View Single Post
  #3   Report Post  
Old 01-02-2011, 06:53 PM posted to uk.rec.gardening
Dave Hill Dave Hill is offline
Registered User
 
First recorded activity by GardenBanter: Feb 2007
Location: South Wales
Posts: 2,409
Default Having trouble following sowing instructions

On Feb 1, 3:35*pm, Derek wrote:
On Tue, 1 Feb 2011 15:18:14 +0000, JayneB

wrote:

Welcome JayneB

Do I still need to sow 0.5cm deep or is it
different when sowing outside?


no, same depth, its just harder to guesstimate the depth:-)

, is that the spread of the plant or the
spacing?


Well I suppose you could say both, as you need to space the seed/plant
that far apart so when its fully grown it has enough space.

Hope you are not sowing anything just yet outside, as it is still too
early for almost anything .

Derek

www.lincolnfuchsiasociety.info


This depends on the type of seed you are sowing, when you sow in a pot
or box you cover with compost, grit, vermiculite or something of that
sort and it is fairly fine and easy to get an even cover.
When sowing in the soil the surface is much rougher and so is the soil
going over the seed the given depth is a rough guide only.
if you are sowing a row of say beetroot you would make a drill, (a
small trench using the back of the rake) about 1 inch deep then sow
the seed along it about 1 inch appart, some will be closer some
further appart, then you pull the soil back over and firm down with
the rake held verticle and used as thumper, so although you may have
raked around half to 1 inch of soil over the seed by the time you have
firmed it down it will be 1/4 to 1/2 som,e seed will be deper than
others.
when they grow you can thin out if you want,
This goes for all things, except beans and possibly peas where you do
sow roughly to station.
Most seed you will sow about 10 times as much as you want, then thin
to the required distance once they are growing, lettuce you can always
use the thinings as Baby leaves.
The directions on the packet are a rough guide only.