Saturday 23 April 2011

Peas Please Me




Kathy at her  Allotment Heaven blog has shown me the way to grow peas ahead of the season and in a way that avoids rodents digging them up as so often happens at the plot. The cardboard rolls are toilet rolls or kitchen towel rolls cut in two. They need to be placed in seed tray modules because this allows the air to circulate and so avoids the problem of mould developing. The ones on the left need to be planted out now. The other two were sown later but have already developed wonderful root systems.

Tomato seedings are about ready to pot on.  The second generation of Sungold (top) look very weedy compared the the F1 Sungold at the bottom. In between the "Harbinger" are doing very nicely.



Last year I experimente with cucumber and was encouraged enough to try mini cucumber this year:


The courgettes are already up and  looking very happy in their peat pots:


Weather permitting, there could be a legume/curcubit bonanza this year!

7 comments:

  1. Mind the neck rot with those curcubits. They love it!

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  2. That's a nice tip about putting the sweet-pea rolls in seed trays - I not only had mold on my sweet peas but also full-sized cup fungus! Will remember this for next year!

    I'm jealous of your cucumbers - I just don't have the space to grow even a mini one =)

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  3. Looking good Mal, I have 3 greenhouse cucumbers up and am keeping my fingers crossed for them as it's all I've got.

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  4. Mini cucumber seeds are so expensive which has put us off trying so far.

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  5. I should say. £3.99 for 4 seeds. I don't know what came over me!

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  6. Ah, so that's how to avoid the mould problem. I've already sown peas and sweet peas in root trainers, so perhaps I'll have do a second batch and see how they do.

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  7. I have grown mini cucumbers..or gherkins...this year too, I also have some courgette and cucumber going, I like to succession sow these so I have some earlier and then some to follow....my marrow hasn't germinated though which is worrying me...maybe I will re-sow.

    I have got my peas in the ground...i don't start them off in post but I do give them a good soaking before planting out. I like the tip on how to put your pots in seed module trays to stop the mould...i will remember this for next time I am sowing.

    Oh and Mal...i haven't been able to get hod of any \celeriac seed...I'm going to talk to one of the other plotters though so the competition should still go ahead but just to let you know you are already way ahead of me!!

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