This topic contains 66 replies, has 18 voices, and was last updated by KevL 5 years, 9 months ago.
-
Posts
-
Tris -out of interest did you sow in KD seed compost? I only ask as I sow all my maincrop onions, shallots and leeks in MPC as they seem to do better in that. I have never tried onions in my KD so I do not know if that is an issue…..
Salad onions do fine in KD seed compost……
Good to hear you have some onions through Tris. I have hedged my bets with some Ailsa Craig and Red Baron seeds sown on Monday as my Sturon sets may have a dodgy infection which could be White Rot. As 120 of 156 have now fired, I guess I will bin the suspect sets and watch the others carefully before setting out in late April.
The aim was to avoid the allium leaf miner season but now my trust in sets is somewhat jaundiced……
Tris, yes email with photo of comparison
Hi Folks,
Just to add to the corporate body of information my Kings Boltardy (fresh this year) worked fine!
Interestingly, I did a tray of Kings Boldor F1 as well. It was a large tray which hung over the windowcill in an relatively unheated room in the house a fortnight ago. The part of the tray overhanging the windowcill (getting heat from the radiator) was fine, but those on the windowcill never showed even 3 weeks hence. Just mentioned to suggest temperature may be critical for some varieties.
Real Seed varieties were perfect..
BR
Neil Bromley, kentHaving already mentioned the total failure of lettuce Mottistone I received another packet from Suttons, these were sown together with lettuce from real seeds. The later have germinated the Mottistone nothing.
I have also failed wth pea Ambassador, again from Suttons, the Heritage peas sown on the same day germinated almost 100%.
I wonder if the wet weather we had in August last year is to blame?
I have treated myself to the seed saving book recommended by real seeds, so I can have a go at producing my own fresh seed, really fed up of spending loads of money for no return.Amanda
God luck with seed saving. I have trying a few. Tomato, chilli, pepper, pea, broad bean, dwarf bean and French bean are dead easy. Onion worked OK but it is a two year cycle. This year I will try lettuce, winter radish.
Space is an issue if you have a small growing space. Pea and bean create good seeds n a pot, but I wonder if there eould be effects if you grew peas 5 years in a row not in the ground.
Thank you Rhys, that’s an interesting point about the peas, I suppose as long as they were grown in good compost each year they would still be strong plants producing good viable seed.
I am finding Back garden seed sowing by Sue Strickland a really fascinating book,as well as all the great advice on the real seed company website I am going to give it ago.
At the moment I am licking my wounds, a trip to the allotment yesterday revealed most of my brassicas had been eaten by slugs, and some how the pea weevil got in under the fleece and decimated my pea shoots.
Who said it was the gentle art of gardening? It’s a war going on out there.Battling too, Amanda. The slugs have the upper hand. Should have known better than to sow Chinese cabbage. My son donates plastic bottles, for some reason he drinks bottled water!! So now my lettuce, brassicas, beetroot seedlings are all residing under half bottles. It’s a pain taking them off and on but the seedlings are showing some recovery.
Have tried tall plastic collars open at the top, so don’t have to move them till they are too big. Jury is still out on them. Fleecing was disastrous, they had a rave followed by an orgy.Had a morning scavenge and found 37
Thank you so much for that Hazelky, I was feeling very sorry for myself after loosing half my plants, but the vision of masses of slugs having an orgy made me laugh. Perhaps if I put some slug pubs in amongst the cabbages they can then die even happier!
Tris
For future reference, you can make depressed indent in compost in module trays and germinate onion seeds really well. I sowed 24 modules Ailsa Craig, 24 modules Red Baron and all have clearly germinated well after 9 days. I will post picture here in a week or so when the seedlings are bigger to show you.
So covering onion seeds is not necessary for good germination.
Actually no Tris, they just stayed indoors uncovered for a week, then they have lived outside in shade now we have heat (29C today!) and have been watered again. I made the indents quite deep so the seeds are probably surrounded in moisture for longer.
Transplanted out my Kelsaes yesterday and they look really healthy. Five days of warm weather should mean good chance to settle in without stress. Also put out 120 Sturon sets after firing them in module trays. 10 rows of 12 each 10-12cm apart, 20cm between rows.
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.