My garden isn't huge, so unfortunately I don't have the room for a big greenhouse (the dream!) so I'm making do with sowing seeds indoors and using an old, rusty propagator; sorry father, I honestly do love it!
However, I do have DIY plans in place to construct my own tiny greenhouse from old sash windows or similar, hopefully with the help of my lovely father. Browsing other gardener's blogs and images across the internet has given me loads of inspiration and I'm exciting to trial some of the ideas this year to improve my garden (and DIY skills).
I've got a mixture of seeds, flowers and vegetables, this year. It's too early to start sowing the majority, but a few I can start to prep for sure. It's a good idea to sort your seed packets into month order and indoor/outdoor sowings so you're fully prepared and know how much room you need.
Top tip: don't be too eager and sow loads of seeds too soon - they might turn out leggy and won't get the best start in life.
I've gone for some cheapy compost this time, £1.49 from Aldi to be precise, but it seems to be doing just fine for my egg shell herbs at the moment. Check out this progress of 1 week -
I've also bought a heap of different sized seed trays and small pots. Also dead cheap - Wilkinsons ranging from £1 - £2.50 - so I can't complain. If they don't germinate then I can blame the cheap equipment rather than my sowing skills.
As I've said previously, carefully read the instructions for each different seed type so you know how to sow, when to sow and how deep to sow. I'm starting to prep the early birds in my seed collection so I'm starting with a few vegetables; 2 varieties of Peppers (Cayenne and Gourmet Yellow), and a few flower seeds; Foxglove and Poppy (Plum Pudding).
You want to add the compost to your seed trays and water (preferably with a watering can that has a sprinkle spout so it's even and doesn't soak the compost) and leave to drain. The add your seeds by either sprinkling on top or sowing the larger seeds per the distance advised. Finally, add a dry layer of compost on top.
I'm a new gardener and had NO clue that some of the seeds would be so tiny. I knew Begonias were very much dust-like, but didn't realise it would be like this for so many other seeds.
Top Tip: get a sheet of white paper and cut along your seed packet and allow your paper to catch any seeds. This will help pick up any seeds that are darker than the paper. You might need to get right into the creases of the packet too.
I used the plain plastic seed tray for both of the Poppies and the Foxgloves (I was short-changed on the Poppies so not many to sow), and used the individual seed inserts for the 2 varieties of Peppers. I'll have to let you know which one I preferred using if/once germination starts happening. Filling the seed inserts felt like I was spooning cupcake mixture into a baking tray (if only)!
Once all sorted, either plug your propagator in or leave in a place which has the right temperature that you need. I'm keeping mine near the windowsill so they still get enough natural sunlight. Check them regularly to make sure the compost is moist and the propagator is clean. Germination varies per plant variety so make a note of this too. Another top tip - label which seed tray contains which variety and keep the packets for reference!
Let me know of any top tips you have that I can pinch! And I'd love to know what you're planning on growing this year!
xo
