10th March

10^th March

A thought crossed my mind to inaugurate the fire pit but as is often the case, this was a rushed, last minute idea that really did not warrant a quick blaze and me stinking of smoke in the short time available. I did go out into the garden with our 2 year old though – maybe it was the presence of such a young one that quashed my fire idea – and as he pottered about in that cute toddler fashion, I potted on some sweet peppers. The peppers came in 4 x 4 plug plant sections, and I wanted the pots to sow some chilli pepper seeds into. The pots in question are a square base for catching the drips, whilst the part that holds the compost is 4 plugs in one and each is far narrower at the base where the drainage hole is. This means a gentle squeeze is all you need to slide up the plant when you want to move it up a pot size. However, the even better aspect is that all together this pot contraption fits just perfectly between the gap at the top of the double radiator in the kitchen, thereby providing a good heat source which is essential when attempting to germinate pepper seeds. Hence 8 peppers had to move up into small yoghurt pots – well, fromage frais pots to be precise – not as large as yoghurt pots! This season’s new compost was broken into and piled into these recycled pots, they were watered and put back in the conservatory, and the old pots washed out and filled with new compost and the chilli seeds were sown later this evening and placed on the radiator. What I also do, especially with seeds that are not great germinators, is to water the compost with quite warm water, just to give them a head start. I’d hate to be sitting in a pot of compost that was wringing wet with cold water, well, more so than in warm compost!

Later on, and one day later than last year, I sowed the sweet peas. My wife had found a set of 5 trays with 20 pot holes in each. I happen to have 5 packets of sweet peas with 20 seeds in each, the match could not have been better, a marriage made in the finest greenhouse! So I set-to with filling them with compost and it is surprising how much you get through with these trays, and then watering well as you are not supposed to water again until the seedlings have emerged. Again I used warm water in an effort to aid germination. Last year I achieved a less than 50% germination rate. I was planning to sow only about 15 of each variety and sow extra if necessary, seeing that I did well with the few that did grow last year. Unfortunately I forgot this at the time and filled all 100 pots so in some ways I’m hoping for better results and in other ways, I’m not as I don’t know what I’ll do with them all – but rather more than less. Each of the Unwins packets contained 21 seeds, a bonus on the advertised 20, but the 1 Suttons packet which said it had 25 seeds actually had 37, so I am well insured on that variety, even some for next year perhaps.

The instructions for sweet peas say to sow 5 in a 5 inch pot. I did this last year and of course, many did not germinate, but those that did were competing with other plants and their roots were beginning to entangle by planting out time which meant there would be some root disturbance which checks growth a little. In sowing 1 seed per pot hole I can grow on in confidence knowing that this will not be an issue. I don’t know why you are told to sow 5 to a pot. If you’ve got individual pots you can take away the ones that don’t germinate and save space, whereas a whopping 5 inch pot with one plant rather takes up space. It’s not as if the professionals disagree with me. Look at these new root trainer pots that encourage good vertical root growth. The information on the product states they are ideal for sweet peas, and they are designed to put 1 seed in each pot!

A job that really needs to be done is the cleaning on the concrete area as I want to assemble the mini greenhouse, but I’d like to clean up the flooring first. A jet washer for a day costs £20 + VAT and seems a little expensive for what I need it for so I may have to resort to a scrubbing brush. I really need to get more space. Practically all the conservatory shelving is taken up with onions, the sweet peas are in the loft (it’s a converted one, not a cold, dark and dusty one) and I want to start sowing leeks and some brassicas, not to mention a few flower seeds that need starting off soon. That quiet, down time in winter is quickly fading away, I must get cracking!