Now is the time to get sowing indoors so you’re ready to plant out in springtime
As the days grow longer and green shoots start to appear, even through frozen ground, many of us are itching to get gardening again.
While it’s still too cold for outdoor sowing, there are some plants which you can get started indoors in February.
Many of these will end up outdoors – either in the ground or in pots, containers or hanging baskets – when the temperature climbs and risk of frost is gone.
It’s a fun project and it’s exciting to see your seeds first germinate and then develop.
Seeds are a cheap way to raise plants and by choosing varieties you like now you are not restricting yourself to what’s on sale in the garden centre in May.
So what do you need to get going?
Seeds want light and heat to germinate so either a heated propagator or nice sunny Turn seedlings so they don’t grow lopsided windowsill are the best spots. If you’re using a windowsill, turn seedlings daily so they don’t grow lopsided. You’ll also need some fresh seed compost and some pots or trays.
If you are reusing last year’s pots, give them a good scrub first to clean them out so there are no nasties lurking such as fungal diseases.
Here’s a taste of what you can sow this weekend, a selection of easy-to-grow bedding plants that will delight in summer.
Fill your tubs and containers with this cottage garden favourite. Immensely popular due to its delicious clove-like fragrance, it’s also a great source of nectar for the bees.
As the name suggests, it will take about 10 weeks from germination to flowering, so you could start a batch now and do another one in March. Sow in trays, only about ¼in deep and