Veg plans for 2021

pconn062 · 11-02-2021 10:50am

dubbrin wrote: »

Going to try Parsnips again this year. 2019 - nothing germinated - planted in late spring.... 2020 - 20% germinated but took ages, was nearly June before they sprouted and they didn't get to 'full size' by autumn, more like balls! I know they're meant to be difficult, but what's the secret....?!

What works for me is delay sowing until early May when the soil has warmed up and most importantly pre sprout or chit the seed. Get an old plastic takeaway container and fold up a piece of kitchen paper and place it in the bottom, then moisten the paper. Put your parsnip seeds in the container on the moist paper and put on the lid or cover in clingfilm. Leave it somewhere warm until you see a little sprout coming out of the seed. You are guaranteed to be sowing viable seeds this way and the seeds don't have to germinate in the cold soil. Just be careful that you don't knock the little sprout off when sowing.

Also if you want really nice parsnips I recommend boring a hole about 15-20cms deep and fill it with fine or sifted compost. Place your seed on top of the compost and cover with about 1cm of compost. It's a bit of extra work doing this but you will have lovely straight parsnips with this method.

Igotadose · 11-02-2021 10:54am

pconn062 wrote: »

What works for me is delay sowing until early May when the soil has warmed up and most importantly pre sprout or chit the seed. Get an old plastic takeaway container and fold up a piece of kitchen paper and place it in the bottom, then moisten the paper. Put your parsnip seeds in the container on the moist paper and put on the lid or cover in clingfilm. Leave it somewhere warm until you see a little sprout coming out of the seed. You are guaranteed to be sowing viable seeds this way and the seeds don't have to germinate in the cold soil. Just be careful that you don't knock the little sprout off when sowing.

Also if you want really nice parsnips I recommend boring a hole about 15-20cms deep and fill it with fine or sifted compost. Place your seed on top of the compost and cover with about 1cm of compost. It's a bit of extra work doing this but you will have lovely straight parsnips with this method.

My variation (for carrots) is to germinate and then put them in empty loo rolls filled with compost. I can fit about a dozen in a used poultry container from the grocery, the ones with the high sides. Get them to a couple inches of leaves then transplant the lot into the bed. I also had no luck with parsnips last year but I like the idea of sprouting the seeds separately and will try this year.

MacDanger · 11-02-2021 11:14am

Igotadose wrote: »

My variation (for carrots) is to germinate and then put them in empty loo rolls filled with compost. I can fit about a dozen in a used poultry container from the grocery, the ones with the high sides. Get them to a couple inches of leaves then transplant the lot into the bed. I also had no luck with parsnips last year but I like the idea of sprouting the seeds separately and will try this year.

I've been planning to try this - once the weather is suitable (April?), you plant the toilet roll straight into the ground, right? How many weeks before planting should you start carrot seeds in this way?

Igotadose · 11-02-2021 11:22am

MacDanger wrote: »

I've been planning to try this - once the weather is suitable (April?), you plant the toilet roll straight into the ground, right? How many weeks before planting should you start carrot seeds in this way?

Correct, right in the ground.

I had poor luck with carrots sowing directly until last year when I went with this method. I had watched a couple episodes of "Garrai Glas" on the TG4 viewer and they visited an organic farmer in County Leitrim I think, who was from Germany and clearly very knowledgeable. He advised not putting carrots out till 25 May as that avoids the root fly plague.

I started my Carrots at the end of March, and put them out in a home-built polytunnel at the end of April. This worked well, no root fly problems and I harvested in mid-May. The variety was "Sutton “Amsterdam Forcing 3” " that I got at the local Homevalue store.

The polytunnel, however, repeatedly blew over and I eventually gave up on it by the end of May. This year, no polytunnel and I will delay putting out the carrots until the end of May, I'll probably start them in late April. I live in a very windy area, row covers, polytunnels, etc. are a big challenge to keep from blowing away

CelticRambler · 11-02-2021 11:32am

Igotadose wrote: »

put them in empty loo rolls filled with compost.

