A job I usually do over Christmas is to sort out my seeds, work out what I still need to buy, and arrange those I've already got in to months in which they'll be sown. I'm a little late doing it this year, but at last I'm all ready to go. The only seeds I need to buy are parsnip, which should be bought fresh every year, and sweetcorn. All the seed packets are now stored in a cardboard box, which has been divided up in to months. The packets stored under January and February are a little sparse, but come March and April I'm going to be very busy indeed.I've recently bought a packet of Sweet Pepper - Corno di Toro Rosso, which is a long variety of pepper. Sue from Our Plot at Green Lane Allotments doesn't live too far from me, and she's had success growing the elongated varieties and getting them to ripen quicker in our climate, so I thought I'd give them a go too. Last year, my daughter won a grafted pepper plant. These grafted plants are supposed to be quick to ripen, but I didn't find them ripening any quicker than those plants I have grown from seed in the past. Let's hope that these long peppers do their stuff.
I can't remember the last time I visited the allotment. I wanted to go this weekend but found I didn't have time before it was dark. I've got some purple sprouting broccoli which I want to have a look at. I'm sure if the weather hasn't finished it off, the pigeons will as it hasn't been netted.
Ah yes, my tins have recent;y been sorted out to make sure the seeds are in the right places for sowing months, I move them on for succession sowing so some re-organisation was necessary and of course popping in newly acquired seed
ReplyDeleteI love organising the seeds, feel like I'm ready for the Spring then.
Hope your purple sprouting is surviving, ours has and the Kale and Cavalo Nero are doing great still too.
Good luck with your peppers, never have much success with them myself but maybe I don't pay them enough attention, I kind of leave some things to fend for themselves.
You are ahead of me. I still didn't look at my cardboard box with seeds. I should do that this weekend. At least to write down what I need to buy.
ReplyDeleteWhen do you start peppers? I start mine in the middle of February, but as you have shorter growing season, as you starting them earlier?
I sorted ours over Christmas but I've been ferreting in them so they need sorting again. The new ones are sat beside the box looking everso slightly superior to those inside :)
ReplyDeleteI've shuffled and sorted mine too many times already!
ReplyDeleteWe're all going to busy in March and April! Flighty xx
oh yes i still need to sort my box of seeds out, i do though like your idea of putting them into the months as at the moment i have all of mine mixed up in a rough order if you know what i mean x
ReplyDeleteWell done you. Have ordered missing gaps but still to sort out seeds in logical order - maybe a job for the weekend. I managed to get to the lottie yesterday - our perimeter fencing is being replaced by the council so I had to get into remove one or two odds and ends. Needless to say the weeds have grown in my absence :)
ReplyDeleteAh the joys of seed sorting, into sowing months, then back to alphabectical order, then group by veg type, then back to sowing months and so on. Hours of fun!!!
ReplyDeleteI find seed sortinig very theraputic, and there's always such anticipation that goes alongside it too.
ReplyDeleteI need to buy new since my "darling" labrador destroyed what remained of them late last year....my fault for leaving them where he could get at them!!!! Anyway, I'm sure I will have loads of fun choosing and doing your little trick of sorting them out in to months(excellent idea ;o))
ReplyDeletexx
I bought my first seeds at the weekend, some sweet peppers in a variety of colours. I'm only going to do a few veg's this year as it's my first year and see how I get going. Good luck with your peppers!
ReplyDeleteLaura xx
I did the very same thing - sorted my seeds into months and ordered to fill the gaps - last week. I found it satisfying, exciting, and come April/May, vaguely terrifying!
ReplyDeleteInteresting what you said about elongated peppers, I just may have to try some, as I am even further south.
PS Apologies if this - or something like this - appears twice, I think I left the comments window before completing before, but now I'm not sure...
It's good to feel ready for the growing season ahead, Dawn. I too have got Cavalo Nero and Kale still in the allotment, I don't know how well it's doing though.
ReplyDeleteI will be starting my peppers very soon, Ana. The problem is that the light levels are low at this time of year so it encourages the seedlings to grow leggy. I shall start some more off a little later and see which do best.
That's a good old Yorkshire word, Mo, ferreting. I like to get them all sorted out, at least I know I'm not behind with any sowing then.
I think it's an obsession, Flighty. We have to keep examining the packets even though we know they don't need sowing yet. March and April is always busy for us gardeners, I can't wait.
These are only the seeds I'm going to sow, bears footprints. I have a carrier bag full of jumbled up seeds which I've collected from here and there which won't see the light of day this year. I should really sort those out too and decide whether I want to keep them or not.
Sorting seeds is a good job for an evening, or when the weather's too bad to get out, Anna. Don't mention weeds, I'm trying not to think about what I'll find when I do eventually make it to the lottie.
Ha ha. We're all the same, Damo. The possibilities are endless.
It's so exciting looking at seed packets, Su. So much anticipation for the growing season ahead.
Awww, I'm sure your Labrador only thought he was helping, Nellilou. I've found that I have to think twice about what I leave lying around since we got Archie. It will be a lot of fun choosing a whole new batch of seed though, but it will be hard on the purse.
Good luck with your peppers too, Laura. I'm sure you'll be hooked after trying a few veg this year, that's how we all got in to this hobby.
The comment only appeared once, Plantaliscious, so I don't think you can have completed the first one. It will be interesting to see how the long peppers do. I'm growing some of the other type too so I can compare.
Thanks for the reminder, need to get my tin out again for a sort :-)
ReplyDeleteOh how I want to go to the allotment and potter (and use my new basket :-). Spring will soon be here :-)
Ours are sorted out too so we don't forget anything crucial at the right time.
ReplyDeleteThat's great not having many seeds to buy and I hope the peppers do well for you. Martyn chose an indoor gardening kit for his birthday so we hope we can start our peppers and things a little earlier in the house under lights. I'll be posting about how we get on soon.
Thanks for the mention by the way!
I should be getting my seeds in order too. there is almost no time for planting them all
ReplyDeleteThis all sounds so ORGANIZED..! I keep my seeds in a big shoe-box, but I arrange them by types (e.g. all the brassicas in one section; all the salads in another) not by sowing dates.
ReplyDeleteI'm wishing Spring here too, Scented Sweetpeas. This winter has seemed far too long as it came so early.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Sue. It will be interesting to see how the peppers do. I'm also looking forward to seeing the difference which your indoor gardening kit makes.
Putting the seeds in order certainly helps me to remember when they need sowing, fer. It won't be long now before we get going.
Everybody has their own way which works for them, Mark. I have to be organised otherwise I'd forget something.