth, then they'll grow leggy instead.  I don't grow aubergines but I imagine they are the same as tomatoes.

I have learned from bitter experience to sow Peppers in January rather than in March.

[paintedlady]

As a matter of interest, does anyone know if the instructions on the seed packets have changed much over the last 50 years to keep in line with our increase in climate temperature

I imagine they have, and remember it is a "general" guideline - allow it to be warmer down south than up north - so while you are basking in warm winds in Gloucester, up in Scotland I think they may be getting a bit of snow?

I planted my runner beans last year mid April, 2 weeks earlier than it says on the packet

So did a load on my site due to the very warm spring after a very mild winter.  However, we got one heck of a shock in mid-May when cold winds arrived.  Luckily some recovered and still produced a crop, but there was a delay as a result of that.

I would say this winter has been about average to a bit on the nippy side - or have I got a bit soft as a result of the trend of recent mild winters? :shock:

[mashauk]

A little advice for the "newbies" amongst us - please, please, please do read the seed packet instructions.  Some of the main seed suppliers have been established over many years so they know what they are talking about

If it says sow indoors April-June, then sowing them in the middle of February means disappointment all round.  There is no harm stretching it a bit as an experiment, but if it fails, its no big deal, you learn from it and try again when you are supposed to!  At this point, I'm actually talking the difference of a couple of weeks as opposed to a couple of months :roll:

Sowing seeds and watching them develop into healthy plants from the onset is very rewarding and exciting, but having to apply first aid from the beginning will seem like an uphill struggle - hardly the encouragement you were hoping for.  Come one - you know its far too early for some things, so from today, lets all be sensible about sowing seeds.

Yes but what do you do when you get 10 different bits of advice on here, another 3 from your books, another 2 from gardening programmes and another one from the packet, eh, eh One of my packets doesn't even make sense!