What is a Seed?

A seed contains an embryo which will grow to form the plant, it also contains lots of nutrients to help it grow and the seed coat helps protect the fragile contents and keeps it water tight.

The outer seed coat will usually have a scar which is where it was detached from the ovary wall. Some seed coats like carrot seeds will have hairs to help them stick to the soil when planted.

Radish Seeds

Seed Coat Sizes

Vegetable seeds are all shapes and sizes. The size of the seeds depends on how big the mature plant will be and whether it needs energy and nutrients reserves to grow to that size.

Generally the smaller the seed means it has come from a flowering plant that can produce hundreds and thousands of seeds at one time. The larger seeds have to put more energy and time into the seeds and therefore only producing a few seeds in one go.

Bean Seed Sprouting

The larger seeds like runner bean seed however will have their own energy reserves inside the seed which will enable them to start the germination process quite easily and produce stronger seedlings, whereas smaller seeds rely on the soil, light and temperature conditions provided and if these aren’t right germination may fail.

Larger seeds like runner bean seeds are one of the seeds that can be planted directly into soil in a raised bed or pot, the seed will survive by being planted direct due to the seeds energy reserves. The only reason it may fail would be due to birds, mice or pigeons pulling the seed out of the ground or if the soil was too wet, the seed may rot.

Carrot - Scarlett Horn Seeds

Tiny Seeds Characteristics include:

• Carrot – Flat, teardrop shaped with hairs
• Tomato & Pepper – Flat, teardrop shaped, beige, yellow colour
• Spring Onions & Leek – Black tiny round or kobbly shaped
• Lettuce – Black tiny shards or dark green petal shaped
• Radish – Pale cream or light brown tiny round
• Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Kohl Rabi, Cauliflower – black tiny round
• Spinach – Cream tiny onion shaped
• Cabbage – Tiny round black or silver

Beetroot Seeds

Small Seed Characteristics include:

• Beetroot – Raised disk shaped, white or brown
• Perpetual Spinach, Chard – Knobbly light brown clusters
• French Beans – Small oval smooth brown, yellow, purple, black
• Mange Tout Peas – Brown round

Large Seed characteristics include:

• Peas – Winkled green round
• Runner Beans – Smooth, brown or white long oval
• Broad Beans – Wrinkled brown long oval

Bolted Spring Cabbage

How do Vegetable Plants Produce Seeds?

You may think this is a silly question I’m asking, but when I was first starting to grow veg I honestly I didn’t have a clue how a cabbage or carrots produced their own seed because between the growing and harvesting there were no obvious or visual signs of seeds.

All vegetables have to produce flowers to produce seeds, however carrots and cabbages aren’t in their “normal” growing cycle when producing vegetables to harvest. If they were left in the ground and not harvested, flower stems would appear and then the production of seed begins.

As you continue growing your own vegetables, you’ll be very lucky if you don’t have a plant ‘bolt’ or flower at some point, for me the usual suspects are: spinach, broccoli, chard, rocket and lettuce, they all send up centre stems to produce flowers in periods of unexpected warm weather. Annoying for your crop, but handy if you want to save seeds.

Carrots

Carrots are biennial which means it takes two years for the plant to reach a maturity point where it wants to flower. The plants by this time reach about 1 metre high (3 foot) and the flowers then seeds are on umbrella shapes branches which are pollenated by flying insects. If you want to save your own carrot seed, make sure the carrot is not an F1 variety. These F1 strains are sterile so you won’t get a crop from sowing these seeds.

For more information on how to save your own carrot seed, please check out this brilliant video from Garden organic.

Video Link: Heritage Seed Library (Garden Organic) Guide to Saving Carrot Seed

Other iGrowVeg Series:

• Planning Your Own Veg Garden
• What To Sow Now and Next
• Back To Basics – How to Grow Veg

Share

There’s plenty of expectations that this years show will be even better with a wealth of expertise like Pippa Greenwood, a well known garden expert and writer and James Wong (fresh from his recent appearance on Sports Relief Bake Off), is also know for his unusal approach to herbal medicine in his BBC show ‘Grow Your Own Drugs’. Their appearances along with the resident vegetable growing expert at the show ‘Paul Peacock’ will be on hand to offer advice on growing issues and tips for all different ranges of growing skills.

