[HevO22]

I was just wondering if there is anything I can start growing indoors and what do growers suggest??

Thank you
Hev

[mumofstig]

It's still very early for most stuff.....so I'd wait for a good few more weeks yet, unless you intend growing onions from seed (rather than from sets) as these can be started about now.

Before you sow anything indoors think about where you are going to grow any seedlings/plants until weather allows outside planting, have you got a cold frame or a greenhouse to grow plants on? If you haven't it is best to delay sowing until the weather and soil  is a lot warmer

Please can you add a location to your profile, to give us some idea of when your planting season begins

[binner]

i put some caluiflower and cabbage seeds in trays last weekend, popper their heads out friday so i took them down the lotty and put them into cold frame today, no frost forcast all week so they should be ok, but as i say, if it grows it gets eaten, if it dont so what

[Kristen]

"what do growers suggest??"

I suggest patience

A Tomato sown now (which would be very early) will be 1.5M tall by the time it is warm/safe enough to plant it in a cold greenhouse ... so you've got to be able to look after the tender things as they grow bigger.

But lack-of-light is the real issue.  Great fun growing under a "grow light" during the winter though if you do want to get on and be early.

I sowed Cannas under my Grow Light in October (as per advice on Gardeners World to make sure they were big enough to flower in their first year).  I didn't realise that "first year" meant 2010 !! They started flowering in mid December, some of them are over 6' tall, they have set seeds, and if they ripen quickly enough I'll be able to sow them this spring and have hundreds of plants instead of just the 10 at present!

I also have infestations of Whitefly and Red Spider - so its just like real gardening !!

[HevO22]

thanks for the replies, I'm an Essex girl! and i do have a greehouse!

[DD.]

The only things I've got sown are Kelsae onions, a very early cauliflower variety and some experimental peas.

I don't advise the latter, even I don't know what going to happen with those!

[JaK]

I have some spring onions on the windowsil. I think you can start leeks around now if you have a greenhouse but don't quote me on it.

[Debz]

Cress if you are really desperate to grow something.

[Kristen]

I think you can start leeks around now if you have a greenhouse but don't quote me on it.

Yeah, you can, but I don't. I think it encourages them to bolt, and I don't want leeks super-early as we eat them as a Winter veg.

A self-confessed Leek lover, in another post, said they grow leeks really early to freeze.

[DD.]

Trying to grow things too early can lead to tears before bedtime, as we find every year.

[Paul Plots]

I have some spring onions on the windowsil. I think you can start leeks around now if you have a greenhouse but don't quote me on it.

My leeks are going into a deep tray any day soon and then into an unheated greenhouse that gets loads of sun.

Once up (here's hoping) they'll move into a cold-frame.

[Nige2Plots]

What about Microgreens, veg you can eat at their seedling stage Don't forget Sprouting seeds as well!

[Poolfield2]

What about Microgreens, veg you can eat at their seedling stage Don't forget Sprouting seeds as well!

That's a good idea and all you need is some mung beans or chickpeas, a jam jar and a piece of old tights to cover the top and an elastic band. You'll be able to eat your first harvest in about 5 days

[shokkyy]

In the past, I've always started off a lot of stuff early, peppers, chillis, aubergines, tomatoes, things like that. Last year, as an experiment, I also sowed some more tomato seeds in a pot in my open coldframe in late April/May time. Guess what? They're right They caught up with the early sowings and overtook them. Nice sturdy plants that never needed to be buried deep to combat legginess. And if I'd started off all my tomato plants that way (all 6 varieties, about 50 plants) it would have saved me an awful lot of windowsill space. I still think you need to be early with things like peppers and chillis, because they were never intended for our climate, but that's the last time I start off tomatoes early.

This year, for the first time, I want to try some onions from seed instead of set. It seems a lot of people start them off in Jan/Feb time. Is that necessary or is it better to wait a little longer with those too?

[nipper31]

What about Microgreens, veg you can eat at their seedling stage Don't forget Sprouting seeds as well!

Hi Nige2Plots,

Can you explain a bit more how to grow Microgreens (without having to fork out for any expensive equipment) ?