[Greenerlife]

Anybody else having problems?  No appearance from my beetroot or parsnip or lettuces - question is , should I put more out now?

[Wizard]

You have plenty of time for those 3

[Fluffywelshsheep]

beetroots are show and carrot .might be a bit early depends when you planted or did they get caught in a late frost?

[Wizard]

Where's Olaf?

[Alice]

I'm finding everything's very slow this year, even in the greenhouse, I put it down to the cold temperature specially at night, holding everything back. I've had some squashes in trays for 2 weeks now & showing no sign of popping up.  Can't say I blame them it's freezing here tonight.

[Olly398]

Alice I'm finding just the same thing. I sowed courgette and french bean on the weekend and have brought them inside the house onto a windowsill because I think my cold frame is just too chilly.

[Wizard]

Olly I am most pleased with misen I've got 5 out of 6 Butternut Squash seedlings.The are usually difficult here.I shall be more excited when I harvest 1

[Alice]

That's a good idea, Olly, i think I might do the same thing.

Wizard, I LOVE butternut squash, soup, roasted, risotto etc.  I have sown some but no sign yet - still plenty of time & it just must warm up soon mustn't it??

[Wizard]

I hope so Alice its been a beautiful day in Grimsby but it only reached 11C its such a cold wind It was nice in the sheltered places though Kay from Diagnostic Investigations called at 2:pm and said lets go for a walk so she fitted me up with a SATS watch and I fitted my Freedom 400 and off we went and thats when I found out how cool it was out of the sheltered yard.It was all OK going south but when we returned I had to stop and rest twice in 100yards My it was cold.I think thats why my plants are not great.

[ollieking]

Anybody else having problems?  No appearance from my beetroot or parsnip or lettuces - question is , should I put more out now?

Yes I had problems last year with peas and beetroot,the peas never grew and only 3 beetroot grew it was a huge disappointment I did sow more peas 4 weeks later but to no avail.
.I contacted the seed company and they reimbursed me the price of the seeds  which I very much appreciated .
Ollie   

[Wizard]

Told you yesterday it was cool over last night we had a Jap in his plane flyin about He got Roy's potato's and courgette plantlets Miss me though its fairly sheltered where I have my boxes He maybe couldn't get out the far end so didn't bother going in I'm hoping it stays that way.I was once got over the night 31st May 1st June he got every thing all around It was like it had been snowing at 5.30 am that morning and a lovely sun.So I am very cautious about susceptible plants.Marrow and courgette especially

[valr]

I'm not going to risk my courgettes outside for ages yet! Last year they all died when I put them out at this time.

Wizard can you grow squash outdoors in this country? If so am I too late to get started do you think? And how many do you get off each plant? I love eating them but know nothing about them! 

[egbert]

I think (because this is my 1st time growing veg and I may be looking at weeds    ) that I have 2 carrot seedlings showing in the row I planted and possible a couple of parsnips (although I may have pulled a few as weeds too - oops 

The lettuce appeared in just the last 2 or 3 days and now we are having a warm week I am going to replant more carrot.

Can anyone tell me what leek seedlings look like - not sure if I am currently trying to grow grass or leeks 

And shallots - I assume they look like onions but I have some sort of round leaf seedlings coming up in what look suspiciously like rows . . .

[Wizard]

Hello egbert It comes wi doin it mate Onion seed is jet black and can you imagine 2 pyramids in Egypt ? Well pick one up and set it down on its point and then pick another one up and place it right way up base to base Onion seed is maybe 11/2 m/m across.Carrot seedlings look like miniature ferns  leek seedlings are round like spring onions at 1" tall.I grow all my leeks in a pot to about 6" tall then split them into individual plants cut the roots off to 1/2" and the tops  to 3" of green I have a bit of 5/8" dowel rod and make a hole deep enough for the leek to drop in up to the green DO NOT PRESS SOIL ROUND swamp the plant with water down the hole.Shallots are better grown from a shallot bulb which I plant on the longest day of the year.Along with a row of broad bean seed.Hope this helps egbert.I am sorry to tell you you have missed this years shallots they will soon be ready to harvest .Plant salad leaves and spring onions and carrots by all means.Parsnips risk a few may do very well may be not worth digging Don't put manure under carrot and parsnip the year you set them.Do it the year before the root will fork and be all sorts of unwanted shapes instead of nice pointed long straight roots experiment be a devil thats how I have learned