Bright Lights Chard

The Edible Garden Show is a merge of gardening, smallholding and home produce with exhibitors ranging from bee keeping experts, livestock, keeping chickens, sheds, garden equipment, grow your own, seed suppliers and a huge food area with live demonstrations from resident chef Rachel Green.

I missed last years show, so I can’t wait to visit this year. There’s plenty to see at the Stoneleigh Centre which is a very large indoor and outdoor agricultural centre in Warwickshire. The show runs for 3 days, Friday 16th, Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th March 2012.

Grow Your Own Snail Farm

I’m particularly looking forward to the talks on ‘Exotic Edibles’ by James Wong and I’d like to get to know the suppliers I use for growing like More Veg for Seeds and Agralan for my mesh cloches. I’d also like to check out some of the more unusual exhibitors like Grow Your Own Snail Farm and the latest innovations in vegetable growing equipment.

I’m also hoping there will be a few bargains and I’ve also spotted a couple of cider producers on the exhibitor listing so I can take away a few purchases to remember the day by.

Advanced Tickets are on sale now for a reduced price, so why not add this date to your Grow Your Own Diary and help your vegetable growing year get off to a flying start.

The Edible Garden Show
16th to 18th March 2012

Buy Tickets: Advance Tickets
More Details: www.theediblegardenshow.co.uk
Follow on Twitter: @EdibleGardenSho

Experts at The Edible Garden Show:

• Pippa Greenwood
• James Wong
• Rachel Green
• Paul Peacock

Share

About Clear Creek Seeds

Clear Creek Seeds

Clear Creek Seeds is an online website selling a variety of different vegetable seeds in the U.S. They are based in Oklahoma and specialise in open pollinated, Non-GMO and Heirloom (over 50 years old) vegetable varieties.

Heirloom Varieties that particularly stand out are Squash Winter Vegetable Spaghetti, Radish Crimson Giant and Tomato Jubilee.

Special of the Week – Tomato Roma

Clear Creek Seeds have a few offers running this year including a free packet of seeds of your choice with every order, weekly specials and next day shipping. This weeks special is ‘Tomato Roma’ which is one of the very first tomato seeds I grew on my vegetable plot and it had great results. Its a good variety to grow to make soup or tomato sauces and can be grown in a greenhouse or outside.

Please see my guide on How To Sow Tomato Seed for more tips.

Contact Details:

Please note Clear Creek Seeds only ship seeds within the U.S.

Shop: Clear Creek Seeds
Twitter: @ClearCreekSeeds

For UK Readers

Tomato Roma seeds can be bought from Seed Parade for a bargain of 89p.

Share

I’ll hold my hands up and admit now I have fallen off the vegetable cart (so to speak) already, in fact I did at the end of December, (time off over xmas = more time too think about growing). I have started growing lettuce seed on my windowsill and I’m testing out a growing kit at the same time so in my mind its ‘research’.

This is the earliest ever I’ve started sowing on the windowsill and my hopes are up from my last two experiments a few years ago:

Week 1 Radish

• Grow Your Own Veg Windowsill Challenge
• 5 Reasons To Grow Vegetables on a Windowsill
• Indoor sowings in February.

I’m sowing cut and come again green mixed lettuce leaves in a coir tray and growing them with the idea of cutting the leaves for sandwiches or garnishes. This week, I’ve also been reading about Veg Plotting’s 52 Week Salad Challenge which is really good timing and a great idea to get everyone in the mood for growing plus the added health benefits of homegrown salads. If you are on Twitter, search for the #saladchat hashtag for more windowsill growers and ideas.

It worth taking note of the few issues below that you may encounter when growing on a windowsill.