:eek: How many rolls of toilet paper do you get through, to make that a viable proposition? :pac:

I've just bought the last of a set of six under-bed storage boxes to serve as germination environments. They're 33l boxes in translucent plastic (lids too - a lot of this kind are sold with coloured lids) almost exactly the same size as the standard 60x40cm fruit/veg crate, around which I've designed most of my shelves and planters.

This is an upgrade on the smaller plastic bakery products boxes I've been (re)using till now - they do the job, hold 18 yoghurt pots perfectly, and come with an almost air/watertight lid, but they're desperately hard to move around, and there isn't really enough "head height" once the seedlings germinate. The boxes are much sturdier - makes for easier shifting during the "hardening off" period - there's a couple of centimetres extra height inside, and the lids come right off when they're no longer needed.

I'll germinate my solanaceous veg in a proper heated propagator this month, but the rest will sit directly on my heated floor (so should be a fairly consistent 15°C inside the box)

Oh, and the ginger that I thought had died doesn't seem to be as dead as I thought! When I pulled the rhizomes out of the soil yesterday, I spotted a few new buds. Must have been the effect of putting the lid back on the propagator when I was tidying up! :cool: Still need to come up with some kind of "gingerarium" to avoid this dying back problem in the future.

Igotadose · 11-02-2021 1:20pm

CelticRambler wrote: »

:eek: How many rolls of toilet paper do you get through, to make that a viable proposition? :pac:

:D We save them up to recycle. TBF also the rolls from paper towel (cut in half). Got a bagful in the shed over the years, came up with the idea of trying them for planting, found out it was a well-known thing. Apparently used for beetroot, too.

FD: yes, will sometimes raid a stall in a shop or restaurant when out and about if the roll is empty. I guess that's a bit weird. Still, better than just binning them like the shop would do.

pat2167 · 11-02-2021 1:39pm

Tube from a gift wrapping paper roll can make up 8 nice size pots

dubbrin · 11-02-2021 2:12pm

pconn062 wrote: »

What works for me is delay sowing until early May when the soil has warmed up and most importantly pre sprout or chit the seed. Get an old plastic takeaway container and fold up a piece of kitchen paper and place it in the bottom, then moisten the paper. Put your parsnip seeds in the container on the moist paper and put on the lid or cover in clingfilm. Leave it somewhere warm until you see a little sprout coming out of the seed. You are guaranteed to be sowing viable seeds this way and the seeds don't have to germinate in the cold soil. Just be careful that you don't knock the little sprout off when sowing.

Also if you want really nice parsnips I recommend boring a hole about 15-20cms deep and fill it with fine or sifted compost. Place your seed on top of the compost and cover with about 1cm of compost. It's a bit of extra work doing this but you will have lovely straight parsnips with this method.

This sounds good and pre sprouting is a step that I think might work. Ta

I've had great sucess with direct sowing carrots over the years so I'll keep going with my current tactics. Have some overwintering in the greenhouse at the moment, looking forward to those at the end of spring/start of summer

Igotadose · 11-02-2021 5:05pm

dubbrin wrote: »

This sounds good and pre sprouting is a step that I think might work. Ta

I've had great sucess with direct sowing carrots over the years so I'll keep going with my current tactics. Have some overwintering in the greenhouse at the moment, looking forward to those at the end of spring/start of summer

Really depends where you are. Some folks out here can grow them by the bushel. Others can't get past the root flies.

beggars_bush · 12-02-2021 12:47pm

Seed potatoes are ordered
Will be planning what else to sow.
Polytunnel - carrots, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce varieties
Garden- Carrots, pumpkins, onions, peas,

bluestone · 12-02-2021 2:00pm

hard to believe were at the stage of veg prep for 2021 already. found a bag of autumn planting onions on a shelf which i'd forgotten i had bought. seem ok, a few sprouting, should be still ok to plant now i assume?

will try the chitting of carrot /parsnip this year as well. my biggest issue with them was you get a clump of them in one area & very little elsewhere & end up transplanting with mixed success when thinning. find the parsnips last very well in the ground, pulled the last of 2020 crop in mid december

picked up celery seeds which i have never grown before, anyone else sow these regularly?

other than that will be early spuds, peas, salads & tomatoes.

