Germination is slow

---this year, all seeds that I've sown seem to have taken ages. Has anyone else found this as well or is it me ? I bought some multi-purpose compost from a local, very good nursery, but I haven't used this brand before and it seems to have lots of bits and pieces in it like woody or twiggy bits. I wouldn't ever use it again for seeds, in my view John Innes seed compost is hard to beat.

I went to the 'Country Living' Fair in London on saturday so I was away from Friday until Sunday. I had a brilliant time and have posted about it on my Craft Blog but being away meant that I was unable to get anything done at the lottie. I had a nice surprise on my return though as my Zinnia, Dahlia, and Cosmos seeds had all grown fast in those few days. The peppers, tomatoes. and chillies seem to be having a very slow start, in fact the chillies are just starting to peep through today.

It's been raining all day today, so that put paid to my going to the plot to sow the parsnips, spinach, carrots, and leeks which will be sown straight into the ground. So I'm hoping tomorrow will be better.

Speedy Results In Ten days !

Well I said that I would post some photo's when the seeds peeped out of the compost. I sowed them on the 18th Jan and here we are just 10 days later and they are more than peeping! they are raring to go, that's incredible! The seed packets and various books always recommend sowing a few seeds to each section just in case some don't make it, well I guess mine all made it as I now have too many tomato plants, oh well it's nice to give some away, it's all part of the allotment spirit. This is the first time I have grown onions from seed I planted sets last year.
I have been told by some of the older and wiser plot holders that this is the best way, as you get bigger onions and they store better apparently ! so we shall see !





I used yesterdays harvest to make a tasty soup for lunch. I added some of the sprout tops, some leeks and a bought a couple of large potatoes ( mine are all gone) I used vegetable stock cubes ("Kallo" organic) and added some ground black pepper and a little salt, and a squeeze of tomato puree. When all the vegetable were cooked, I then blended half of the soup to thicken it, but left enough pieces of veg to add substance. It was delicious.

First seeds this year are sown- Yippee

I really feel that Spring is nearly upon us, the weather today is sunny with blue skies, so once again the weather forecast wasn't spot on, but hey ! I'm not complaining. I know we will have more frosts for a while to come yet, but lets make the most of these lovely days and get ahead ready for planting.

Apart from taking up some kitchen waste ( some from my neighbour as well) for the compost bin, I don't intend to do anything on the allotment today. Instead I have planted my onion, leeks, and tomato seeds. I don't have a photo as it would seem rather boring just looking at bare compost, so I will post one when the first shoots appear. (fingers crossed). I planted them in John Innes seed compost and covered them and put them on window sills and will move them on to the greenhouse ( which is unheated) when they start growing and the weather is warmer.

This is the ideal time to check all your seed packets from last year if you haven't already done so, and throw out any that are out of date or that you weren't pleased with. Then take stock of what you need to buy or want to grow this year and look around the garden centres or "Wilkinsons" (wilko's) if you have a store near you, as their prices are very good. I personally never order from seed catalogues unless it's something rare that I can't get locally. For reasons -one, I am too impatient to wait for delivery and two, I like to hold the seed packet and turn it over and read the sowing advice etc before deciding to buy it.

I brought two Blueberry bushes which I got at the end of last year from "Wisley" RHS gardens. They need ericatious compost and are better off in large pots, (thats unless your soil is right for them !) mine isn't so they are in pots and they are in my garden, I decided not to take them to the allotment as they were too expensive and could easily be taken ( not that we usually have any theft problems) in pots.

Busy times ahead

This is a photo of my seed collection taken today. I feel such a hoarder! lots of them are from last year, bought in half price sales in the garden centre, how could I resist a bargain ?? I do have to admit I still feel drawn to peruse the seed collection whenever I go to the garden centres wherever I am, and that I have bought some this year. I was mortified when I put them all on the table today to list them,(list at bottom of right hand side of page)

Most of the herbs came free from Gardening mags as did a few vegetable seeds.
I can't wait to get sowing. I usually start my seeds off indoors on a window sill or in the mini plastic covered greenhouse in the garden or the one on the allotment, depending on the seeds. I always feel that they get a better start and I like to see results rather than not know if they are going to come up in the ground. Carrots are the only seeds I grew straight into the bed last year, we had a good crop.

I didn't have much success with the Aubergines last year. I had a few small ones but they were a bit disappointing, however I will give them another try this year.

I have lots more flower seeds to sow this year, but some are for my garden as well. The Cosmos were very beautiful last year as were the Marigolds, Calendulas and Sweet-peas. I thought I would try some Dahlias this year, they aren't the kind of flower I would normally grow but they are an allotment traditional favourite and I must say that some of the other plots had stunning displays of them.

I daresay we shall all be seed and plant swapping again this year as we did last year, that's part of the communal allotment life and it's great.