Problems of Sowing Seeds on a Windowsill too early

1. Not being able to plant outside until chance of frost has past

If you are windowsill growing to get ahead on your tomato, pepper, cucumber or any other tender vegetable, you may have a planting out timing issue. Its worth bearing in mind that the chance of frost doesn’t pass until mid to end of April in the UK, if you are sowing early in January and wanting to plant outside in Late February to March, there’s still a risk of frost which can kill tender vegetables.

Solution: If planting outside during frosty seasons, protect seedlings in a mini greenhouse, insulated cold-frame or under fleece close to house walls for shelter and insulation.

2. Temperatures on your windowsill will drop during icy cold nights.

Seed has a certain optimum temperature that it needs to reach before it will start germinating on your windowsill. Therefore for example Lettuce has an optimum growing temperature of between 5 and 27 degrees centigrade and its minimum germination temperature is 2 degrees C, so if the temperature falls on your windowsill on a cold frosty night to minus 2 then your seed germination will stop.

Solution: Check the optimum vegetable seed germination temperatures before sowing and move seed trays away from draughty windows during cold night temperatures.

Week 2 Lettuce Pod

3. Leggy Seedlings from too much radiator heat or central heating.

Another problem of growing indoors, especially if the windowsill is above a radiator or if your central heating is on daily, is leggy seedings. Seedlings will put on a spurt of growth from the sudden heat as it mimics spring temperatures and tricks the seedlings into thinking they have to grow faster. However if your seedlings decide to do this in January they will out grow their seed tray.

If they have become too leggy they will be long and falling over, if you catch them in time, they can be potted on to a larger pot. This can be done indoors as long as the windowsill is big enough otherwise planting outside would be risky in January due to frost.

Solution: Use a windowsill away from a heat source or in a room without central heating. Remember to check cold night temperatures.

If you’ve still got that growing itch, why not try out a few of these kits, to get you sowing:

• Dobies.co.uk Windowsill Salads Kit – 3 week lettuce on your windowsill
• Greenfingers – Self Watering Herb Windowsill Kit – Easy to grow herbs or salads
• Sproutapouch – Great idea, sow your own salad micro-seeds in a handy bag
• Sow Gourmet – Microgreen detox seed kit by post
• Grove Nurseries – a range of window micro leaves boxes

Share

Wishing you all a very happy new year and all the best for growing your own veg in 2011.

And without further ado I present My Vegetable Awards 2011:

Overall Best Vegetable Harvest in 2011: Mange Tout – Carouby de Maussane
Previous Winner: Radish – Pink Beauty

Best Performance: Kale – Fizz
Previous Winners: Carrots-Nantes 2 and Chantenay (2009) and Savoy Cabbage – Cantasa F1 (2010)

Best Coloured Veg: Climbing Beans – Bridgewater

Best Newcomer: Kohl Rabi
Previous Winners: Onions – Red Cross (2009) and Beetroot – Moneta (2010)

Non-Starter: Winter Cauliflower
Previous Winners: Spring Cabbages (2009) and Perpetual Spinach (2010).

Best Taste: Shallots – Golden Gormet
Previous Winners: Dwarf French Beans – Major (2009) and Lettuce – Flame (2010).

Best Flowers: Mange Tout – Ezeta’s Krombek Blauwschokker
Previous Winners: Mange Tout – Weggisser (2009) and Mange Tout – Golden Sweet (2010).

Strongest Growing Winter Vegetable: Broad Bean
Previous Year: Savoy Cabbage

Best Wildlife: Bumble Bee

Most Annoying Pest: Caterpillars
Previous Years Winner: Aphids

Best Seed Company: MoreVeg.co.uk
Previous Winners: The Organic Garden Catalogue (2009) and The Real Seed Catalogue (2010)

New Vegetables Grown for 2011: Kohl Rabi, Rocket, Purple Sprouting Broccoli.
Previous New Grown Veg: Beetroot, Shallot, Savoy Cabbage (2010)
Previous New Grown Veg: Leeks, Fennel, Onions, Mustard Greens, Salad Endive (2009)

Veg I would grow again: Pak Choi – Rubi, Carrots – Chantenay, Spring Onions – Purplette.