Garlic doin well, in since early december. hopefully decent bulbs from cold snaps. planted some elephant garlic to see what its like, you can tell them from the rest already anyways.
Feb - prep, Mar - sow, Apr - the bog!!

CelticRambler · 12-02-2021 2:27pm

bluestone wrote: »

Feb - prep, Mar - sow, Apr - the bog!!

:eek:

Life is so simple chez bluestone! :pac:

Here, it's Jan - prep & sow & harvest; Feb - prep & sow & harvest; Mar - prep & sow; Apr - sow & harvest ; May - sow & harvest ; Jun - sow & harvest ... :cool:

I did a big batch of seed-sowing yesterday (distraction therapy - should be working on the camper engine, but it's too frikking cold ...

)
In the heated propagator: Tomatoes (Coeur de Boeuf & MoneyMaker); Pumpkin; Gerkhins, Peppers; Jalapeño Chilis; Cayenne Peppers; Charentais Melon; Celery; Basil; Coriander; Physalis; Ginger
And in the unheated box: Red and Green cut-and-come-again lettuce; Peas; Sweetcorn; White Onion; (and a load of flowers, but none edible so they have no place in this thread!

)

Still don't know where I'm going to put most of this stuff - am still trying to figure out where to dig the huge hole that's supposed to store all the water I'll need from June to October.

dfbemt · 12-02-2021 2:55pm

Started chitting my potatoes last weekend. This year I'm growing

1sts - Orla
2nds - Nicola, British Queen
Mains - Sarpo Mira, Maris Piper

So far so good, all happily sitting in their egg boxes. Grew them in bags last year, happy with the results but going with 35litre buckets this year.

Can taste them already. Mmmmm

SouthWesterly · 12-02-2021 6:52pm

dfbemt wrote: »

Started chitting my potatoes last weekend. This year I'm growing

1sts - Orla
2nds - Nicola, British Queen
Mains - Sarpo Mira, Maris Piper

So far so good, all happily sitting in their egg boxes. Grew them in bags last year, happy with the results but going with 35litre buckets this year.

Can taste them already. Mmmmm

Need to start mine tomorrow. Have to also finish a mini greenhouse I'm building. Got 4 porch doors thud week for free

Bill Hook · 12-02-2021 7:52pm

dubbrin wrote: »

Going to try Parsnips again this year. 2019 - nothing germinated - planted in late spring.... 2020 - 20% germinated but took ages, was nearly June before they sprouted and they didn't get to 'full size' by autumn, more like balls! I know they're meant to be difficult, but what's the secret....?!

First time growing parsnips last year and I think I must have had beginners luck because they are a good size and there's plenty of them! Germination rate was about 80%. I sowed them late (8th of May) directly outside; it was about two and a half weeks before they started to germinate.

Bill Hook · 12-02-2021 7:56pm

bluestone wrote: »

picked up celery seeds which i have never grown before, anyone else sow these regularly?

I grew celery for the first time last year. According to my notes I sowed the seed at the start of April (you don't cover the seeds because they apparently need light to germinate) and then kept them inside on a window sill until I pricked them into a module tray at the start of May. IIRC there is something about celery not liking temperatures below 10C so I didn't plant them out until the second week in June. They turned out really well but they all mature at the same time so I am going to stagger sowing the seed this year. Still some in the freezer and lots of celery chutney/pickle in the cupboard!

CelticRambler · 12-02-2021 9:51pm

Bill Hook wrote: »

They turned out really well but they all mature at the same time so I am going to stagger sowing the seed this year.

