It doesn’t happen very often that I have an afternoon free during the week, but today I did. So it was the perfect time to sow all my April seeds, inside and out. After lunch I grabbed a cup of tea and my April box of seeds and off I went to the greenhouses to start.

There are a lot to get through and I’ll put them in sections with the links to the various seeds just incase you want to get any yourself.

So here goes…..

I’ll start with the herbs first, all of these need to be sown on moist compost and then sprinkle a little more compost on top of the seeds. A couple of different varieties of Coriander “Lemon” and “Leisure” (but they don’t seem to do this variety anymore or have renamed it). Basil “Genovese” you can beat it it’s amazing. There are loads of other different varieties of Basil so just sow them all the same way. Oregano, Sage and then I’m going to put Rocket in with this lot as well. The variety I have is from Spain, so have given you a link to one that looks the same that you can buy in the UK.

Next I’ll move on to the Cucurbits. Now these I have not sown in seed trays but in individual pots. I’ve sown 2 seeds per pot and at diagonal corners. If both seeds come up I won’t separate them as they will grow very happily together. Because these seeds are large they’ll need to be sown sideways and not flat. If you sow them flat then the water will sit on the seed and may rot them. The Cucurbits I have are two different varieties of Courgette “Green Bush” and Sunstripe”, just remember courgettes are prolific so you only need a couple of plants. A variety of Cucumber called “Alficoz” which again I bought from Spain, They are also sometimes called Snake Melons. I would have given you a link to a company abroad that you can get the seeds from, but due to the debacle of BREXIT these companies will no longer ship to us (Claire makes and angry face). So the only suggestion I can put forth is if you know someone who is either going on holiday or who lives in Spain, maybe they can bring you a packet of seeds home. I’m sure that’s still allowed. The company I got mine from in Spain, or you could try Franchi Seeds, you may find some garden centres stock these. Good luck xx

I have a mixed selection of Pumpkins so I’ve sown a few more of those. I do have “Atlantic Giant” Pumpkins growing, but fancied growing a few more.

Here’s a video with a little more information about sowing you Cucurbit seeds….

Next was my sweetcorn. This year the variety I’m growing is “Lark”. I’ve grown it before and it did really well. Again, just like the Cucurbits I’m sowing 2 seeds per pot, and also at diagonal corners. Some people like to soak their sweetcorn seeds before they sow them, but I’ve never done that. But if it’s something you do and it works for you then carry on. As they say “If it ‘ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” If both seeds germinate then when I plant them outside in the ground I won’t separate them. They’ll grow quite happily together. Whether you’re growing Sweetcorn, Popcorn, Baby corn, or the Ornamental corn they all need to be sown in the same way. You can sow directly out in the soil but I tend to find the germination rate is much poorer as the squirrels and various other garden visitors dig them up and run off with them.

Here’s a little video with more information….

I then sowed a couple more brassicas.

Firstly the most wonderful beautiful Cauliflowers ever, if people say they don’t like cauliflowers then give them these and they’ll love them. They taste like a cross between cauliflower and broccoli, if you’ve never tried them give “Romanesco” a try. And the other is Wok Broc “Kichi Chinese Broccoli“. It seems a little like sprouting broccoli, and looked interesting so I’m giving it a go. Sowing is easy, here’s how I sow mine.

The penultimate load of seeds is Chicory “Rossa di Trevisco”. Chicory has a bitter flavour to it and is closely related to lettuce, I suppose you could call it it’s second cousin once removed….whatever that is I don’t know. Sow these the same as the brassicas.

And finally I sowed a few more slower seeds, Delphinium “Belladonna Mixed”. These are perennials so will come back every year getting bigger and more beautiful each year. When they germinate they prefer to be a little on the dryer side, so make sure you don’t over water them. Sow them on moist compost and cover with a thin layer of a little more compost.

Well that was a fun filled afternoon. I’ll keep you posted on how everything grows, still lots more to do, but I expect that’ll have to wait until the weekend.

Take care and happy gardening xx