It's lovely to see you are all starting to get spring sowing under way. I know I was a bit early before, but it's one of the ways I cope with the dark days of midwinter - planning for the growing season.
It looks like I shall have my leeks going to seed this year then! Last year I sowed Leek Below Zero F1 in the third week of March and we are eating them now, although not all have filled out yet. It's always a juggle between sowing too early and sowing so late the crop doesn't mature. This year I sowed some more below Zero F1, Stocky F1 (free seeds) and the rest are my old favourite Musselburgh, which is open pollinated, so in theory I could collect seeds from them. They are in modules in the house, but not heated. Usually I sow them in the unheated greenhouse. I keep fairly good records, so I will see how they compare with each other and with previous years. If they bolt then I'll know it was too soon.
In fact last year I didn't sow any seeds before the third week of March, but then I had been ill all winter (
to keep that Wuhan flu away this year). I never sow tomatoes before late March anyway as I have nowhere to keep them other than the propagator which is large, but lives on the bedroom windowsill, so 3' tall plants are a nuisance
They always grow too leggy in spite of the grow light.
I think I'll keep the onion sets for another couple of weeks before they go in. They can be protected with fleece in the tunnel, but I don't want to lose them to bolting because of light levels
I grow all my potatoes outside in the open garden - earthing up is my favourite job
. In our first year with the tunnel about 20 odd years ago I did try early tatties in the tunnel and all it did was bring blight in to the tomato crop
[member=124905]Polyanya[/member] as well as the potatoes I also grow broad beans and some brassicas outside, also a large plot of Helichrysum for the flying insects and for me! I usually grow carrots and parsnips in a large raised bed (hip height like Doganjo's) but this year is its fallow year covered in chicken manure and cardboard. Sometimes I grow peas - sugar snap and some podded - outside, but a couple of years ago I lost the whole lot just when they were about ready to crop - mice chewed through the pods and stole all the peas inside. A previous year they had done that with broad beans - Jade but not crimson flowered, picky devils! I sometimes grow beetroot outdoors, but we had such a huge success with growing them in the tunnel last year that we'll do that again this year.
[member=3211]Anke[/member] don't you find Charles Dowdings sowing times are a bit early for up here? I'll look again as I do like his ways, and he is the reason for our new raised beds and for the mushroom compost in which I am placing all my hopes.
[member=188406]Briggsy from Gower[/member], I love your mouse already! I bet you don't. We had a rat infestation last summer, in the flower garden as well as the veg area, but most have been dealt with now. There are mice still but I don't have the heart to kill them. I try to think up ever more complicated ways to best them, but I usually end up the loser. It is definitely worth keeping records, because although you think you will remember everything you have done, you just won't. And comparing year on year is well worthwhile.
Well, the sun is shing through the falling snow and the wind is howling - it's a perfect day to work in the tunnel
Have fun everyone