Martin Fish gives a seed-sowing masterclass
The pleasure of growing your own plants from scratch never leaves you!
It’s that exciting and busy time of the year – seed sowing. I still look forward to growing strong plants for the garden later in the season. Whether sowing annuals, perennials, vegetables or greenhouse crops, the basic technique is the same to ensure seeds germinate. Good hygiene is vital so always use clean pots and trays. I reuse my plastic pots year after year, but those used for sowing are always washed first. Compost should be fresh, not too coarse and retain moisture without ge ing too soggy. I mix in around 10 per cent Perlite to multi-purpose compost to improve drainage. This will also help prevent ‘damping off’, which is caused by various fungi that cause seedlings to collapse and rot off. As no fungicides are available to control damping off, we need to use cultural methods to prevent it.
Compost preparation in pots or trays is important. You want a firm surface to sow on. Too soft and open and the compost dries out quickly, but if too compacted it gets waterlogged. It also needs to be level and an even depth, so all the seedlings have the same growing conditions. Most seeds need covering with a thin layer of compost or Vermiculite followed by watering before placing them in warm conditions.