[RookieJim]

Morning Guys and a happy new year to you all. Let's just hope the weather is better for us this year 

This is going to be my first full year on them plot and I'm very much looking forward to it. I've got numerous seed catalogues here at home and I'm carefully choosing what I want to grow this year.

However, I am a wee bit concerned: I live in a flat, with no balcony and do not have a greenhouse at the plot.

Taking that into consideration, does anyone have any advice on starting the seeds off at home? I'd rather grow from seed than buy plants.

Thanks in advance.
Jim

[richy]

I would start off tomatoes and peppers on your window sill next month in ordinary compost and look to move them outside around may if the weather is warm anough, on the allotment i would warm the soil around march with plastic sheets or cloches ready to sow your other seed crops in april.

Richy

[Auntiemogs]

You could start them off on the windowsill (with some tin foil behind them to make the most of the light) and then move the hardier seedlings (onions (can be sown now), brassicas etc.) into a cold frame to grow on until the weather warms up a bit.  :happy:

[Yorkie]

I am the same in that I have no greenhouse.  I would wait until March to start off your tomatoes indoors - they get very leggy quickly because of low light levels, and you end up being very impatient with plants 2' tall that cannot yet go out.

Windowsills, plus aluminium foil behind the plants to reflect light, are the way to go!

[stompy]

I would wait until March to start off your tomatoes indoors - they get very leggy quickly because of low light levels, and you end up being very impatient with plants 2' tall that cannot yet go out.

Windowsills, plus aluminium foil behind the plants to reflect light, are the way to go!

I agree, you will find that if you start them off too early they won't crop as well either.
Middle of March is when i've found best.

P.S. start chillies/peppers off middle of February though.

[RookieJim]

Thanks guys, as always.

The only things I'm planning to grow this year are:

Onions & garlic (winter sets coming up nicely and will do more in Spring)
Potatoes (we eat loads)
Carrots
Parsnips
Sweetcorn
Tomatoes
Cabbage
Broccoli
Lettuce
Beetroot
Leeks
Peas

Jim

[madcat]

I haven't got a greenhouse so commandeer the sunniest window sills  for my seed, and use the foil trick (beware neighbours who want to know why you have silver foil at the window, you may need to explain that you aren't completely mad!).  Potatoes just need light so they will go on the floor in the sitting room near the east facing window for six weeks to chit.

beetroot, parsnip, carrot (a disaster for me!) and peas I sow direct.  Growing onion from seed with a limited number of window ledges - these were the ones I had to give up on.  I just couldn't do it, so I use sets too.  Wilkinson has 500g of sets for £1.50...  just not worth the pain of seeds for me.

[surbie100]

Hi Jim,
I'm in a flat too - I've got some windowsill staging, which helps when there's just the one proper-sized sunny window. I found most things germinate easily - so not as much seed needs to be sown as I thought...
Surbie

[Daamoot]

Have you got cold frames on your allotment Jim?  You could germinate trays of seed then transfer them to the cold frames before planting.  I've read elsewhere on this site about using toilet roll tubes as biodegradable pots so I've collected a years worth for sowing veggies in before the ground warms up enough for direct sowing.

Happy new year to you too!