Last week I started sowing my sweet pea seeds indoors. Sadly, not an owner of a swanky greenhouse (and jealous of anyone who is!). I have however invested in a couple of heated propagators to speed up the process.
Et voila! A week later and all germinating beautifully. A sight which fills my heart with joy. Great seed germination rate from Chiltern Seeds and I use New Horizon multi purpose compost, just sieving the top inch or so to make it a little finer for seed sowing. Once germinated, I’ll move the seedlings outdoors into my mini green house/large cold frame, so that the seedlings don’t get too leggy and then I’ll harden them (putting pots outside or opening the coldframe lid during the day, then returning at night) about 10 days before planting out, probably in April.
No room for a propagator? Not a problem. A plastic bag with an elastic band to retain the moisture will do equally well and will just take a little longer for seeds to appear.
Sweet peas can be sown in autumn for earlier flowering the following summer and then overwintered in a cold frame until hardened off in spring. When I was picking some self-sown rocket at my allotment in January, I noticed quite a number of self-sown sweet peas nestling amongst the crop. I thought they would be wiped out during the subsequent frosts and snow, but amazingly they’re still going strong and will probably be the earliest flowering sweet peas that I’ve ever ‘grown’! Still plenty of time to sow sweet peas and great to sow a couple of batches weeks apart, so that you can have delicious sweet peas scenting your gardening for a longer period over summer.
This year, I’ve decided to have a go at growing Chilli peppers (Capiscum annuum). These seeds do need a bit of extra heat to get them started (it says 27 degrees C on the packet), so I popped them in my small overly hot propagator (has no controls, so either on and very hot or off). Again, delighted with the germination rate of the seeds that I bought from Sea Spring Seeds. I’m trying 2 different varieties this year. ‘NuMex Twilight’ for a sunny windowsill or greenhouse and also ‘Super Chile’ which I’m going to try to grow outdoors. Outdoor growing isn’t always very successful as the plants need a lot of heat to fully ripen, but Super Chile is a very fast grower, so if we have a hot summer, might just manage to get some red hot chillis later in the year.
Outside in my mini lean-to greenhouse I rather over enthusiastically sowed leek seeds in January. Think I was itching to get going as the weather was so mild (before it got very cold again) and was also inspired by a post from Jekkas Herb Farm about getting under way sowing seeds so that plants would be ready in time for Chelsea. Sowed mid January, then nothing happened until about 10 days ago, 5 weeks after sowing. You can’t fool nature (without extra heating that is!).
Also outside in the mini greenhouse are some Swiss Chard ‘Bright Lights’ seedlings. It’s amazing to see pink, red and yellow stems even at this tiny stage.
As the weather warms up, I’ve got heaps more seeds to sow (rather overdid the ordering this year again, although I promised myself that I wouldn’t). Looking forward to sowing annuals, such as Nigella above, straight into the ground , but am waiting until the 20th March, following wise advice from Benjamin at Higgledy Garden. He says he doesn’t sow hardy annuals before the Vernal Equinox when hours of daylight are equal to hours of darkness and finds sowings seem to be more successful after this date. Can’t wait.
Out of my shed 
Lovely post! We are fortunate to have a greenhouse, but no more room to add more seed trays. Am permanently puzzling them around to try to find another inch! Need more seed trays too… Last year I threw some Nigella seeds around, in a really inhospitable area but they did beautifully. No problems at all. Do keep us posted on your Capsicums, good idea to try those. They’re always in our supermarket trolley! Ditto on the overdoing it, have bought masses of seed, no where to seed them in, and no room in greenhouse. This will be interesting….
Hi Petra, Totally agree-you can never have enough space for sowing seeds, but rather taken with sowing annuals straight in to the ground this year as such a space saver. Inspired by Sarah Raven’s wonderful pollinator programmes, bought some extra (as if I didn’t have enough already!) Candy Mix annual wildflower seeds from Pictorial Maedows as I was tempted by the mix being specially developed to flower for longer seasons. Can’t wait to try this out in a number of locations to see how it fares. Will keep you posted on the Chillis too. V.best Naomi
Lovely sparkly uplifting blog thanks!
Gosh you are ahead of me Naomi. But two pots of broad beans have come through in my small heated propagator and they can now go into the pop up greenhouse. I’ll follow with Bright Lights chard, peas and mange tout. It’s such a great time of year isn’t it? I just love ticking off my list of projects all aimed at filling the allotment to bursting by summer.
I’ve got broad beans in the cold frame and I sowed some peas in modules this week. On my window sill I’ve got celeriac which germinated a week ago. I haven’t got a greenhouse either. I used to have one of the small plastic lean to ones but the plastic joints didn’t survive all the dismantling from 3 house moves so I make do with my kitchen window sill and 2 cold frames. It’s hard work and I do feel like I’m going a bit crazy in April and May when it is a massive juggling act. At one point last year I had 100 pots divided between the window sill and the 2 cold frames. I was tempted by the Sarah Raven meadow mixes but just don’t have the space, I’m trying to be restrained, which is no fun at all!!!
Hi WW, Restraint has quite gone out the window this year and in a slightly unhinged kind of way, quite enjoying the amount of stuff that I think I’m going to be able to grow. Time will tell!
Sue, yes, really enjoying finally having the weather to start seed sowing proper. Just remembered that it’s probably about time to take cuttings from the Plectranthus I promised you. Can you email me your address and I’ll send cuttings to you pronto.
Amanda-Glad you enjoyed the post. Thanks for dropping by.
Perhaps Wellywoman might like to do what we will try, and go for the Sarah Raven wildflower mixes anyway and scatter the seeds in tree pits or forgotten corners around her neighbourhood, and see if wonderful things come up that everyone can share.
Hi Nicolette, definitely have a plan for scattering wildflower seeds in front ‘garden’ of very ugly house that still remains half built after 10 years! Can only improve the eyesore!
We don’t have a greenhouse either, but you’ve got some great tips. I’m think a heated propagator may be a good investment for next year’s seeds. Fantasic post, thank you!
Hi Amoogk,Heated propagators definitely worth the investment for half hardy annuals and more delicate veg like chillis and lablab beans (which I’m trying for the first time this year).Just gives you a few more options.
We’ve scattered wildfowers in our garden this year. It will be interesting to see what germinates.
Hi MJ, yes, we’ve grown wildflowers in our tree bases for the last few years and they’ve looked great! This year we’redigging up grass in a front garden and trying some of the Pictorial Meadow mixes to see if we can have a longer flowering season. Roll on the Vernal Equinox!
Hi – hope ok as posting to spread the word about SEEDAHOLIC –
unusual plants and information/ care sheets send for every seed purchased.
Now in the UK as well as Ireland – also decent post charge…
Hi Rozelle, always good to know about quality seed suppliers.N x
I’m going to have to invest in a heated propagator I think, I’m growing chilli peppers and sweet peas inside and the peppers in particular are taking ages!
Cathy
I love this articlle! thanks for sharing a lot of information.