GARDENING
CASTLE GARDENS New Road, Sherborne DT9 5NR Tel: 01935 814633 BRIMSMORE GARDENS Tintinhull Road, Yeovil BA21 3NU Tel: 01935 411000
SEED SOWING
POUNDBURY GARDENS Peverell Avenue, Poundbury DT1 3RT Tel: 01305 257250
By Mike Burks, managing director of The Gardens Group
There is a huge joy in buying a packet of seeds, sowing them in a seed tray and watching as tiny green shoots start to pop up in the compost just a few days later. No wonder that gardening can become somewhat addictive! It’s nearly the best time for seed sowing especially with summer bedding plants in mind. Starting too early will give you problems later on as most varieties will only be able to be planted out at the end of May because of the chance of frosts. Starting too soon will mean that plants will grow leggy and will lose their quality whilst you wait to put them out. Due to the continued interest in raising plants from seed, made apparent in lockdown, we have a fabulous range available. So come along and make your selection! The seed packet has lots of really useful information and it’s worth reading this for each packet so as to understand the needs of each type of seed. Some can be sown directly into the soil, but others will need sowing in a seed tray first.
Select a seed tray or better still a half seed tray and a good quality seed compost. For larger seeds the peat-free wool compost works well, whilst smaller seeds might be better off in the SylvaGrow Multi with added John Innes. I like to mix the compost with a product called perlite. This lightweight, white material is sterile and opens up the compost allowing really good root development which falls apart easily when it’s time to transplant the seedlings. Most seed will need covering and whereas instinct will tell you to cover them with a layer of compost it is much better to use another material called vermiculite. This again is very clean and is so lightweight that it will allow the seedlings to easily push through without getting distorted as they would do if you use compost as the covering. With a watering can and a fine rose on the end, water the seeds in. Cover the tray with a propagator lid (a clear plastic cover) and place them in a warm position with good light levels. A heated propagator is
www.thegardensgroup.co.uk
ideal and will both speed up and even out the germination. Label your tray with a description of what you have sown and the date the seeds were sown. This will hopefully avoid confusion later in the gardening year! And then wait! The seed packet will tell you how long germination should take and the date on the label will remind you when you sowed the seed. Once the seedlings have germinated, they will need pricking out (transplanting). Handle them carefully by the leaves only – never the stem.
Loosen the compost and gently tease them out of the compost. The perlite will ensure that they come out easily and with a good root system. Prick out these seedlings into cell trays filled with a quality potting compost such as New Horizon or SylvaGrow. Water them in well and put in a welllit and warm (but not too warm) spot. Once we get to warmer days, the plants can go out during the day but are best brought back into a protected spot inside overnight. Come the middle of May they can finally be released into the garden.
THE FENCING & GATE COMPANY Domestic Fencing Specialist All types of fencing and gates supplied and erected Over 30 years experience Free Survey and Quotation 10 year guarantee • No VAT
01935 330 095 01460 353 046
To advertise – 01935 424724 • email: info@theconduitmagazine.co.uk • www.theconduitmagazine.co.uk
15
