[newby]

I was at the allotment earlier...one of the experienced dudes said it was a waste o plant anything yet..things would just grow "spindly". I have broad beans (Aquadulca) and peas (Feltham Firsts) in the ground..and garlic ! I have more peas and beans in paper pots in the house too !!

[Duracell]

You only find these things out with experimentation. Who knows perhaps they will do fine. If not then you know better for next year. I have loads of stuff fail on me, mostly because of stupid things I have done. But every mistake I make is another one that I wont make again.

[mumofstig]

I would thing you'll be ok with the ones at home (as long as they're not growing too warm) even if you loose the first lot.  You have to live and learn your own areas season,
so you may make a few mistakes. and the weather can make an ar@e out of all of us no matter how long we've been doing it.

So keep at it & enjoy the things that you succeed with in due course

[azubah]

I was at the allotment earlier...one of the experienced dudes said it was a waste o plant anything yet..things would just grow "spindly". I have broad beans (Aquadulca) and peas (Feltham Firsts) in the ground..and garlic ! I have more peas and beans in paper pots in the house too !!

The broad beans that you mention are a hardy variety which can be sown in autumn, so they should be OK if the mice have not eaten them. I have seen gardeners throw them in the compost heap in summer and get a wonderful crop the following spring in said compost heap. I think garlic is very hardy too. I'm not sure about Feltham First peas, but have a look at the instructions on the packet. Things may not be as bad as you think.

I find it better to wait until the soil has warmed up, but sometimes you can get away with it. Years ago my dad sowed runner beans in March, which is far too early, but it turned out to be a very warm spring that year and he got away with it. You never know. Don't be downhearted.

[SG6]

Garlic should be fine, they need to get cold. All my garlic have been in for 2-3 months and doing fine, I was out checking them this morning.
If the beans are OK then that is 2 out of 3.
Ever thought that the other person may not actually know as much as he thinks

If you want to be safe then plant a few bean and peas in pots and start them off so you have replacements.

In the wild seeds will sit in the ground until it is warm enough for them to grow, if too cold at present yours will lie dormant. Getting too wet will probably be the worst aspect. Part of the reason we plant late is to get a better percentage of success per sowing.

I wouldn't worry too much, just wait and see.

[Bombers]

Agree with SG6, I've got Garlic, Onions, and B Beans in. I checked down the lottie this morning (first time in 3 weeks  ) Garlic looks fine, onions just about O.K. but the broad beans are only just poking there heads through, and look pretty sad. - I have got some in trays to 'in fill' when the weather gets a bit better. Lets face it..... Even the weeds aren't germinating yet!!!

[Paul Plots]

If it were me I'd gently ignore the "advice" from your friendly neighbour on the plot...especially if it leaves you felling cheesed off.

I took over my dad's plot and immediately the site supervisor arrived to see what I was up to. After 10 minutes of giving me advice on how to plant my seed potatoes he wandered off......and I continued to do it "my way"...

At the end of the season he arrived again to tell me it was just as well I took his advice as my spuds wouldn't have given such a good crop if I'd carried on sticking then in the way I had been....My crop, he said was better than his!

I think you learn best by having a go and seeing what works best for you.
You can slow down germinating seeds and seedlings in pots - stick them somewhere cooler for a few days. Who knows, the weather might pick up soon

Count your successes - learn from your mistakes

[zazen999]

I've got autumn sown beans and peas in the lottie, as well as autumn planted onions sets, garlics for a moon/non-moon trial and swedes and leeks from last year. Plus loads of autumn sown onions [from seed] which usually last all winter and take off and start to bulb up as soon as the spring shoots into action. When I say Garlic, I've got over 150 bulbs planted...and the shop bought for eating cloves are looking stronger than the garden centre specially for growing into new bulbs ones...we shall see.

Indoors, I've got sweet peas, peas that I'm using for pea tops, tomatoes and peppers [only a few] that were sown early for a June harvest [hopefully, it worked last year], nasturtiums, cerinthes [both for attracting early insects], tagetes for the toms when they go outdoors, and in the cold chill out room I've got onions, leeks, chives, shallots, cosmos and I've also sown some dwarf beans for an indoor early harvest.

I never sow peas and beans direct - they always are sown in root trainers/loo roll innerds/deep paper pots and are planted out. Otherwise, they either rot or get eaten by the plethora of beasites around our lottie.