This is what happened to me with my sweetcorn. My 2019 harvest was one single cob, so instead of eating it I saved the seed and sowed it all in one go, thinking that (a) most of it wouldn't germinate; and (b) I'd have no trouble harvesting whatever did grow. All the seeds I planted germinated - about 100 of them! :eek: ... but that went on to give me way more cobs than I could cope with in their short harvest window - as a crop, they're very labour intensive, and come in at a time when there's so much else going on.

This year, I'm hoping to germinate (and eventually plant out) a dozen-or-so plants every fortnight over the course of about three months, starting yesterday.

Barring any unforeseen disruptions, I'm hoping to do similar with several other veg, to ensure a steadier supply of younger, fresher veg (green beans, for example) throughout the main growing/harvesting season, and to push the main winter crops back by a month or two.

PoorFarmer · 14-02-2021 12:51am

Igotadose wrote: »

Really depends where you are. Some folks out here can grow them by the bushel. Others can't get past the root flies.

I usually surround mine with onion. Apparently the carrot fly cant find the carrots with the onion smell. Seems to work for me

Water John · 14-02-2021 1:23am

PoorFarmer wrote: »

I usually surround mine with onion. Apparently the carrot fly cant find the carrots with the onion smell. Seems to work for me

Yea you're right. Am I correct in saying that also the fly stays very close to ground level and if you put a one foot high barrier around the carrots, the fly cannot get in?

scarepanda · 14-02-2021 8:53am

Water John wrote: »

Yea you're right. Am I correct in saying that also the fly stays very close to ground level and if you put a one foot high barrier around the carrots, the fly cannot get in?

You are correct. Higher raised beds are helpful as well to prevent carrot fly.

dubbrin · 15-02-2021 9:17am

Igotadose wrote: »

Really depends where you are. Some folks out here can grow them by the bushel. Others can't get past the root flies.

I think I'm lucky so, no root flies either (crosses fingers and toes...)

laoch na mona · 25-02-2021 12:53pm

seeing the first signs of life from the tomato and chilli seedlings, potatoes are chitting and I've peas broad beans and onions sowed under plastic

picked up some fruit trees and bushes in lidl last week as well.

no harm to be getting back into it

SouthWesterly · 25-02-2021 4:06pm

All my brassica and leeks are up in the house

laoch na mona · 25-02-2021 10:27pm

SouthWesterly wrote: »

All my brassica and leeks are up in the house

Haven't even set mine yet as I don't have the space. need to invest in more seed trays

Harry Palmr · 01-03-2021 7:22pm

Sharps Express in the ground, Cologne onions in the ground, a fair few were unusable but that's typical enough still had more than I needed.

I have about 30 plugs of various salad greens ordered as I really hate growing from seed!

Tomatoes are a weary task, really will have to get a cheap walk in growhouse (you know the plastic frame last a year or two types) as last year was a disaster.

SouthWesterly · 01-03-2021 8:02pm

laoch na mona wrote: »

Haven't even set mine yet as I don't have the space. need to invest in more seed trays

I got these last week. Nice and deep with 23%off thanks to vat

Bosmere Garden Care Seed Tray... https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B007I8NQBM?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

dubbrin · 02-03-2021 8:44am

These 'sandwich trays' that you'd see coming from the local shop with an array of sandwiches or buns are handy as extra propagating space. I put one or two seed trays into them. The lipped bottom holds water, the top is perfect for getting seedlings up.

Probably not the right time now with Covid, but there was always one or two coming into the office every month. Shame to be putting them in the recycling

51WKqvZGGlL._SS400_.jpg

scarepanda · 04-03-2021 10:33pm

Has anyone received their fruithill farm orders yet?

PoorFarmer · 04-03-2021 10:37pm

scarepanda wrote: »

Has anyone received their fruithill farm orders yet?

Ordered mine in January 29th and was delivered 12th February

scarepanda · 04-03-2021 10:55pm

PoorFarmer wrote: »

Ordered mine in January 29th and was delivered 12th February

****e. Did you order any potatoes or onions? I ordered on the 7th Jan.

Veg plans for 2021

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