Thanks. I don't mind waiting - I want to plant each of these at the optimum
time and I wondered if it was a good time to get them in now. I will wait
till March then... Thanks for your replies Nick and Victoria.

--
Mark Allison


"Victoria Clare" wrote in message
.206...
(Nick Maclaren) wrote in
:


In article ,
"Mark Allison" nomail@please writes:
|
| My question is, on the packets of most of these seeds, it says sow
| December - March. I have a 12x8 greenhouse, but it's unheated. I do
| have a small electric propagator - should I sow them in there (if
| they'll fit). Not sure what to do. I could sow them on the window
| sill but I don't want them to get too leggy.
|
| Ideas? I fancy sowing them this week.

Far too early. Don't even think of sowing seeds for a month yet,
and possibly even longer for warm-climate plants. The problem
isn't the temperature - it is the light, almost total lack of.
Subtropicals etc. are adapted to growing fast once they start, and
will not do well if kept warm and half-dark.

What Nick said. I dunno about seed potatoes or tomatos, but planting
peppers & aubergines early is a recipe for spindly plants that never do
as well as ones planted later in the year, (in my experience). I'd
leave them till April.

You can probably get the basil growing inside on a windowsill now, but
if not you can always sow some more later: packets usually have enough
for plenty of sowings. Look out for greenfly.

If you absolutely must plant now, try planting just one seed from each
packet on your windowsill. Then do the same each month from now to
April, then put the rest in the greenhouse. Bet you by July the April-
May sown ones are bigger than the rest!

I can't talk though: I couldn't resist planting the lisianthus seed I
got just before Christmas. They are just germinating now (southfacing
windowsill, unheated room)

Victoria
--
gardening on a north-facing hill
in South-East Cornwall
--