My week in sowing 7 - Broad Beans, Cucumbers, Zinnia

With longer nights and warmer weather I really feel like some serious progress is being made against my long long list of things to do.  That being said I spent a good half hour wandering around the garden Saturday morning, feeling a bit overwhelmed and at a loss as to what to do first.  The weeds in my veg bed are breeding before my very eyes, and with my broad beans keen to go in soon, thats my task for the week ahead.  I am so behind with this post, normally I like to get it up every Wednesday but last week was more than faintly trying so Im only just catching up!

Broad Beans - Masterpiece Green Longpod.  I read somewhere that now is the last chance to sow broad beans, so panicked, rushed home and threw some more in.  Im not sure thats technically true anyway, but it does appear that planting them earlier makes them less susceptible to disease, and as I had a terrible case of rust last year, that would be no bad thing.  I have sown a batch of 15 beans of last year's variety.  As its the same packet I used last year, technically they are all out of date.  Hopefully they wont realise and I will get at least a few to add a little variety to my broad bean crop for the year.

My first batch of broad beans.  I love growing these, the seedlings always come up so lush and eager, if you know what I mean

Cucumbers - After a few weeks of letting my cucumber seeds get on with it I have decided I am only going to get one, maybe two, out of my first batch and its time to move on and get on with planting the second batch.  My louisa seedling quite literally gave up the ghost last week when I gave it a little prod, so I have sown two of that one, and one of my other four varieties.  I just don't understand why cucumbers appear to be so difficult to grow!  I do however have one seedling beauty which is just producing its first true leaf.  Im trying not to get too attached, it could still all end in tears.  The six new pots are lined up on my bedroom windowsill so I will be able to keep my beady eye on them!

My first proper cucumber seedling grown from seed! I don't know why this is so hard but I am so proud

Zinnia - Purple Prince.  Having decided my last zinnia sowings could not be spoilt by being germinated in their own individual bags and would have to slum it withe everything else on the garage windowsill, I was thrilled to find one pop up in every pot very quickly.  Then I waited for others to join them.  It would have been a very long wait.  In re-reading an old post it turns out I treated them to their own pots by only sowing one seed in each.  This is where having a blog comes in handy!  My first batch of a different variety are now out in my cold frame and and I am on to the next variety, Purple Prince.  I sowed four, one per pot, in seed compost, in the garage.

One of my new zinnia seedlings, comfy in a room all to itself

Cosmos - Double click rose bonbon. Five of my first batch popped up so fast I couldn't leave the bag on to wait for the rest.  Nothing else has come up so I have sown another batch.  These are such good do-ers in the summer so I want plenty of plants to keep my vases full.  I sowed about seven seeds on seed compost covered in vermiculite, in a bag, on my bedroom windowsill.

Sweet Peas - Yep been at it again.  I probably have enough already, but I look across at the neighbours excessive seven pots, feel a pang of jealousy and throw a few more in.  Im not even sure what I have sown this time, I just collected six seeds and bunged them in pots.  The lack of care is definitely because I don't really need them.  If they grow then great, but if not, oh well! These better not grow too fast as I have absolutely nothing to put them in until all the daffodils are over.

Lots of my previous sowings have popped up and moved on, but I think I will start talking about them separately in their own posts, or its all a bit much I think.