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Winter Sowing for Early Starts
Believe it or not, we’re still in the month of winter. Whilst the snow may have receded and temperatures have warmed a little, there are still several weeks until spring officially starts. However, this means nothing for my gardening year as I simply can’t stop myself from sowing far too early as soon as the first glimmers of spring-like weather appear. It was the same when I was a child and kept Australian finches; the onset of a warm day meant that I filled the aviary with nesting boxes and then my poor parents had to foot the heating bill as temperatures plummeted and I turned every radiator on to keep the eggs and chicks viable. So now that the one warm week of February has disappeared, I have windowsills covered in seedlings which cannot be placed outside for fear of frost.
Echiums jostle for room on my windowsills
One of the ways that I’ve gotten around this problem in the past is with the help of garden storage in the form of cold frames and miniature greenhouses. Of course, if you decide to germinate your seeds in a heated propagator, then place young plants outside at your peril as it won’t even require a frost to kill off these tender things. However, due to my resistance against the cold (growing up in the middle of the country in an old rectory with nothing but storage heaters will make living in arctic temperatures feel completely normal) I tend to let seeds germinate at their own freewill on the windowsills. The temperature in my home is often more akin to those outside, allowing seeds to germinate in a more naturally heated environment. If you cling to heat like a blanket, then you can sow seeds in a spare room which is rarely used and where the average temperature will be lower. This will ensure that once the seedlings have poked their heads up and you’ve got far too many to keep inside, transferring to an outside and frost free cloche is feasible.
Of course, moving young seedlings is no easy matter and you should wait until there’s a balmy day before even contemplating such an idea. Place seedlings outside for a few days when the weather is good, bringing them inside at night to avoid the severe drops in temperatures which could spell the end of your carefully grown seeds. Once a number of days have past and you’re confident that seedlings have acclimatised to the outside environment, choose a night when temperatures won’t fall too low and place them inside your frost free garden storage area. As long as you have a few nights of relatively warm air in the offing, then the seedlings should acclimatise well and free up all that space on your windowsill for, you’ve guess it, more seeds.
Honesty is a great plant for an early start
If you’re anything like me, then the slightest rise in temperature results in every possible surface near to a light source being covered in pots and seeds. This is no bad thing, and can get your gardening year off to a great start. By germinating in a low temperature environment that closely simulates the weather outside, you’ll be able to transfer plants to a cold frame more quickly. And, though plants who like warmer weather will take longer to pop up their green shoots, vigorous early year seeds will thrive and allow you to create space for even more wonderful flora.
One Response to Winter Sowing for Early Starts
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