FabSwingers.com forum: seeding

By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

What plants have you started sowing so far, or are preparing to?

I'm doing catch up with sweet peas atm - though early spring may be better than an autumn sowing, according to last years tv garden experiment.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Lesson learnt...grow only what you eat...so onions, beets,carrots, tomatoes and if I've time pak choi this year.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Still cold out! Keep em potted indoors?

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By *ce WingerMan
over a year ago

P.O. Box DE1 0NQ

When I had my bungalow I had a large garden with a greenhouse and used to grow quite a lot of stuff. Now I live in a top floor flat, there's not much you can grow in a window box

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"Still cold out! Keep em potted indoors?"

Depending on what you're growing, most will benefit from some warmth to germinate. And for aftercare. 15-25 is probably the temperature I germinate most plants at.

Obviously most plants will need high light levels, to prevent them becoming weak and leggy - I don't want competition!

3 packs of seeds for the price of 2 in Wilko atm.

Timing is everything, as grown too late some plants find it harder to flower and crop. Too early and you may be wasting your money.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol. "

It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.

Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).

I gave up on that idea.

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

I'm getting ready to sow some Hibiscus soon too. I've some giant-flowered types but they can struggle to flower in the first year, if not given a long season.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I've started tomatoes, French beans and just finished moving the baby strawberry plants into place. Next couple of weeks I'll probably start celery, potatoes.

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.

Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).

I gave up on that idea."

I'd encourage you to try vegetables that aren't brassicas, as these are particularly vulnerable to caterpillars.

Maybe salad crops or dwarf tomatoes?

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"I've started tomatoes, French beans and just finished moving the baby strawberry plants into place. Next couple of weeks I'll probably start celery, potatoes."

Were your strawberries from seed? I grew alpine strawberries that way when I was a kid.

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By *ust RachelTV/TS
over a year ago

Horsham

Need to get out on the allotment, got it last year not do e anything to it yet. Hope to get some spuds in,maybe tomato plants as well, not sure what else.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

No. The chap on the allotment next to mine gave me a few baby plants last year and, they went crazy over autumn and winter, so now there's hundreds all over the place.

They throw out little runners, a bit like a spider plant, and just spread everywhere. It's taken ages to dig them all up and plant them where I want them.

Alpine strawberries are lovely, but so tiny!

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

It's definitely good to keep replenishing your strawberry plants, and they're prolific setters or runners. 3 years is a suggested lifetime per plant for cropping. Alpine strawberries are tasty and have a much longer season - but so teeny!

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

ive just planted peppers and two different chillis plus basil, parsley and chives and if they grow they will be my return to gardening after many years and i have one bonsai tree and attemtping to grow more as i heard it will help make the oxygen i breathe in my home cleaner and with my disability every little bit helps. wish me luck

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

Good lick instillers!

Even spider plants will make a significant improvement to your home air.

There are so many toxic chemicals in homes now that it pays to have cleaner air. I don't use air fresheners as I view them as a bad choice for health.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I'm planning on planting mostly herbs this year and get rid of a lot of shrubs. The only issue is that I'm a hideous and lazy gardener, thankfully Nell isn't.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Tried a vegetable box. Great and beautiful veg growing wonderfully.

Major caterpillar infestation. The bastards ate the lot in a week (and crawled all over the exterior of my house).

I gave up on that idea.

I'd encourage you to try vegetables that aren't brassicas, as these are particularly vulnerable to caterpillars.

Maybe salad crops or dwarf tomatoes? "

Those bastard caterpillars really loved the salad but were not fussy. They ate everything. Very quickly.

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By *aneandpaulCouple
over a year ago

cleveleys

Those plastic egg boxes are ideal to start seeds off just like little propagate,s

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By *ormalguy71Man
over a year ago

Tunbridge Wells

Spring onions, radishes, onions, tatts and carrots for now.

Am also have a bash at some rare rose plants, yet black and a blue and white one

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.

It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity. "

I've got the kitchen roll folded this time.. will take longer to dry out.. they're in a pie dish with a glass lid on. I've got about half a teaspoon of seeds till I get the right technique. Just starting to germinate after 2 days.

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

"Good lick instillers!

Even spider plants will make a significant improvement to your home air.

There are so many toxic chemicals in homes now that it pays to have cleaner air. I don't use air fresheners as I view them as a bad choice for health."
Thanks I was thinking of on or two for my bathroom but due to lack of space im waiting till i get my bungalow hopefully i'll have a garden i can get into in my wheelchair so i can plant lots of veg outside im thinking sprouts first and foremost

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.

It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity.

That's nice and quick! Are they perennial? I've not grown them, just know that they're loosely in the same family as mint plants are.

I'm a little behind - I normally bring my Bougainvilleas in by,now, to start the sap rising and encourage growth.

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By *aneandpaulCouple
over a year ago

cleveleys

Just done Tomatoes and croucetts

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I'm on my second attempt at sprouting chia seeds. Keep forgetting to water them lol.

It's tough if it's sunny and the heating is on - they can soon dry out. I rarely sow a whole packet of seeds in one go, due to my track record. It can also stagger their maturity.

That's nice and quick! Are they perennial? I've not grown them, just know that they're loosely in the same family as mint plants are.

I'm a little behind - I normally bring my Bougainvilleas in by,now, to start the sap rising and encourage growth. "

I'm only growing them so they look like cress then I'm going to eat them like that... I love alfalfa sprouts but haven't got any seeds for that.

Apparently they take about a week or so before you can eat them!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I take a salad to work everyday, which is why I started growing stuff on an abandoned allotment. Got sick of the same old boring supermarket veg.

