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David... 19th Mar 2007

Sowing seeds in the open ground in March is not a good idea! Spring may be getting warmer but it also seems to be getting wetter.  The soil therefore remains wet and cold; small seeds will rot. The only things that do seem OK are broad beans, shallots, onion sets and potatoes.  My early spuds (variety Swift) were planted by the 20th January and were through the ground on the 15th March.  However, as I write (19th March) frost is forecast and I have drawn up the soil over the newly exposed tops.  Frost will only kill the tops of potatoes and unless very severe (unlikely and unusual in this part of the world) it is not a problem.  Planting them early also means that they can do their chitting underground thus eliminating another task.

Much better to sow those smaller seeds in pots.  I find that Root-pots are ideal.  These are available in several sizes (lengths) from the local garden center or people like Kings Seeds, you just fold them up like a book and insert them into a small constraining plastic frame, each holds 32 individual pots, that comes with them.  They even have a clear plastic cover, so in effect they become a small mini greenhouse.  Thin the seedlings to one per pot and plant them out toward the end of April when the condition will be much more favorable.  They’re fine for root crops like parsnip and beetroot, which otherwise are prone to forking if their roots are disturbed.  It always beats me why the books suggest that parsnips can be sown in February – they most certainly can not; indeed April is quite soon enough for open ground parsnips.

Don’t worry either about missing those seed sowing deadline so beloved of garden magazine writers.  Nature has a wonderful way of catching up. Sow when the soil conditions are right, that is to say when the soil is warm and crumbly and doesn’t stick to your boots, and never mind what the pundits are telling you.  How can they know anyway exactly when our site is in the right condition – they can only generalize.  Much better to rely on your own instincts.

Having said that I do like getting the spuds in early – it can be a time consuming job and if you can get finished in February it reduces that feeling of panic as everything seems to need doing at once.

If you are going to sow in pots then do buy decent multi purpose compost such as Levington or Murphy’s, don’t go for the cheapest – go for the best.

If you have a club root problem then Root-pots are an ideal way to defeat it. Start your brassicas off in them and gradually pot them on using multi purpose compost (pest and disease free) into one litre pots.  Plant them out into well limed ground and preferably into bucket sized holes which you have filled with garden compost.  The plants will be full grown before the club root fungus even knows that there is a brassicas there for it to have a go at!

Grace... 19th Mar 2007