What to do in the garden this week
Success with seed sowing
Sowing seeds seems to scare some new gardeners but once some basic skills are mastered it’s a very satisfying thing to do.
Putting seeds into a garden bed where you intend them to grow to maturity is called direct sowing. It is the recommended method for root crops (carrots, parsnips) and plants that don’t like root disturbance such as coriander. It’s the easiest and quickest method too, so start with raring-to-go radishes to get your hand in, then give seed sowing in trays or punnets a go.
Tiny seedlings do need care but here’s how to increase their chances of growing into sturdy transplants. Don’t skimp on seedraising mix. Fresh mix is weed free, retains moisture but drains freely, has the right consistency to promote strong roots and seedlings are less likely to succumb to fungal diseases known as damping off.
Work out how many seeds to sow. How many lettuces, cabbages or spring onions and so on will you and your family eat and when? For successive harvests sow enough seeds (plus a few more just in case) every two to three weeks for the number of plants you can manage to eat over two to three weeks.
Different seeds have specific requirements for germination – some need light, soaking in water, planting deep or on the soil surface or will only sprout when the soil reaches a particular temperature range. These details should be on the seed packet.
Seedlings need consistent temperatures day and night. A windowsill may be warm when the sun shines but frigid on a frosty evening.
Watering needs to be consistent. Keep the seed-raising mix evenly moist but not sodden. Lightly spray with water by sitting the punnets in a shallow container of water then allow to drain. Don’t leave punnets sitting in a puddle of water for long periods.
Get the light right. If seedlings don’t get enough sunshine they will become leggy and weak as they stretch towards the light.
Let the air in. Ventilation allows air movement around the growing seedlings which decreases the risk of fungal diseases taking hold.
Pricking out, potting on and planting out
Pricking out means moving seedlings from trays into individual pots, potting on is planting a seedling in a small pot into a bigger one, while planting out involves transplanting your seedlings out into the garden.
Start pricking out when seedlings are big enough to handle. Work with a few seedlings at a time so they don’t dry out. Hold by the leaves so the roots are disturbed as little as possible. Remove a small clump of seedlings from the tray, gently tease the roots apart and plant individual seedlings into separate small pots or divided punnets.
Fill the new pots or punnets with potting mix. Make a hole with your finger, a chopstick or pencil then gently ease the roots into the hole and firm the mix around them. Water gently. Divided punnets are suitable for fastgrowing salad crops that are going to be transplanted into the garden within a few weeks. Individual pots suit larger plants such as tomatoes and chillies, especially if they are going to be potted on into bigger containers while waiting for warmer conditions outdoors. Use potting mix as larger seedlings need more nutrients than seed-raising mix can provide.
Potting on is useful for those with restricted growing space, for example a Vegepod, square foot garden or similar growing system. As soon as each plant is harvested it can be replaced by a potted-on transplant, so maximum use is made of the limited garden space.
Hardening off and transplanting
Acclimatising or preparing seedlings for life outdoors is called hardening off. Put seedlings outside in a sheltered place for a short time. For a week or two gradually increase the time they’re outside until they’re outside all day. Run your hand gently over the tops of the seedling leaves too. This simulates wind and encourages sturdier growth.
As long as the weather conditions are suitable, it is best to transplant seedlings into their final growing position while they are small as they’ll establish more quickly than those that have become rootbound in punnets.
Once they’re planted out, they need less attention, and you’ve freed up space wherever your seed trays are being coddled.
It doesn’t hurt to keep a few seedlings in reserve just in case and excess seedlings can be shared with neighbours, friends and family.
Once seedlings have been transplanted into the garden they’ll need protection from the weather, slugs, snails, birds, cats and dogs.
Raise tomatoes from seed sown in pots
Growing your own tomatoes from seed is economical if you want to grow many different varieties, or if you’ve saved seed from last year’s fruit. They do, however, need a little mollycoddling.
Sow tomato seeds in seed trays or small individual pots filled with sterile seed-raising mix. Don’t sow too deep – a light (1-2mm) sprinkle of seed-raising over the top is sufficient. Ensure the mix is moist, but not waterlogged, and cover with a plastic bag. This traps the humidity to speed up sprouting.
Place the trays or pots in a warm spot, such as inside a hot water cupboard.
As soon as you see signs of germination, remove the plastic bag and move the pots into a brightly lit location indoors, such as a sunny windowsill. They need as much natural light as possible, or they’ll grow tall and spindly (leggy). Once they are 3-5cm tall, move them under a cloche or to a tunnelhouse for better light.
The seedlings will need repotting into larger pots of potting mix after a month. They should be ready to transplant from Labour Weekend onwards.
Fill the hungry gap with microgreens and containergrown salads
In spring my culinary thoughts turn from soups to salads, but the garden can be bare this early in spring, which means slim pickings when looking for leaves to eat. For greens in a hurry I grow microgreens on the windowsill and a box of lettuce and spinach by the kitchen door. Peas as microgreens are delicious! Try ‘‘Tasty Tendrils’’ from Kings Seeds. The bright green tendrils really taste like peas and they’re so easy to grow. Sow the seeds thickly into a punnet of seedraising mix, cover lightly with more mix and mist with water daily. Expect to start snipping in one to two weeks.
A container full of cut-andcome-again salad greens makes harvesting a breeze. Just pick a leaf or two off each plant – straight into the salad spinner and workday lunches are sorted. Good choices are spinach, looseleaf lettuces, coriander, mesclun, rocket, Asian greens, mizuna, mustard, radishes and beetroot.
Keep it evenly watered and liquid feed weekly with seaweed fertiliser or worm tea. Cover with a cloche for protection from birds, cats and the weather.