My Favourite Blog Post 2011: Beginner Garlic Growers
Previous fav blog post: Planning Your Veg Garden and Free Resources Page

• iGrowVeg

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/vegawards1.jpg

  Vegetable Awards 2011

• Veg I would grow again:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/springonion.jpg

  Spring Onion - Purplette & Paris Silverskin

• Best Wildlife:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/bumblebee.jpg

  Bumble Bee

• Best Taste:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.41.23.jpg

  Shallots Golden Gourmet

• Overall Best Vegetable Harvest:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.40.18.jpg

  Carouby de Maussane Mange Tout

• Best Seed Supplier:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.33.52.jpg

  More Veg

• Best Newcomer:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.30.51.jpg

  Kohl Rabi

• New Vegetables Grown for 2011:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.28.27.jpg

  Purple Sprouting Broccoli

• Best Coloured Veg:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.26.08.jpg

  Bridgewater Beans

• Best Performance:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.24.02.jpg

  Kale Fizz

• Best Flowers:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.22.18.jpg

  Ezeta’s Krombek Blauwschokker Mange Tout

• Veg I would grow again:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.19.55.jpg

  Rubi Pak Choi

• Veg I would grow again:

  http://igrowveg.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Screen-Shot-2011-12-31-at-13.16.56.jpg

  Chantenay Carrots

Share

Broad Bean Plot

Look at them now, admittedly they are trailing a bit along the ground however I find Broad Bean plants quite robust and with the exception of blackened tips of their leaves when frost has struck (I’ve got a few of those), they tend to get through the worst of the winter including last years snow. Thats another reason why I like growing winter vegetables so much as they are strong and happily grow away until springtime.

My peas (douce provence) are small probably because they were interplanted between the rows of broad beans but do not show any signs of frost damage which I was aiming for, and this variety of pea is very reliable for winter growing.

Unexpectedly also growing in my Winter plot is the late re-emergence of Kale Fizz, it’s positively blooming in this mild weather and I’ve also got lots of rocket as well.

Kale 'Frost Hardy' Fizz

Unfortunately if you do take you eye off the vegetable plot, especially to new vegetable seedlings you haven’t sown before, then unexplained disappearances can occur. There are a number of reasons for this, including cold temperatures, pests in the soil, seedlings rotting and disappearing.

My winter seedling disappearances include:

• Winter Cauliflower,
• Turnip,
• Spicy Leaves

Unfortunately it’s just the way nature deals the cards and as I’m not one to give up on things easily, better luck next time!

Other Posts you may be interested in:

• Benefits of Growing Vegetables in Winter
• The Last Veg Seed Sowings of the Year
• From Flowers to First Beans
• Blackfly on Broad Beans

Share

I love Twitter (Follow me @igrowveg) because its so simple to pick up the ipad/laptop/phone and log onto twitter or echofon (a twitter app) and see what everyone is talking about, share what I’m growing or highlight a recipe or comment on some bad singing on x-factor.

As vegetable growing and gardening are hobbies which are acustomed to communites and chatting, twitter is the best place to find allotmenteers, back garden veg growers, container balcony specialists, garden designers etc. So I’d like to showcase the best of these each month on my blog. So here are my recommendations this month.

Urban DirtTv

UrbanDirtTv

Web: http://urbandirt.tv
Twitter: @UrbanDirtTv

This new YouTube web series on garden design is friendly and captivating and the encouragement and advice provided by host David Walrod makes you want to see the final garden design revealed.

The chosen backyard for the make over is an average size and has some usual issues like privacy, ugly brick walls and concrete steps, pathways needed, no eating area, needs to be low maintenance. Its easy to see how you could use ideas in the web series to makeover your own garden from these problem areas.

Episodes 1 to 5 have been released already covering topics like planning your design, installing a water fountain, wall murals and more, theres something for everyone from power tools, to building structures and planting ideas to garden artwork. Check it out, the big reveal is coming soon!

