early toms and chillies - one or two of each of the tomato varieties have germinated but there's been a distinct lack of chilli action so far. Chillies require a temperature of at least 18-20 degrees for germination so perhaps they weren't kept warm enough. So, I have sown a few more pots of those, and of some other chillies (I seem to be growing 9 varieties this year...) and they're all staying in a propagator on the hot water tank until signs of life appear.
leeks - these took a few weeks, but have now started to push through the compost surface.
nasturtiums - I grow these because they're a) easy to grow, b) pretty and colourful, and c) keep blackfly off my broad beans. These germinate amazingly quickly and are already potted on in the greenhouse. I plant them in the raised beds where the broad beans go and they seem to thrive. They're also really easy to pull out or move if they start to become a bit dominant.
I've now started to chit some parsnip seeds on a piece of damp kitchen paper. These were self-saved in 2011 (see post here), so I'm really curious so see what the viability is like. As the seeds germinate and develop their primary root (the radicle for the gardening nerds amongst us), I'll transfer them outside into their growing position. You need to do this quite quickly, otherwise the tiny root begins to grow into the kitchen paper and you could damage it upon removal.
You're storming ahead. I must get some more things started off soon.
ReplyDeletelet's hope I can keep up the momentum. I find that my late spring/early summer sowings usually get missed or done late - which is why on March 1st, we've still only got baby leeks in the plot from planting too late in the autumn...
DeleteThe seeds are full of art! Hope you get handful of parsnip harvest!
ReplyDeleteI do love a good parsnip so a big harvest certainly won't go to waste.
DeleteI'm interested to see how your parsnip seeds come on... I've never saved Apiaceae seeds before but hope to do so with a heritage variety of carrots this year. Did you simply leave your parsnips out over winter or did you bring them in and re-plant them the following year?
ReplyDeleteIt's my first time saving them so fingers crossed they germinate! I left one parsnip out over winter - the leaves regrew in spring and the large flowerhead developed by mid-summer. I'll post an update shortly - as a back up I am chitting some bought seeds just in case mine fail to do anything.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you've got a lot happening already! I couldn't get my chillies to germinate last year at all.I still have to clean the green off my greenhouse windows and fumigate it before I can start sowing - maybe tomorrow if its fine - hail at the moment outside!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment - sounds like you've had an interesting day at the C Life archives!!
Gill xx
Trying parsnips for the first time this year having read much about difficulties in germinating them. This looks like an idea to consider :)
ReplyDeleteIt at least lets you only plant the ones that are viable instead of sowing the lot direct and then getting very variable germination in situ.
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