[Paul Plots]

Sounds as if you've been busy zazen999. 

I go along with sowing indoors for planting out later. Last year for the first time I tried beetroot in small cells - it worked well - saved on thinning and made weeding easier too.

Bean, leeks, sweetpeas all in and up waiting for planting out along with a tray of shallots.

Plot still contains chard, carrots and leeks all cropping nicely. Autumn onions, garlic & elephant garlic growing steadily despite the cold....ignored the moon though!!

All we need now is some gentle warmth to get the whole show on the road

[zazen999]

I also put 170 odd Onions sets in today - in a raised bed and covered the sets with bubble wrap which I had in the car. Will take it off in a few weeks.

 

[Paul Plots]

I also put 170 odd Onions sets in today - in a raised bed and covered the sets with bubble wrap which I had in the car. Will take it off in a few weeks.

I put in red onion sets last autumn - Japanese onion sets? Anyway, they are about two to three inches tall now and look as if they've braved the winter's worst well. I also had a large tray full of the same sets started off in a cold greenhouse - they went in the ground yesterday. I want to see which works best - straight on the plot to over-winter or sown indoors and planted out later. So far not much difference in the two lots.

I have some more onion sets to put in this spring (still sitting in a bag) but will wait a while until the weather convinces me they wont rot in the ground.

[Coltar223]

I was at the allotment earlier...one of the experienced dudes said it was a waste o plant anything yet..things would just grow "spindly". I have broad beans (Aquadulca) and peas (Feltham Firsts) in the ground..and garlic ! I have more peas and beans in paper pots in the house too !!

All is lost!! As a Brit living in Yank land I would have expected the term "experienced dudes" on any USA based web site! especially when the definition of a 'dude' is someone who is resident of Eastern US and vacations on a Western ranch!! But on the Allotment site!!

Oh well I guess it just goes to show I am getting fatter, grayer and more set in me ways than I thought. Thats a quote from'The Old Dude'.

[Paul Plots]

I was at the allotment earlier...one of the experienced dudes said it was a waste o plant anything yet..things would just grow "spindly". I have broad beans (Aquadulca) and peas (Feltham Firsts) in the ground..and garlic ! I have more peas and beans in paper pots in the house too !!

All is lost!! As a Brit living in Yank land I would have expected the term "experienced dudes" on any USA based web site! especially when the definition of a 'dude' is someone who is resident of Eastern US and vacations on a Western ranch!! But on the Allotment site!!

Oh well I guess it just goes to show I am getting fatter, grayer and more set in me ways than I thought. Thats a quote from'The Old Dude'.

Dear "Old Dude",

Join the club! Personally I detest the address "you guys" which I hear far too often at work. It is used to refer to any group of children in my school. (Very few of whom are actually named “Guy”).The term is persistently and frequently used by a few new members of staff but more worryingly by the person who mans (should that be "persons"?  ) the front reception desk.

I have nothing against an evolving language and appreciate change is a good thing but wonder if it should so frequently reflect what goes on across the Pond? Not all that originates to the west of UK is best for the UK, in my humble opinion. :blink:

signing out "Another happy to be older dude" 

[newby]

Sounds as if you've been busy zazen999. 

I go along with sowing indoors for planting out later. Last year for the first time I tried beetroot in small cells - it worked well - saved on thinning and made weeding easier too.

Bean, leeks, sweetpeas all in and up waiting for planting out along with a tray of shallots.

Plot still contains chard, carrots and leeks all cropping nicely. Autumn onions, garlic & elephant garlic growing steadily despite the cold....ignored the moon though!!

All we need now is some gentle warmth to get the whole show on the road

Those carrots you mention, when did you sow those ??

[Paul Plots]

Sounds as if you've been busy zazen999. 

I go along with sowing indoors for planting out later. Last year for the first time I tried beetroot in small cells - it worked well - saved on thinning and made weeding easier too.

Bean, leeks, sweetpeas all in and up waiting for planting out along with a tray of shallots.

Plot still contains chard, carrots and leeks all cropping nicely. Autumn onions, garlic & elephant garlic growing steadily despite the cold....ignored the moon though!!

All we need now is some gentle warmth to get the whole show on the road

Those carrots you mention, when did you sow those ??

I've still got carrots on my plot sown last.....whenever it they're usually sown. Autumn King.
They usually keep us going through to late March. Brilliant flavour.. I don't thin mine so they are a mixture of sizes.