Mung beans are great for sprouting. I do a dish of them every couple of weeks or so and just throw a handful in my salad box. Super crunchy and so tasty!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"I take a salad to work everyday, which is why I started growing stuff on an abandoned allotment. Got sick of the same old boring supermarket veg.

Mung beans are great for sprouting. I do a dish of them every couple of weeks or so and just throw a handful in my salad box. Super crunchy and so tasty!"

Are mung beans what we call beansprouts? I'd like to know how you sprout them.. what receptacle you use and what medium?

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Yes. Beansprouts.

When they are just the bean, they are a little, hard green bean. You can get packs of them in the supermarket.

I wash them, then soak them overnight.

In the morning, drain the water and leave them either on the side or in the fridge.

Everyday I fill the bowl with water again, leave it 5 minutes then pour the water away so they are just damp, with fresh water all the time.

After about three days they split open and put out a teeny little shoot. You can eat them as soon as this happens and every day the shoot gets a little larger. I like them best after about 5 or 6 days. But If you leave them long enough, that's beansprouts.

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By *-angel-XWoman
over a year ago

hell

Lots of s

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

"Yes. Beansprouts.

When they are just the bean, they are a little, hard green bean. You can get packs of them in the supermarket.

I wash them, then soak them overnight.

In the morning, drain the water and leave them either on the side or in the fridge.

Everyday I fill the bowl with water again, leave it 5 minutes then pour the water away so they are just damp, with fresh water all the time.

Ooh that sounds quite easy! I'm not green fingered at all! I may have to give them a go.. I love eating sprouting seed shoots.. they're so damn expensive to buy ready grown (alfalfa etc) and can't get them where I live.

Thanks!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

No problem. They are so easy, and ridiculously cheap to do.. Pretty much any dried beans work apparently. In though I would try chickpea next.

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By *dsindyTV/TS
over a year ago

East Lancashire

the only colour thumb I have is

so I think I shall plant nothing, safer that way. no mutant veg will devastate the world that way.

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

well three weeks down line and my herbs, chillis,and peppers have decided not to show so far so is it too soon or should i plant more seeds?

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

"What plants have you started sowing so far, or are preparing to?

I'm doing catch up with sweet peas atm - though early spring may be better than an autumn sowing, according to last years tv garden experiment.

I sowed some sweet peas in Autumn and they're very straggly now so I think that experiment might be right.

I sowed three types of tomato last week indoors and they're all up and getting a bit leggy already. Might be a bit too early

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

No, you should be OK. It's alright for tomatoes to get leggy when they are seedlings. When you repot them, pot them right up to the leaves. They sprout roots out of the stem. I reply mine three times before putting them out. A bigger root base makes for a stronger plant later.

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

"No, you should be OK. It's alright for tomatoes to get leggy when they are seedlings. When you repot them, pot them right up to the leaves. They sprout roots out of the stem. I reply mine three times before putting them out. A bigger root base makes for a stronger plant later."

Really! I didn't know that, I'll take your advice thank you very much

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By *uke olovingmanMan
over a year ago

Gravesend

OK fab gardeners... I've got a polystyrene veg box approximately six inches deep a foot wide and two foot long .. What sort of edible plants could I grow in it

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By *oachman 9CoolMan
over a year ago

derby

"well three weeks down line and my herbs, chillis,and peppers have decided not to show so far so is it too soon or should i plant more seeds?"
try putting some polythene around and over the top of them to create some humidity Are they in pots?

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By *oachman 9CoolMan
over a year ago

derby

"OK fab gardeners... I've got a polystyrene veg box approximately six inches deep a foot wide and two foot long .. What sort of edible plants could I grow in it

"
try some basil or parsley or even lettuce.

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By *icecouple561Couple
Forum Mod
over a year ago

East Sussex

"OK fab gardeners... I've got a polystyrene veg box approximately six inches deep a foot wide and two foot long .. What sort of edible plants could I grow in it

Salad leaves would work, radishes at a pinch, those little round carrots, various herbs. Don't forget to put holes in the bottom

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By *uke olovingmanMan
over a year ago

Gravesend

Thanks x

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

update one little seedling showed so ive planted loads more and have mushrooms started that seem to be doing ok so far

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By *irtyGirlWoman
over a year ago

Edinburgh

I've grown some cat grass which is about the extent of my green fingered abilities!

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

Thanks i will and they are in those lkittle starter pots and some in little plastic "mini greenhouses2 this time too

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By *ophieslut OP TV/TS
over a year ago

Central

"well three weeks down line and my herbs, chillis,and peppers have decided not to show so far so is it too soon or should i plant more seeds?"

I always give extra time for seeds to germinate - especially if they are somewhat cold. I generally cover mine with plastic or use propagated - both these increase humidity and warmth.

Generally, aim to maintain a fairly even temperature and humidity level - as close to the ideal as possible.

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

thanks for the tips will try to be patient

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

sweet peas went in today - and i have a box of mixed pink things that i will scatter into a couple of tubs tomorrow probably - often grow runner beans purely for the plant itself

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

just a thought if this site is fabswingers does this thread make us the gardenswings

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

well went to water my pots of soil today tofind little seedlings everywhere Basil, Nasturtiums, Chow Cabages, carrots AND Tomatoes corrently all just little green seedlings shame cant post pics in forum lol im so proud now

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

planted potatoes, my lettuce are growing well, fruit bushes are starting there buds

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By *mstillere2Man
over a year ago

middleport

awesome

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