[rhythmvick]

I planted out some brocolli and spinach two weeks ago and there are no signs of life  are they just being slow to germinate or have the pigeons got them? 

I also planted out some carrots - do I need to fleece them or will they be ok?

Thanks for advice in advance 

[Cheshire Phill]

Vicky - not sure your broccoli & spinach will do anything now...but I'd give it another week, mainly needs soil temerature to be a little warmer, I've had the same with beetroot and spring onions...but radishes have come up. I'll just re-sow in a week or so as the temp rises.Any signs of pigeon pecking?

I'd say fleece will help the temperature of the soil slightly for gemination, but of course, once seedlings are up they need cover from the dreaded carrot fly too!!

I'm planting some more carrots tonight under cloches/fleece with hopeful outlook...the forecast is for reasonable temps for the next week or so here...colder next weekend though.

Good luck!

Phill 

[rhythmvick]

Thanks Phill, I might have to re-sow this weekend. It's always so sad when something doesn't work!! I can't see any pigeon pecking (although I'm not entirely sure what I'm looking for) but I live 1min from the local park so there are tons of wood pigeons in the trees there

I've planted my carrots in tubs as I heard the carrot fly can only fly to about 60cm. I've also planted chives around the outside of the tub and spring onions in pots around the tub, hopefully to fool the flies into thinking 'hmmm, I can only smell allium, no carrots here!!'

We'll see if I'm successful!!   

[Pompey Spud]

I would personally sow in modules in a cold frame or unheated green house.

Brassicas need cool temps to germinate but direct outdoors may be too cold at this time of year. Transplanted plants will be stronger and resist pest attacks. ie slugs

Get some more going. Mine have all germinated within 7 days.

[paintedlady]

... ooer - sounds like a case of doing a bare bottom temperature test to me    Said to be a useful indicator of whether the soil was warm enough to start sowing and planting stuff if you could bear to sit bare bottom on the ground   

Covering the ground with black plastic sheeting will help to warm up the soil before attempting to sow seeds - brassicas should germinate within 3-10 days when the soil temperature is above 10oC 

[rhythmvick]

... ooer - sounds like a case of doing a bare bottom temperature test to me    Said to be a useful indicator of whether the soil was warm enough to start sowing and planting stuff if you could bear to sit bare bottom on the ground   

  I think that's taking my strapline a little bit too literally!  What would my neighbours say?! 

Sounds like I might be re-sowing this weekend... always feels like such a waste 

[Goosegirl]

... ooer - sounds like a case of doing a bare bottom temperature test to me    Said to be a useful indicator of whether the soil was warm enough to start sowing and planting stuff if you could bear to sit bare bottom on the ground   

Covering the ground with black plastic sheeting will help to warm up the soil before attempting to sow seeds - brassicas should germinate within 3-10 days when the soil temperature is above 10oC 

I'll try the bare bottom test but only because I have no neighbours nearby - have you been arrested yet...??

[paintedlady]

I'll try the bare bottom test but only because I have no neighbours nearby - have you been arrested yet...??

I don't need to bare all to know it's been too cold to sow just yet 

[solway cropper]

For outdoor sowing the best advice is ignore what it says on the seed packet. We've had a very hard winter and the soil is still cold so just delay things for a while. It's amazing how quickly plants catch up and you rarely gain very much by early sowing and usually just waste seeds. I have tons of stuff in the unheated greenhouse waiting to go out but it'll stay there till the time is right.

[Salmo]

Be patient a little longer. Do not panic. If you are woried plant some more alongside them and then hoe out the poorest, or plant some in modules

[Loubs]

I also think it's a little too early to sow outside - weeds are only just starting to show signs of life at the moment - but they're only re-growing from any bits of root system that I've missed when digging over - they've not started properly germinating from seeds yet in a combined effort for world/plot domination. At least, not on a mass scale. 

[rhythmvick]

Thanks for all the advice guys. I will just continue to fill my windowsills for another couple of weeks 

*chants to herself* My vegetables will teach me patience, my vegetables will teach me patience, my vegetables will teach me patience...

[compostqueen]

I just love sowing seeds, and shall be doing some unusual basils today.  The cues I sowed day before yesterday, oh and some toms, are up already. Woohoo

Have yours showed themselves yet r*vick 

I've not sown anything directly into the soil yet. It was frosty here last night so no point in going too early. We get frost til the second week in June 

[rhythmvick]

The seeds I've started inside are looking good! The basil, marjoram, chillies and aubergines are all coming through. The cat kicked over the tomatoes  so they went back into modules this weekend, along with broad beans, squash, peppers, sweet peas and more chillies. A cut-and-come-again salad leaf hanging basket was planted and fleeced, and carrots, chives and spring onions went into fleeced trough outside

No sign of the broc or spinach - I'm preparing to admit defeat 

[andreadon]

the earliest i sowed mine last year was mid-april, and even then i put them in the (overwintered) coldframe.
not that i was being cautious, or anything.

they should germinate in about a week, so pop a couple of cloches over the soil and sow again in about a week. (you never know, in that time, under the cloche, the ones you've sown might come out of hibernation)