Ten key points to sowing success

My best sowing success from last year, my broad beans.  Not everything grew this well! 

I love growing from seed.  In fact I rarely buy plants because it just feels like cheating.  If you haven't had to coax it from beneath the soil, its not gardening.  However, my sowing is a little haphazard.  One moment Im giving them too much love, the next not enough.  This year I am going to be a sowing machine.  I will be giving away seedlings from the end of my drive, my neighbours will love me.  I have put together ten key points to help me achieve my goals:

Use the right equipment – turns out they make specific seed compost for a reason.  I was using normal compost right up until about June last year because I had done it before and it was fine.  Only last year they changed the formula of my regular compost and my seeds didn’t like it one bit.  Too heavy, clumpy and nutrient rich, (not to mention full of twigs but this is a side complaint).  This year I have started as I mean to go on and already have my bag.  I may have added sand to regular compost for my first sweet peas, but everybody needs a little lee-way time for shopping.

Use the right environment - which is not my dining room.  Central heating is the enemy of good seedling production.  The warm environment is not conducive to strong, stocky robust seedlings that have a chance of surviving the great transition to outdoors.  Plus it annoys my mother something chronic to have random trays of soil dotted around the house.  So this year I am dotting them around her much colder garage instead.

Understand the true meaning of the word ‘germination’ – when a packet says ‘germinate in a plastic bag’ that exactly what it means.  Those seeds need a little extra boost of heat to crack open the shells and get a little growth going.  It does not mean ‘leave in bag until seedlings are three inches tall and then watch the mass collapse when you do finally remove the bag’.   I made the mistake, numerous times, and now I have learnt.

Don’t molly cuddle – Yes seeds like a bit of love and attention, a toasty place to germinate and the right bed to lay their roots in, but they also like to be chucked outside into cold as soon as possible, provided they are kept from the frosts.  I will chuck my seedlings out early without hesitation (this doesn’t apply to my first sweet peas, that boat has already sailed) and will do my utmost to keep them from the frosts.

Do not grow long and leggy sweet peas – at least not all of them anyway.  My first batch definitely falls into the ‘long and leggy’ category but are a significant improvement on last year.  The only way is up!  (ironically a motto my sweet peas have always taken to heart)  I am not trying to reach the giant’s castle in Jack and the Beanstalk, short and stocky is the order of the day.

Prepare the planting area ahead of time - I will not be digging out weeds with one hand to make room for the plant in the other.  Last year I dug over and de - weeded my veggie patch as it was needed from left to right.  This year, at some point when I have a moment, I will get out there early and it will all ready waiting.  I will not end up with broad beans growing roots out the bottom of seed trays before I get them in the ground.  Looks like I will be spending Saturday turfing dead fuchsias out of pots.

Get all sowings in the ground - yes I am ashamed to admit that I did not actually manage to plant out all the seedlings from last year and there are about seven or eight little pots living out the winter on the patio.  Luckily they seem to be thriving.  

Do not abandon when outside - I really prescribe to the notion of out of sight, out of mind.  I looked after those pepper seedlings like they were my children, then threw them outside and let the slugs eat them.  Ironically writing this has just reminded me about my sweet peas currently shivering uncovered in the garden!  This one's going to go well.

Label - Every time I sow something I am certain I will be able to identify one green shoot from another.  Never do.  Three weeks later haven't got a clue.  I helped myself to a good handful of wooden coffee stir-ers from a fast food restaurant so I haven't got any excuse.

Don't get too emotionally attached - it is never acceptable to cry over a plant.  Gardening is fun, I will not be found sobbing over a tray of nibbled pepper seedlings this year.  Mainly because I plan on looking after them properly, but also because I will keep perspective.