I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be others
who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.

So, who is going to volunteer?

Alan

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.

So, who is going to volunteer?

Alan



http://theseedsite.co.uk/ THE seed site - has general info + plant list
http://tomclothier.hort.net/index.html Germination times
Jenny

Alan Holmes wrote:
: I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
: others who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
:
: So, who is going to volunteer?
:
: Alan

Broad beans can go in now as can a late planting of carlic and shallots.
Generally speaking I wat for the annual weeds to start growing before I
start with the smaller seed. IMO even parsnips do better when planted after
the ground has warmed up and will far outdo any survivors from a February
sowing. If in doubt wait till April but it depends on how the weather is. If
there's still ice or frost about, wait a little longer. Potatoes can go in
late Feb onwards as long as you have fleece etc., to protect the tops from
late frosts

In article ,
"Alan Holmes" writes:
|
| I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be others
| who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
|
| So, who is going to volunteer?

I am going to point out that all answers you will receive will necessarily
be twaddle. The problem is that it is very variable, and depends on how
the weather is going to develop. And you know how reliable the long-term
forecasts are! This is what I put in the weather FAQ:

Q.b6: What sort of growing season does the UK get?

A: Based on soil temperatures 30 cm down, the MAFF (Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) figures for pasture are between 200 and
250 days for most of the UK, but extending to more than 300 in the West
Country and below 150 as you get up into Scotland. The expected
variation is plus or minus 20 days, and plus or minus 40 is not rare.
The USA seems to use the definition of the time from the last spring
frost to the first autumn one, but that is largely irrelevant to the UK.

While that is season, I did and do mean EXPECTED variation and PLUS OR
MINUS. I forget how much variation was at the start, and how much at
the end, but let's assume equality and a normal distribution. That
implies an EXPECTED variation of 30 days in the planting dates and a
'not rare' one of 60.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

"Nick Maclaren" wrote after
"Alan Holmes" writes:
|
| I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others
| who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
|
| So, who is going to volunteer?

I am going to point out that all answers you will receive will necessarily
be twaddle. The problem is that it is very variable, and depends on how
the weather is going to develop. And you know how reliable the long-term
forecasts are! This is what I put in the weather FAQ:

Q.b6: What sort of growing season does the UK get?

A: Based on soil temperatures 30 cm down, the MAFF (Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) figures for pasture are between 200 and
250 days for most of the UK, but extending to more than 300 in the West
Country and below 150 as you get up into Scotland. The expected
variation is plus or minus 20 days, and plus or minus 40 is not rare.
The USA seems to use the definition of the time from the last spring
frost to the first autumn one, but that is largely irrelevant to the UK.

While that is season, I did and do mean EXPECTED variation and PLUS OR
MINUS. I forget how much variation was at the start, and how much at
the end, but let's assume equality and a normal distribution. That
implies an EXPECTED variation of 30 days in the planting dates and a
'not rare' one of 60.


I'd go along with that, treat each season as stand alone is our motto
although over the years one builds up an idea, call it an educated guess, of
what to plant when for your soil and location. Even then a few years back we
got a grass frost on the 9th June, after planting out all the tender stuff,
which killed everything.
And it could well be different a mile down the road.

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

On Jan 29, 12:55�pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Nick Maclaren" *wrote after



"Alan Holmes" *writes:
|
| I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others
| who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
[...]

Books and seed packets are usually good guides -- often better than
other gardeners, whose conditions may vary widely.

Normal humans ignore the following, which is OT and for language
anoraks only:
I tend to use "sow" for seeds and "plant" for plants; with an
inconsistent preference for "set" for non-seed propagating material
(bulbs, cuttings, etc). Just had a look in the Dictionary, and the
earliest example Oxford has of "plant" for seed comes from 1615, while
its use for trees etc is recorded back to the ninth century.

--
Mike.

"Mike Lyle" wrote in message
oups.com...


On Jan 29, 12:55?pm, "Bob Hobden" wrote:
"Nick Maclaren" wrote after



"Alan Holmes" writes:
|
| I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others
| who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
[...]

Books and seed packets are usually good guides -- often better than
other gardeners, whose conditions may vary widely.

But this would require me to remember to get the packets out and read them,
my state of memory makes that almost impossible, whereas I read this
newsgroup every day!

Alan

"Alan Holmes" wrote :
I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.

