March Veg Seed Sowings & Seedlings Update
I can’t believe it’s the end of March and there’s quite a bit growing in the greenhouse already. The weather has been warmer than usual in March which has been great for seed germination and growing seedlings.
Warning – There’s still a chance of frost until End of April here but some places in the UK until the end of May.
Spring Clean!
March is also the time for the annual spring clean, evict the spiders & wash my greenhouse, with the help of my daughter and husband.
The Green moss and algae on the greenhouse floor was removed with hot water and a dash of SMOL washing up liquid applied with a brush.
I used a metal weeding tool and I scraped the moss off the concrete base and then used a stiff bristle brush with the soapy water and some strong brushing. The green came off the roof with soapy water & a sponge and was rinsed off with cold water from the hosepipe.
It’s so important that the greenhouse is clean, so the suns rays beam down on your plants and the surfaces are clean of diseases.
Vegetable Updates
Aubergines & Sweet Peppers
Link to: Sow Along Video.
Sow Seeds: February to Mid March.
There are now 3 Aubergine seedlings (far left column) and 7 Sweet Peppers that have germinated on the sunny kitchen windowsill.
Keep them indoors until all chance of frost has passed. I’ll be potting mine on to small pots shortly as they now have 4 leaves. The pots will sit on the windowsill.
Lettuce & Spinach
Lettuce – Sow Seeds: March to June & Winter Lettuce – August to December.
Spinach – Sow Seeds: March to July & Winter Spinach – August to March.
These were sown and germinated in the greenhouse. They don’t mind the cold or warm.
Lettuce and spinach have started strong. Spinach seedlings are almost ready to pot on.
This video was Popular on my Instagram last week:
Can you Sow Lettuce & Spinach Seeds in the time it takes to make a cup of tea?! Let’s find out!
1st Peas of the Year
Here are the first Peas of the year! Dwarf Peas are off in the Root-Trainers and growing well. Ready to be planted outside in the next week.
Potatoes Planted
Rocket potato tubers have been planted in 3x 30L black pots. I use these containers a lot to grow any vegetables that I don’t have room for in my raised beds. So far I’ve grown Garlic, Carrots, Spring Cabbage and Onions in these containers, they are very versatile and can be moved easily with the handles on the side.
I buy them from Amazon – 30L Black Pots from Oakland Gardens.
Tomato Seeds Sown
Finally, a little later than last year, I have sown my tomato seeds. I’m sowing Variety: Black Cherry (which is a black & dark purple tomato with red flesh) and Lizzano F1 (compact, trailing & great for containers, sweet red cherry tomato) on a sunny windowsill indoors.
Link to: The Tomato Series – How to Grow Tomatoes.
Cauliflower & Summer Cabbage Seedlings
Cauliflower & Summer Cabbage Timeline
- Sown on a sunny windowsill: Mid to Late January
- Potted on & left in Greenhouse: Early March.
- Planted outside in a raised bed: Early April under a cloche.
- Link to Cauliflower – Seed Sow Along Video
- Link to Summer Cabbage – Seed Sow Along Video
Onions from Seed
Onions from Seed Sown: Early January.
Moved to greenhouse & potted on: March.
Link to Onions from Seed – Sow Along Video.
Surprise Cauliflower
There was one last plant left and I wasn’t sure if we were going to get any cauliflower from it but surprise, I think it’s the largest cauliflower we have had yet!
- Link to: Kale & Cauliflowers harvest
- Link to: Harvest a Cauliflower with Me
Chive Plants back from the dead
Chives seem to be indestructible plants. I dug them out of the raised beds and potted them up for the winter in August. They died off and looked dead (see the straw like bits) but I started watering in them in February, they started growing green again and now look at them! You wouldn’t have known they had been asleep for the winter.
Link to: Harvest Seeds for Free – Chives
Spring Cabbage in a Pot
I planted a Spring Cabbage plant in a 30L pot last November because I couldn’t fit it in my raised beds. I have kept it in the greenhouse overwinter and it started growing in February and now we have a Spring Cabbage to provide spring greens and a small pointy head.
For anyone who just wants one or two Spring Cabbages and not a whole Raised bed, this is a great idea and has turned out better than I expected.
Link to: Spring Cabbage in a Pot – Instagram Video
New Addition to the Garden
We have a new rustic addition to the garden… a solitary bee and ladybird house.
Last year we had a solitary bee trying to nest in the greenhouse, in the soil of a pepper plant, which is great but it was a little hazardous when I wanted to get in there and water the plants!
We also had a lot of ladybirds last year and want to keep them in our garden to keep the pests down, so why not provide them with a little house of their own. Let’s hope we have some movers in soon! I bought this from Amazon and I thought it was great value for money – Insect House. It’s been attached to the fence post with a nail over some alliums.
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