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Well as Shineys thread was getting a bit long I thought we could perhaps start up a new one. (hope that is ok)

French Tarragon, Parsley, Basil, French Parsley, Jallapeno Peppers, Tasty bell peppers and a f1 pepper, corriander and dill all planted today. The herbs went into milk bottles with the bottoms cut off and fixed to a bit of wood. This way I can start them off indoors and then carry the whole lot out in one go, returning inside whenever there is a frost.

The peppers are probally going to stay indoors too. As for other things we are trying to devise a way to maximise our two south facing windows. What we think we will do is put a book shelf in the window and fill it with seedlings. - possibly start some more off in the week.

You may want some way of catching water - like trays or something with those seedlings?

I've just put my spuds in trays in the green house (covered in fleece). Am hoping they will start sprouting. My winter onions are in and growing anf today we prepared the ground for the rest of the onions...probably put them in in the next week or two. Winter cabbage, winter broad beans and garlic is in...can't wait for spring proper so can plant lots of other stuff

I am currently growing tomatoes (Gardener's Delight & Black Russian), flatleaf parsley, mint, sweet basil, tarragon, sweet peppers (californian wonder, orange bell & purple beauty), coriander, cilantro, sage, dill, aubergines, fennel flower, anise, cumin, cardamon plus an array of chili pepper plants, namely cayenne, jalepeno, habanero (chocolate, golden, peruvian white), red savina, hungarian sweet banana, peter pepper, lemon drop and purple prince. I plan also to include several other types of basil, onion, potatoes and on a completely different tack, purple pitcher plants.

Can't actually say the stuff is growing yet - but I did sow tomatoes (Red Brandywine) and sweet peppers today.

And I've just listed my seed packets, just to get an overview of what I've got - I have so far 80 different types of seeds! Sometimes two or three varieties of the same stuff (early and late), but nothing really double. Where on earth will I grow all that!!!

diver wrote:I've just put my spuds in trays in the green house (covered in fleece).

What is this fleece? I assume that it is not the stuff that you get of a sheep!

Nev

Horticultural fleece - it's a thinnish whitish wovenish fabric that lets water through but keeps your plants nice and toasty (well, not really!) when the weather is very cold. Trouble is it tends to blow away unless you peg it down or tie it around your plants, which can be a pain when you only want to use it on the occasional really cold night.

Anyway, I got as far as buying my seed potatoes, so will be putting them to chit shortly. As for planting, forget it. Midwinter, snow and sleet, gale force winds, trees down....... you get the picture!

Fleece is used for huge fields here - it is a very good organic method of keeping nasty bugs off your plants as well as keeping them a bit protected from the elements. We either dug it in around the edges (the more permanent method), or weighed it down with stones. Unless it gets really very hot, we can leave the stuff on all summer on some of the plants.

Andy Hamilton wrote:Well as Shineys thread was getting a bit long I thought we could perhaps start up a new one. (hope that is ok)

Of course Andy, it was dangling!

Tigerhair wrote:You may want some way of catching water - like trays or something with those seedlings?

Well I have put some in milk bottles so they just get taken outside when watering. I have got plastic bags under the big plant pots and saucers under the littler ones.

Cool, Andy, I didn't want you to get a soggy carpet!

I can't get started yet because the polytunnel isn't up and we're in a rented house (small enough so you can never be more than 15' away from your loved ones) while our own is being renovated. House ready again 1st April (allegedly), polytunnel up as soon as I can manage it... it arrived yesterday!

Millymollymandy wrote:Horticultural fleece - it's a thinnish whitish wovenish fabric that lets water through but keeps your plants nice and toasty (well, not really!) when the weather is very cold.

Ahhh! Thanks...

Nev