I've seen a few seed sowing/planting walls charts for sale on t'internet,
but I'm too cheap to buy them. I've recently bought a couple of inexpensive
CD boxes (one for veggies and one for flowers), made some cardboard inserts
with the month written on, and put my seed packets in the relevant monthly
section. The majority of the packets are in the March section!

http://www.ecodesignscape.co.uk/down...flyer%20v2.pdf

I'm planning on making my own wall chart showing sowing dates, spacing and
whatnot, laminating it and hanging it on my shed wall. I need to make a
start on it soon, though, because it's quickly coming up to sowing time.

"Alan Holmes" wrote
Books and seed packets are usually good guides -- often better than
other gardeners, whose conditions may vary widely.

But this would require me to remember to get the packets out and read
them, my state of memory makes that almost impossible, whereas I read this
newsgroup every day!
Alan

1 Take 1 old
2 Cut 12l bits of cardboard to fit into the box
3 Write the name of the months on the bits of card
4 Make a cup of tea
5 Sit down with tea, seed, packets, shoebox and cardboard
6 Sort the seed packets into the various months
7 place filled shoe box in de GH or wherever you plant your seeds.........

Jenny

Our annual weeds started growing in December - that's if they ever stopped.
I have had to hoe a carpet of weed seedlings off the 'clean' veg. beds twice
already this winter!

Keith


"Robert" wrote in message
...
Alan Holmes wrote:
: I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
: others who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.
:
: So, who is going to volunteer?
:
: Alan

Broad beans can go in now as can a late planting of carlic and shallots.
Generally speaking I wat for the annual weeds to start growing before I
start with the smaller seed. IMO even parsnips do better when planted
after
the ground has warmed up and will far outdo any survivors from a February
sowing. If in doubt wait till April but it depends on how the weather is.
If
there's still ice or frost about, wait a little longer. Potatoes can go in
late Feb onwards as long as you have fleece etc., to protect the tops from
late frosts

One story I heard that the 'old gardeners' used to use, was to bare thier
bums and sit on the earth. When they felt comfortable - it wast time to sow!

Before you ask - no I don't...

It's best to make a rough and ready guide based on your own experience in
your location, and jiggle the dates around a bit to allow for the season.

Keith


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be
others who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.

So, who is going to volunteer?

Alan

On 30/1/07 09:46, in article , "Keith
(Dorset)" wrote:

One story I heard that the 'old gardeners' used to use, was to bare thier
bums and sit on the earth. When they felt comfortable - it wast time to sow!

Before you ask - no I don't...

I was thinking more of their reaction when it *isn't* time to sow!!

snip
--
Sacha
http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
http://www.discoverdartmoor.co.uk/
(remove weeds from address)

In article , Alan Holmes
writes

I never know when to start planting things and I'm sure there must be others
who would also welcome a reminder of what to sow, and when.

So, who is going to volunteer?

Alan



Try Nickys nursery on the web that's got a whole long list of what seeds
can be sown every month of the year.
|Hang on I'll get the web address

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seed...s/calendar.htm

Janet
p.s of course it will depend on your soil, the type of plants, the
local weather conditions, etc etc
--
Janet Tweedy
Dalmatian Telegraph
http://www.lancedal.demon.co.uk

On 30 Jan, 09:46, "Keith \(Dorset\)"
wrote:
One story I heard that the 'old gardeners' used to use, was to bare thier
bums and sit on the earth. When they felt comfortable - it wast time to sow!

Victorian gardeners used to do this. What a funny culture. Just
imagine ... perhaps not )

I was having the 'weed growing sign to plant' conversation yesterday
(in France). We're all in very much the same boat as most thing either
haven't died entirely and continued to slowly grow. It's a general
worry and I am incline to sticking with the temperature rather than
with the month. We could, in 10 years time, be planting our potatoes
in December if this carries on ...

I've brought back some black radishes seeds (amongst hundreds other
things) and I remember my grand dad sowing these in the summer ?! I'm
wondering if I remember right. At the same time I've searched time to
sow black radishes and all resources and packet tells me August. I
wanted to sow them at the same time as the usual red ones we have,
which is my son's job, but I cannot imagine to sow these then if the
soil is going to be backing hot. Will they be successful in the shade
therefore?

Before you ask - no I don't...

..... beleive you ;o)

Keith (Dorset) wrote:
: Our annual weeds started growing in December - that's if they ever
: stopped. I have had to hoe a carpet of weed seedlings off the 'clean'
: veg. beds twice already this winter!
:
: Keith
:
Well we have had annual weeds of couse but not a carpet of them and
certainly not like they all start coming up in the spring. You must be sub
tropical lol