"Rebecca" wrote
Ok, so after abandoning the garden last year I am determined to
impress my husband with my, as yet, unknown gardening skills! I live
in the south of uk and the containers will be quite sheltered. I
understand the more sun the better, and to use potting compost (John
Innes no. 3) instead of soil.

Ive looked in loads of books but none seem to answer my questions
specifically - I need a step by step idiots guide!

I have bought the following seeds/ bulbs and now have a million
questions...apart from the generic " what do I do with them and when?!
(which is really what I need to know).

Ive bought seeds - carrots, dwarf/bush bean and peas (these seeds all
say to sow from late March, apart from carrots being May)
bulbs etc - garlic and onions (just say plant in early
Spring)

Garlic can be planted outside now but it would have been much better planted
in Sept, early October. It's as tough as old boots and will come through a
winter growing well and you get a much much better crop from autumn planted
cloves.

For best results do I need to start these off inside, in little
individual tiny pots, prior to planting out; or can I plant out
straight away?

Carrots, Beans and Peas can wait and be planted in situ idc or you could
plant the Beans and Peas in pots but not yet. I repeat..not yet.


2. When would you ideally do this? I had thought of starting onions
and garlic but DIY store man told me to wait awhile till weather much
better (!?who knows when that is)

If he is still telling clients to plant Garlic in the spring he's not much
good! Plant your garlic asap and you will get a crop, only small heads
though, the onion sets should be planted before the end of the month.


2. Sounds daft, but am I right in assuming I dont need very deep
containers/ troughs for the peas and dwarf beans? Also, do I need
stakes in whilst seedlings or do I just add as they get bigger?

Yes.

3. Can I plant garlic and onions in same container?

Yes. But the more room you give them the bigger they will grow, we always
plant 9 inches apart with 1 foot between rows, not the silly spacing they
say on the packets which means hand weeding on your knees. In containers you
will need close spacing but remember onions hate being crowded by anything
so ensure they are getting as much sun as possible and don't let any other
plants or weeds grow over or around them.

4. Dont laugh, but apart from planting in potting compost container,
do I add any soil?

John Innes is a soil based compost, so no.

5. I have liquid tomato food...would this be ok to use on all the
above?

No. Good for Tomatoes and making flowers flower.

6. Also, I read somewhere to keep extra unused seeds for next year in
the fridge. Sounds bizarre....or is it true?

We store seed in the under stairs cupboard where it is very cool and dark
and dry. They could get damp in the fridge through condensation.

7. Any tips or general advice to help would be much appreciated!

Where do you want me to start... :-)


--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

In message , Bob Hobden
writes
Ive bought seeds - carrots, dwarf/bush bean and peas (these seeds all
say to sow from late March, apart from carrots being May)
bulbs etc - garlic and onions (just say plant in early
Spring)

Garlic can be planted outside now but it would have been much better
planted in Sept, early October. It's as tough as old boots and will
come through a winter growing well and you get a much much better crop
from autumn planted cloves.

When you buy garlic in the shops the instructions on the packets say
plant in February or thereabouts. (But you can't plant them in the
autumn because they're not sold them.)

So last year I did as instructed, and they didn't do very well - though
a wet allotment and last summer's weather probably didn't help them*. I
didn't get round to replanting them last autumn (round the allotment the
wisdom seems to be November) (but some of a batch that I thought had
failed completely have come up again this year), so again I've planted
them in February.

So my question is, how late can you plant garlic, i.e. will you get away
with planting in December and January?

* A planting of shallots was killed off by flooding, as were too many
other plants.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsley
http://lavateraguy.blogspot.com http://www.malvaceae.info

"Stewart Robert Hinsley" wrote ...
after Bob Hobden
wrote

Garlic can be planted outside now but it would have been much better
planted in Sept, early October. It's as tough as old boots and will come
through a winter growing well and you get a much much better crop from
autumn planted cloves.

When you buy garlic in the shops the instructions on the packets say plant
in February or thereabouts. (But you can't plant them in the autumn
because they're not sold them.)

So last year I did as instructed, and they didn't do very well - though a
wet allotment and last summer's weather probably didn't help them*. I
didn't get round to replanting them last autumn (round the allotment the
wisdom seems to be November) (but some of a batch that I thought had
failed completely have come up again this year), so again I've planted
them in February.

So my question is, how late can you plant garlic, i.e. will you get away
with planting in December and January?

* A planting of shallots was killed off by flooding, as were too many
other plants.

Personally if I couldn't plant it in the autumn I wouldn't bother, when I've
tried it in the past it just ends in very small cloves...not worth the
bother imo. Autumn planted gets as big as anything in the shops.
The seed companies send out garlic for autumn planting and I know of some
GCs that stock it in the autumn too. If yours doesn't then complain and keep
complaining until they wake up, or shop elsewhere. Of course you could
always plant your own again or just greengrocer bought garlic, anything is
better than waiting until the spring.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
17mls W. of London.UK

On Mar 10, 1:18*pm, Stewart Robert Hinsley
wrote:
In message , Bob Hobden
writes

Ive bought seeds - carrots, dwarf/bush bean and peas (these seeds all
say to sow from late March, apart from carrots being May)
* * * * * * * *bulbs etc - garlic and onions (just say plant in early
Spring)

Garlic can be planted outside now but it would have been much better
planted in Sept, early October. It's as tough as old boots and will
come through a winter growing well and you get a much much better crop
from autumn planted cloves.

When you buy garlic in the shops the instructions on the packets say
plant in February or thereabouts. (But you can't plant them in the
autumn because they're not sold them.)

So last year I did as instructed, and they didn't do very well - though
a wet allotment and last summer's weather probably didn't help them*. I
didn't get round to replanting them last autumn (round the allotment the
wisdom seems to be November) (but some of a batch that I thought had
failed completely have come up again this year), so again I've planted
them in February.

So my question is, how late can you plant garlic, i.e. will you get away
with planting in December and January?

* A planting of shallots was killed off by flooding, as were too many
other plants.
--
Stewart Robert Hinsleyhttp://lavateraguy.blogspot.com* * * *http://www.malvaceae.in

It depends on whether you're planting hard neck or soft neck garlic
(the type you usually see in the stores). Hard neck garlic is usually
planted in the fall in cold weather climates. This allows root
development before growth actually occurs. When you plant in spring,
it tends to put all its effort into greens, not the bulb. Soft neck
garlic is usually planted in December-February in warmer climates like
the UK or the southern States, with which I have no experience, but I
think it is likely a faster growing garlic.

I've read the ideal sprouting temperature of garlic is about 4 degrees
C, btw which is the temperature of your average refrigerator and my
experience seems to indicate this is true. So you can store your other
seeds in the fridge (not the freezer) but don't use it for garlic or
onions.
Dora