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Saturday, 7 March 2020

Seed Sowing

With a break in the rain and the sun trying to poke it's head out we decided to sow a good number of seeds last weekend.


It was still bitter cold though so we got out of the wind and into the greenhouse!


The girls helped me sow peas, broad beans, tomatoes, beets, chard and others as well as transplanting out some onions we'd grown from seed and potting on the chillies that had been on the window sill in my room for the last two months (under a grow light)


It was great to be out there and feeling like we'd made a real start in the garden. I could also see how keen they were to help and how much information they had remembered from last year. They both seem so keen to help on things like this and each night we've been going out for at least half an hour just to tidy up the garden or plant a fruit bush, etc. It's making a real difference and I'm hopeful it's going to be a good year for the garden.

Have you started sowing in earnest yet?

What have you put in so far?

9 comments:

  1. Hi Kev
    So far I have sown Aubergine, 20 types of tomato, 14 types of peppers, onions, dwarf beans tomatillo,field broad beans. today it will be various leaves . The apricots and peaches have flowered well and looks like a bumper crop as usual. I grow them in a tunnel. Your kids would love all the fruit.
    Kathy

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    1. 20 types of tomato! Sounds like you're a woman after my own heart! I think I did 12 last year but will have a few more this time! I hope to get the plastic on my tunnel this year and have ground cherry seed (cape gooseberry) for extra annual fruit! I'd love to put a few trees in there though! do you hand pollinate them?

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    2. I did with a pheasant feather for the first few years, the fruit were very large. Last year (year 7) I did some but not this year. Last year I thinned them out and removed 200. but was inundated with the sheer quantity of fruit. If I can them it is best to pick before they are ripe.

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    3. Sounds great. Did you ever watch the victorian kitchen garden? He pollinated them with a rabbits tail I think! What a wonderful afternoon that must be! I'm tempted to put a tree in the tunnel but really want it for the sheer quantity of tomatoes we need to grow each year!

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    4. You can get apricot trees to go outside, it will not be as early as tunnel grown , but should produce well. Forget the size of apricots you buy, ours are as big as peaches and delicious warm from the sun.

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  2. Are you going to do the veg boxes again this year Kev?

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    Replies
    1. Only for ourselves. I might sell a bit but will focus on preserving more and seed saving. The kids are really starting to eat a lot and it takes some keeping up with at times!

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  3. how are the chicks getting on? Could you show us where they will live? I would love to see your set up

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    Replies
    1. I will do! It'll be a post on Wednesday I think, so much slower growing than the meat ones!

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