[little blue]

Manian ... please could let us know what you've planted & when.
Then I know the temp is right here (I can get too keen then they get leggy in the greenhouse as its too cold outside!)
And I'll feel guilty if I haven't planted anything much (like last year - was well behind!)

[Fleecewife]

What do you all use as compost for your early sowings?  Do you use last years?  Or do you buy new?  How can you tell if stuff in the shops is new or last years, as there's no sell-by date?  Do you have any problems with early sowings because of poor quality compost?

we use last years (if any left) or buy from shop and not worry if not this year.
we have good/ bad depending on heat of soil usually. we make sure its brought inside for a few days in the polytunnel to warm nicely
just about to sow tomatoes (for indoors) and some flowers to sell in the spring

Busy time starts now
 
Mx

I replied to this earlier then BT Broadband collapsed again and it was lost 

I am thinking that my compost probs must be to do with the variety I use - New Horizon Organic peatfree - which has been fine in previous years until two years ago.  Maybe the garden centre stores it badly.  This time I have kept a bag over from last year and stored it fairly well, so I'll see what it's like.

I haven't so far found another compost which is peatfree and organic and doesn't cost a bomb.

I agree about warming it up before sowing.  Sometimes mine comes into the house  as my greenhouse is nearly as cold as the polytunnel, which is nearly as cold as outside.   It's quite cold tonight, hard frost and great for stargazing.

Manian - what flowers do you grow for selling?  I would like to try that too.  I always grow helichrysum for the butterflies, bees and hoverflies - they love them 

[ellied]

I've been given some onion sets and seed tatties (thanks doganjo ) and have started accumulating seeds but not planted anything yet as although it's been very mild February is often very hard and I don't have a greenhouse or polytunnel (yet!)..

I do plan to start some tomatoes inside but haven't bought compost yet either   It's nice to be looking forward to planting but to be honest I still have 2 beds with things in - a 2' row of parsnips in one bed, perpetual spinach in another and a bed of brassicas including sprouts and the PSB which I am hoping will start sprouting in April or thereabouts..  I've got the last of the carrots pulled and indoors and half a dozen huge parsnips to use up too.

I'm not sure about sweetcorn this year - have grown plants the last 2 years but never got really good cobs so they've been more chicken entertainment than kitchen material   For the space I could do better I reckon but I may try a wee block somewhere just on third time lucky basis

[MAK]

What have I sown?

Zilch, rien, nicht, reintta - as they say in Blazing Sadles.
It's so cold we have no water in the house and the 4feet high water butts and square 500 litre watter butt is completley frozen. Somewhere under the snow ( that blew horizontally under the hangar) is a large chest with all my seeds.
The 10 day forecast tells me that it won't go above freezing at all.
AAAAHHHH