Sowing the First Seeds of 2023

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niall Y

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No, this isn't a metaphor. I'm talking gardening. I've just cleaned out my propagator and planted up some Chilli seed - Aleppo and Apache. This begins my growing year , with most of the next months, until at least August, punctuated with the sowing of various seeds.

This moment always feels to be a time of optimism - before the realities of the weather dampen ones enthusiasm. However, no matter how erratic the weather conditions, there are always some plants that will thrive.

Though I can't claim 2022 to have been 'The Year of the Potato' (with plants dying early, and tubers being on the small side); maybe, 2023 will be. :unsure:
 
The sun makes me feel that i should begin seed sowing. I did plant some onion sets back in the autumn and these are coming on nicely under cloches. Also planted some garlic bulbs and these are doing well. But all the other veg I have in mind will still have to wait.

My big issue just now is that we have had an attack of chafer grubs in our lawn, and the crows have had a field day yanking up whole sods of grass to get at the little pippers. It's now lots of bare earth. The only method of killing the chafers apparently are nematodes, but it's still far too cold to spray these onto the grass to get at the bugs and so deter the crows.

Other birds have also eaten all our crocuses which have come up and squirrels have dug up our tulip bulbs and eaten those as well.

So we are not happy bunnies just now!!
 
Will the chillis need continued heat to get going? I put up a greenhouse last year and itching to get stuff going in there but with energy prices being so high not keen on having to do much heating
 
Always found Apache to be a good one, and the plants are small enough to stay on a window sill if needed.
Don't usually sow much until early March. At work we have shut the greenhouse down this winter as it has an oil fired boiler, it'll be cheaper to buy new plants
 
We also had the chafer grub infestation. Lost 50% of our lawn - totally dead and the grass came up like an old carpet. Hired a 4m skip, got 3 toms of topsoil delivered, treated with nematodes and resowed just in time for the winter - it looks quite good now
 
I bought a load of Charlotte seed potatoes for myself, relatives adnd friends to share, but ended up planting most myself in every available bed. Had a really good crop which we are only now finishing - good storage for second earlies. And considring they are a salad variety, had some really large tubers. So for us it was a good year. (West Wales)
K
 
--Tom-- said:
Will the chillis need continued heat to get going? I put up a greenhouse last year and itching to get stuff going in there but with energy prices being so high not keen on having to do much heating
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Hi there Tom,
Yes, after they have germinated in the heated propagator , I pot my chillies on and keep them in the conservatory until the weather picks up and I can put them in the unheated greenhouse. They benefit from a long growing season, lots of light and lots of heat. Last year was one of the best I have had, especially for the Aleppo
 
graduate_owner said:
I bought a load of Charlotte seed potatoes for myself, relatives adnd friends to share, but ended up planting most myself in every available bed. Had a really good crop which we are only now finishing - good storage for second earlies. And considring they are a salad variety, had some really large tubers. So for us it was a good year. (West Wales)
K
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Hi there, graduate owner,
Coincidentally, Charlotte is the potato of choice for me, also. I grew three raised beds of potatoes, last year One of earlies, and the other two of Charlottes. The first of the Charlottes produced fairly OK specimens, the second, planted a couple of weeks later, managed to straddle the dry patch. This produced lots of undersized , slightly scabby potatoes, that proved a pain to prep - unless, of course, you have an electric potato peeler.
I find it amazing , the effects that any slight change in geography, or even timing, can have on growing. I live only a few miles from Cardigan, yet the Blackthorn growing here, is a good two to thee weeks behind, when it blossoms,
 
I too can't wait to get started. I spent much of last year composting in preparation for starting to go no dig this year. Although i only have a half plot a couple of miles away and am very active for mid 70s My onions were planted outside last November, no covering needed. My polytunnel houses loads of troughs of strawberry plants, supported on two of those useless plastic folding sawhorses . My plot has been mulched with about 40 sacks of spent hops from a local microbrewery. My compost is from many builders bags full of grass cuttings from a neighbour groundsman, together with several car loads of leaves from Severn Trent water's local reservoir. Cost pretty much zero. Allotment 1/2 plot £10 pa, water cost £7. Now compare that to how much it costs to join any other activity. When a new road opens I will be cycling there
 
niall Y said:
Hi there Tom,
Yes, after they have germinated in the heated propagator , I pot my chillies on and keep them in the conservatory until the weather picks up and I can put them in the unheated greenhouse. They benefit from a long growing season, lots of light and lots of heat. Last year was one of the best I have had, especially for the Aleppo
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Nice, I’ll wait a few weeks before sowing mine, I take up enough room indoors having projects gluing up in the warmth of the house

Planning on mostly Mexican varieties this year to give a good mix of flavour and heat.
 
A timely reminder, thanks.

For potatoes I prefer varieties from the 'Sarpo' family (Sarpo Potato | Sarpo Potatoes, a unique family of varieties, developed for superb taste, resist Potato Blight and are easy grow for gardener, allotment holder and grower.). Blight resistant - and that is a big plus in the south west. Sarpo Mira produces good crops of big potatoes (36 oz is the biggest so far).

For me sowing does not stop.... September sees sowing of winter radish (for the winter) and overwintering shallots (for the early summer) so you can see that there is an overlap. October sees sowing broad beans for spring. But yes, this is a time for optimism, before the weather and the bugs bring me down to earth.

Time to check on the liquorice roots that should have been overwintering in the rotting shed. Time to chuck some fertiliser around the fruit trees, and finish any major pruning of the top fruit.

Oh, and the rhubarb is trying to sprout, despite the frost.
 
graduate_owner said:
To Niall Y - I live about 9 miles from Lampeter, towards Llandovery.

K
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Greetings from Ceredigeon........... You're a lot further inland, than us Being fairly coastal we have all the benefits of less frost and less snow. But it brings with it several challenges for gardening - high winds, salt spray, and sea mists.:unsure:
Niall
 

niall Y@​

Yes, we tried potatoes in our small garden last year
Marfona, a second early; 2 seed potatoes to a 30 litre plastic tub
Decent results, best
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was 9 pounds from one tub
 
Seed potatoes received from Jamieson Brothers 30/1/2023
Some of the Charlotte are a tad tiny
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I have grown chillis for about 15 years, last year varieties grown were Ring of fire, Kung pao, De Cayenne, Aji limon, Padron, Hot wax, Anaheim Jalapeno & Purple jalapeno. The Aji Limon has overwintered well the rest i will strt from scratch to keep disease down. This year i will cut back a bit & just grow Ring of fire, De cayenne & Jalapenos. Those three are reliable heavy croppers with a long fruiting season. I gave up trying to grow super hot varieties years ago as you seem to need constant high temperatures, otherwise flower drop occurs & no chillis!
Beetroot grow well in our garden & last year i grew Foremost potatoes in containers & Sarpo maincrop in mother in laws garden, both did really well. Shallots did well too.
Im also looking forward to planting sunflowers, a friend gave me some Teddy bear seeds & some Mongolian Giant, these can grow 14ft high so will see how they do.
Got a Sczehaun pepper shrub arriving tomorrow to fill a large gap in the garden, very hardy so hopefully it will like it here in Essex!
 
No body been planting since 5th February, I am running out of space on the shelves in my greenhouse.
 

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