[Give it a go]

I'm new to veg growing. I have just got my plot and want to know what I can start growing in the next few weeks, if that is possible Is it possible to plant garlic corns now or do I need to wait? Can you use corns from the garlic you get in the supermarkets? Rubarb, runner beans and spinich is also on my wish list in the coming months any advice would be very welcomed.

Thanks

[Elcie]

Hi, congratulations on getting a plot and welcome to the site.  You will get lots of information on here and people are always happy to help and support each other.  To be honest I think you are a little late to plant much at the moment, especially with the ground as cold as it is at the moment.  Having said that, I have heard of some who plant garlic on the shortest day (21st Dec) and harvest on the longest day in June.  That gives you until Monday at least!  Some people have had success planting cloves from bulbs that they have purchased in supermarkets, although others worry that they may not be suitable for our climate/conditions.  To be honest, if you are desperate to plant something, I would give it a go as it will be pretty cheap and you haven't much to lose!  Runners can wait a while yet!  All seed packets have suggestions on them as to when to sow, and there is a 'what to sow when' guide in the information pages on this site.

Good luck!

[Give it a go]

Thanks Elcie, I may give the garlic a go. At least i will have plenty of time to prepare the plot for spring planting. I need to be patient!

[sunshineband]

Hi there Give it a Go, and welcome

If you have a look on the Growing Help link right at the top of the page, under the photo, you'll find all sorts to read about and keep you busy until it's time tp get planting again (garlic's fine now if the ground's not actually frozen 

Could I suggest you oput your whereabouts in your profile,as that way you will get advic more closely matched to where you live -- or even find you live close by to other members 

[vegmandan]

I wouldn't ever plant Supermarket Garlic as it's probably not used to our cold climate and you can never be sure it's virus free.

You could pot up some shallots and "proper" garlic in your greenhouse now and plant them out into your plot later on though.

 

[stompy]

Welcome to the site.

I started using supermarket garlic a few years ago and have had good crops every time.
I stopped using the stuff from garden centres and mail order as every bulb i got from them, always had squidgy cloves or really dry dusty ones amongst them.

We can't plant in autum due to waterlogging over winter
Always get good sized bulbs though.

[Give it a go]

Thanks again for advice. I have added my location  and will check out the advice section on the site. Rather new to site so will take a while to get the best out of it

[sunshineband]

Plenty of browsing time at the moment 

[Loubs]

I'm same boat as you Give it a go... want to get something started. I know I am probably too keen and daresay I am already on the path to committing mass vegicide to some poor Aubergine, Cauliflower, Onion & Purple Sprouting Brocolli & Alpine Strawberry seeds which I started yesterday.... but have decided to take that risk, and am only doing successional sowing in smallish amounts - so fully expecting some losses & to learn from my mistakes. Says on the packets that the varieties I have sown can all be started indoors from Jan - well, I am south of the UK, so with a bit of luck thought I might gain from a few weeks advantage in starting things a little earlier??   :blink:

Also, I was up at my plot this afternoon digging it over and got chatting to the chap on the plot next to me about what he's been growing - one of the things he pointed out was a flowering shrub which he planted for the bees... which prompted me when I got home to rummage through my kitchen drawers to check through the seed packets I've had knocking about for a couple of years. Found 3 packs of annuals - Petunia,  Nicotiana & Laurentia which can all start germination indoors December onwards. Have been busy this evening sowing these ones too.

But if you've got the windowsill space to get anything started, you'll also need somewhere cool & sheltered to grow them on once germinated, so growth is minimal till Spring arrives proper.

[Yorkie]

This forum's littered with people who have started things off too early, but if you want to give it a go then go for it!

However, it's not just a question of germinating seeds in sufficient warmth and then keeping them cool enough until spring - unless you can really increase the amount of light (and day length for some plants), you run the risk of them getting far too leggy and being weaker plants all round.

Brassicas prefer the cooler weather and you run the risk of them not growing properly if they are in the warmth of indoors.  Aubergines are mediterranean plants and therefore unless you've got a heated greenhouse for them to go onto it will be difficult to give them the optimum conditions they require.

Just so that others are aware of some of the pitfalls which can occur if you start too early. 

[DD.]

But if you've got the windowsill space to get anything started, you'll also need somewhere cool & sheltered to grow them on once germinated, so growth is minimal till Spring arrives proper.

May I ask what the point of germinating them early is, if you then try & hold them back?

My experience with PSB is that I'm sowing them later & later in the year and possibly won't sow until May this year as I've found the earlier sown ones bolt.

[Loubs]

As I say, am aware that I'm probably committing vegicide! I only have a few seeds going - as much to see what happens. If nothing else gained, it'll teach me how to water them - the few times I've grown things from seeds over the years I've often overwatered and had problems with damping off.

With all the varieties I have sown so far, I intend to sow some more of the same in another 4 weeks, and again in 8 weeks. Thought it'd be interesting to try some, once germinated, under protection outdoors, and some on windowsills in unheated rooms.

'spose I was trying to apply logic, & thinking that keeping things cool would slow growth, that therefore less likely to get the leggy growth than if you kept them somewhere warm... but I am the first to put my hands up & say that I absolutely don't have the experience to back that thought up. I'm pretty new to sowing veg seeds - most of my growing experience over the years has been from buying ornamental plants for back garden from gardening centres.

But I am only sowing varieties that the seed packets say can be sown indoors from Jan-March. The PSB I've sown is a quick growing an early one, Summer Purple, that is harvested June-Oct. I've another variety, Claret F1, which isn't to be sown till May - I am not intending to sow this one any time soon.

[peanut]

I tried both supermarket and garden centre garlic last year and have to say the supermarket ones were more successful, both in terms of bulb size and flavour.

enjoy your first year!  Mine was great last year, and for the first time ever, i am excited about January (as I'm planning what is to come)