SOW SOME SEEDS!

Whilst February is still too cold to sow many seeds directly into the soil outside, there are still plenty of seeds you can start to grow inside. The most ideal conditions would be in a propagator or greenhouse but a warm bright window sell works just as well.

When you buy a packet of seed always look on the back of the packet as they always tell you when to sow and how to sow. It’s no good choosing something that needs to be sown at great distances between each seed if all you have is room for a single tray! Take a look too at what space the plant needs when it gets bigger and what height it grows to so again you can ensure it suits your needs.

There are LOTS of plants you can choose from so come prepared with a short list of your favourites so you can start to narrow down the selection.

Our top picks for sowing in February are the following…

FLOWERS – we suggest: Cosmos, Lavender, Sweet Peas and Busy Lizzies.

Pink Cosmos [1]

VEGETABLES – Starting off growth indoors is the perfect way to maximise the growing life of vegetables but you need to ensure temperatures are at least 10C before transferring young plants outside.

Choose from: Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Peppers, Chillies and Lettuce.

Tomatoes on the vine [2]

Alternatively, hardy vegetables are more resistant to frosts by sowing their seeds indoors now you help start them off to a strong growing life but you won’t need to worry about warm temperatures when you need to move them outdoors, just offer them a bit of protection in the first week or so (i.e. cover with horticultural fleece). We call this gradual introduction to the great outdoors as ‘hardening off’.

Hardier vegetables that you can sow now include onions, peas, leeks and spinach.

Onions planted in soil [3]

For all your seed sowing needs you will need

• – Seed trays, module trays or pots with drainage holes
• – Seed sowing compost
• – A riddle (gardener’s sieve) to help sieve your compost and get rid of big bits and lumps.
• – Seeds
• – A dibber (to help make suitably sized holes in your compost) or you could use a pencil instead.
• – A propagator with lid or cling film to place over the top of your pots to help build up heat and humidity in the soil.

We stock all of the above and would be pleased to help you make your seed selection. We also have a number of great gardening books that you may find useful.

 

Image accreditation:
[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pink_Cosmos.jpg
[2] https://unsplash.com/photos/4LiUI-Y2mI8
[3] https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-close-up-on-onions-planted-in-soil-10041322/