I may be getting ahead of myself a bit here, as we don’t have any vegetable beds dug yet, but I couldn’t resist buying a few seeds to start things off next spring.
I had to do it. I was starting to get worried about reports that the pandemic was causing seed companies to run out, and that there wouldn’t be any left if I ordered too late. So over a cup of tea and a few rainy afternoons I pulled together a seed order, and they arrived last week.
It’s such a lovely feeling when the post arrives and you open the parcel. The fat little paper seed packets fall out, sparklingly full of promise!
Many of these things need a few years to establish before they can be cropped, so it made sense to start next year even if we are busy with the house build.
I just need to find a few days in the Spring to get my husband to help build windbreaks, plant protective hedging, make a couple of raised beds and get the soil prepared. I’ve worked out the most sheltered spot for the raised beds and a planting plan.
Most of these seeds aren’t sown directly into the soil until April/May or even later, so there is time.
I’m also looking at cold frames for a bit of protection for some of the young plants, although wherever possible I will plant into the beds directly. I don’t have a greenhouse or polytunnel yet and there will be no room in the caravan for lots of trays of seedlings.
I’m going to try to grow beetroot, onions, carrots, kale, salad leaves, cabbage, potatoes, rainbow chard, and winter squash (I know this one might be a challenge, but it’s worth a try). I also want to have a berry bed, and grow rhubarb, so am looking for varieties and crowns that will work well in our extreme climate.
I’m going to start with just a few berry bushes and vegetables and increase the variety next year once the house is finished and we can start to spend more time on the croft itself. It’s going to be a busy year of experimentation, working out what grows well here.
Once we start growing things I think the process of rooting ourselves to this land will finally have begun properly.
Ravencroft Skye 
Love the branding on the seed packs. Where did you get them?
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Realseeds.co.uk It’s a brilliant little company, no F1 hybrids and lots of heritage varieties. The only challenge is that the Web basket is only open on Saturdays at the moment due to the volume of orders!
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My brother told me about them when I last saw him – he was very impressed by their variety!
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I’ll check them… we purchased stacks of seeds in March intending to grow our own in case there were major food supply issues as a result of lockdowns.
But you can never have too many seeds to honest because they typically keep for years, and the next few years are going to be unpredictable.
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If you need extra hands, perhaps you could register on a site like WWOOF, Workaway or HelpX and get someone to volunteer?
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Great idea, and we had thought about that, but I think we’ll have to see how Covid Travel restrictions are next spring 👍💕
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Oh, how exciting!!! I look forward to reading about how they all work out for you.
Part of the reason we made such a huge order in December was seeing all those seeds with “sold out” on them – and getting notifications that things in my wish list were no longer available. (The other part was accidentally ordering 3 summer squash collections, instead of just 1 !!) There was a strong feeling of, better order them now or they won’t be there when I want them!
With the postal delays, we still have more seeds to come, plus there are the things that won’t get shipped until planting time for our zone, in late May/early June. Our last frost date is June 2.
I totally get not being ready, but ordering seeds anyway! It is definitely motivation, isn’t it? 😀
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It certainly is. I’m sue they’ll all come in handy, and maybe we’ll even have successes with seeds that we didn’t expect z😊:'(🥕🥦🫑
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It is so exciting buying seeds isn’t it? I love to pick up those parcels. You have some interesting varieties there, we have totally different varieties (or names) here. You have already started your journey towards being owned by your land… welcome.
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Happy New Year to you! Wishing you love, inspiration and good rains in 2021. From your distant friend on the Isle of Skye x
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Lol. Same to you, with sunshine.
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An interesting selection and I’m intrigued to see how they perform. So much depends on your soil and it will take some time to discover what you can grow and what does well. I’m still experimenting with varieties, although to my cost often go back to the old favourites. Rhubarb grows well in this part of the world. Victoria suits my sandy alkaline soil, so best discover what your neighbours grow – I’m sure someone will offer you a crown. It is going to be a very exciting year.
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It will be. We have slightly acid, loamy soil rather than alkaline and sandy so I am watching nearby crofts carefully to see what grows well. Happy New Year to you! 😊 💕🥂❄️
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