Seeds

Wet day, tired after digging a trench yesterday, got to read part of my new gardening book on vegetables, have seeds to sew and my heavy jobs are out the way so a little dry weather in the next two days and i am away.

This year i have bought and been bought a few plants courgette, strawberries, snap pea, tomatos, melons, chillis.

But i have grown all my herbs, roma tomatos, sunflowers, cucumbers, radishes, lettuces, spring onions, squash, pukin, runner beans from seeds.

Next year i want to use more seeds, this year i got them from wilkinsons, poundland, 99p store, b and q, homebase.

As this is my first year i have been finding my way, for next year i am hoping to plan a little more, so what should a seed grower do about the following things.

* how do i get seed catalogues (physical/paper)
* what size pots should i stock up on
* if i am patient and i wait for the conditions do i need a propagator, my plants only have a cold greenhouse and outside to go after that.
* what should i be looking out for in forgiving seeds
* i ended up with 20 roma tomato plants should i plant just a few spare, double the number of seeds or all the seeds i get
* where is best to buy green manure seeds
* is seed compost really better to start in than compost or growbag contents
* anything else you can advise me on seeds

 

Hi Adam
All the major seed companies are on line just ask for a catologue most have a request form:thumb:

I have pots of all sizes the modules are useful as you can plant quite thinly

I bought a propagator last year and started my chillies off in it ,I carried on sowing my other seeds (flowers and veg) in my cold greenhouse as it was the end of April.Not one of the chillies germinated, while a lot of others did on the staging, I use "Gardenersalmanac" and they seem to think most veg seeds require cooler ,not cold, conditions.I know lettuce like cool.:rotfl:

I have tried to be sensible with my tomato seeds and still ended up with 7 varieties but trying to keep it to 3-4 plants, I have 4 Roma but they are a plum tomato and i like those for cooking then i have assorted salad eating types and 2 beef because i like the size.:hehe:


Regarding the other questions, i do not know about green manure and i will be asking questions about composts on another thread as i bought 3 different types ,and i have had some brilliant results, some mediocre and some downright failures, :lollol:

I do read on another site everyone is having problems with beans this year

 

Roma wise i have 3 in a growbag in the greenhouse, 4 in pots outside and 7 in a shady corner bed where they won't do much but its a bed i made out of old manure, sand, soil, turf this year to use better next year, i will probably give it over to my girlfriend for flowers. I gave 6 to one neighbour and 4 to another : }

Can you tell me the names of the major seed companies, i know its a simple question but google search throws up so many, who are established and reliable?

thanks

 

have requested:
Mr Fothergills
Real Seeds
Thompson-Morgan
Marshalls

Suttons and Dobies require sign up... are they worth it?

Have i missed anyone?

 

Yes sign up to them all ,I dont think they automatically send out catalogues nowadays so unless you order from them you will have to request again. Unwins is another as they all give some info and it can be quite useful