So We Sow

When we do our garden work on Sundays I always have "Make 40 pots" on the list. Whoever gets to that job can do them as they are easy to make. All our junk mail newspapers go into pots.

We call them Ladies in Waiting...a bit corny I know, but when I say fetch the pots, there are just too many choices, so Ladies in Waiting it is.



We also sow seeds in empty punnets, we also tried toilet rolls once. All of these things work, but we have found the newspaper pots to be the easiest and the great thing is they go straight into the ground.



Some seed growing tips:
~Always sow double or triple what you need. Some don't germinate, others are weaker and often we underestimate how much we need. Any extras that you don't need can be given to friends.



~Rule of thumb is that larger seeds (beans, peas, corn, spinach) and root vegetables must be sown directly into their bedding place. They do not like being disturbed.



~Smaller seeds that aren't root vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, tomatoes) like to be mollycoddled. Sow them in rich potting soil (we use pure fine compost) in trays. Keep them in a warm spot and well watered. Then transplant into larger pots and harden off by placing them outside during the day or keeping them in a greenhouse. Plant out in season into a bed of well prepared soil.



~This is the part I find hardest to do - don't waste your time on the frail ones. Pull them! I feel so bad when thinning carrots and the like...RIP poor little seedlings :-( but all the weak ones do is compete with the stronger and after all we are in this to make food! Be ruthless while you shed a tear.