Posted on by Lesley

The timing dilemma

This is my third year of growing here and I still struggle with timing of when to start my seeds. I have a tendency to start them too soon, getting impatient and not making an allowance for how far north we are.

Except for chillies and tomatoes, which last year I frustratingly started too late.

The reason that getting the timing right is so critical is that we have such a short growing season at this latitude.

Plants that need heat and light to ripen, such as peppers and tomatoes, struggle with the short summer that we have unless they’re started under heat early.

Chillies germinating

But if I start sowing too soon, seedlings become leggy and weak rather than developing vigorously.

I’ve started the chillies and some spring onions. Next week I’m going to start some lettuce, spinach and tomatoes. Then a few more herbs, like red basil. I’ve bought my seed potatoes and onion sets ready to go from March onwards, so let the growing season begin!

I am not going near the cucumber seeds any time soon after last year’s Great Cucumber Disaster. I have the packets marked in bold red writing DO NOT TOUCH BEFORE APRIL!

I am not to be trusted.

5 Replies to “The timing dilemma”

  1. I don’t think it matters where you live Luffy – we all have the same dilemma! No 2 springs are the same anywhere in the UK. I have sown leeks, shallots and Welsh onions but am keeping them in the sitting room which is the warmest place.

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  2. Oh the joys of planting time. I tend to plant too soon or too late too, even after 16 years. Each year has it’s own microclimates and moisture levels. I just rely on numbers now… plant everything when I feel like it and plant again when it fails. I use a lot of seed, but hope that I am building a seed bed in my growing space where the seeds will sprout when they are ready. They know better than me when to grow.

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