Sunday 11 January 2009

A bit warmer today


These are my Narcissus Paperwhites. I'm so pleased with them and they smell heavenly. I've moved them into the dining room to take full advantage of the scent.
I pricked out the Parsley seeds I sowed in the greenhouse back in October. I kept just six of the strongest seedlings which I will continue to grow on in the greenhouse. Looking over the rest of the things in the greenhouse I was pleased to see that the Cyclamen seeds I sowed in October are starting to germinate. This is a new venture for me so it'll be interesting to see how well they fair. Most of the cuttings and other seedlings are looking okay but some of the Aquilegia seedlings have a bit of powdery mildew. I've picked off the worst affected leaves and will keep my eye on them.
The other job I tackled today was planting more spring bulbs. This should have been done by December but it was just too cold. So at last the Allium Schubertii, English Bluebells and Hermodactylus Tuberosa are now in!
I checked through all my seed boxes just to assure myself that I haven't forgotten to sow anything. It amazes me how some people sow things like Tomatoes in January. For amateurs like me who only have a large windowsill to propagate seeds I think sowing this early is just asking for trouble as the light levels are too low, even if you can maintain the temperature required, resulting in spindly, pathetic specimens. I will not be sowing anything until February at the earliest and most things will be held back until March/April.
Georgie

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi G,

The Narcissus are looking lovely, I bet they smell even better.

I have the same problems as you with germinating seeds early. I do have an electric propagator, you know the windowsill type with seven small seed trays in it, however, once the seeds have germinated you still need to provide heat and light for the seedlings to grow on, so I tend not to sow anything too early.

I must say though, I'm itching to sow something. The start of a new year makes me think of the growing season ahead and I can't wait to get started.

I went to Wilko's yesterday and I bought my potato tubers and also a rhubarb crown. For what it cost I thought I might have a go at growing that in a container.

I've also taken advantage of the Gardener's World offer on three raspberry canes for postage only.

Jo.

Anonymous said...

I think that all gardeners start to get a bit impatient at this time of year!
Roll on spring! xx

Carole said...

Yes, I agree it's easy to get carried away but a waste of time and effort I reckon. Will you be growing you potatoes in pots, Jo? I'm thinking about giving that a go with some first earlies.

G x