YouTube:http://youtu.be/T6Bm92QMbBE

Allotmentor

Allotmentor.com

Web: http://www.allotmentor.com
Twitter: @allotmentor

This website is a collaboration between Damion Young and Simon Hayes so welcome to your new virtual allotment neighbour. This site is relatively new but there’s plenty of advice on crops, pests etc and more information soon.

I particularly like the idea of logging in and leaving your own tips and sharing these with other growers and the Associations page to let you know where your local allotments or community gardens are located. If you like the sound of it, why not nip over the garden fence and say hi to the allotment community.

Reader Sheds

Garden Shed

Web: http://www.readersheds.co.uk
Twitter: @readersheds

Apparently all good allotmenteers and gardeners should have one of these… a shed and this site has taken this to the max, showcasing their reader’s sheds and running a yearly competition – get your entries in now for 2012 Shed of the Year.

There’s loads of pictures of shed’s on this site from eco to offices to bog standard garden sheds, so get your fix or just some inspiration.

Lawns for You

Fairy Ring Lawn

Web: http://www.lawnsforyou.com
Twitter: @lawnsforyou

I don’t know about you but my lawn has never been a thing of beauty, slowly over the years the bumps have got bumpier, moss has spread and waterlogged spots are still boggy, so when I stumbled upon this site on twitter I thought all my christmassy’s had come at once with the hope on mending my lawn.

This site has plenty of articles including Winter lawn maintenance and moss control, mole problems, laying a new lawn and top dressing your lawn from the grass and lawn care expert Duncan Gray.

Bugs In The Garden

Bugs in The Garden iPhone App

Web: http://www.bugsinthegarden.com
Twitter: @MyGardenApps

If you have ever seen a bug or insect on your vegetable plants and not known what it is, then this site and app for the iPhone you need! Quickly identify garden bugs by choosing the vegetable you are growing, then click on the bug for a plant damage description and solution on how to remove them from your garden. This really useful and easy to use iPhone app by Justin Davidson is definitely something I’ll be referring to in the new growing year.

For more veg growers and gardeners on Twitter, follow my Lists:

• Veg Grower Twitter List
• Gardener Twitter List

For more information about growing vegetables on Twitter, try the Topsy Twitter search engine for keywords like #growyourown or #allotment

Share

Here’s a few last minute quirky Vegetable Grower Gifts for 2011 which will help you find a present for the gardener who has everything. Please note the majority of last delivery dates are 20th – 22nd December, but please check on the individual shop websites for more details.

For the Man in your Life

Crazy Plant Man T-Shirt

Crazy Plant Man T-Shirt

Shop: CafePress – Crazy Plants
Colours: Various including Green
Sizes: S to 3XL
Also Available in: Long Sleeve T-Shirt

I’m not suggesting all men who grow plants are crazy, but if you find one that is, into plants I mean and happens to be totally crazy, then this is the gift for them.

Here’s a special Men’s Gift Bag to go with it.

I Love Sheds T-Shirt

I Love Sheds T-Shirt

Shop: CafePress – Readersheds
Sizes: Small to 2XL
Colours: Vary with Clothing Type – Navy, White, Grey, Black, Pink
Alternatives: I Love Sheds Clothing range includes: hoodies and sweatshirts. Other gifts include: Mugs and shot glasses.

In association with Readersheds.co.uk, this range of clothing has been lovingly produced for all types of shed lovers (men and women). This would be the perfect present to shed off the winter blues by wrapping up warm in one of these T-Shirts, Sweaters or Hoodies. It definitely beats the christmas knitted jumper with santa on.

Technology Genius

Green Leaf iPhone Case

iPhone Leaf Case

Shop: Zazzle
Colours: Green Leaf, Wood Textures and Brown Leaf
Also Available: iPad Case

A realistic looking vibrant green leaf case for the iPhone and iPad is the perfect gift for when nature meets technology and camouflage’s it. Perfect for anyone who loves nature, the outdoors or growing plants, just be careful not to put it down in the woods, you may not find it again.

Music Lover

Can You Dig It? CD

Can You Dig It? CD Album

Shop: Can You Dig It?
Features: A bumper crop of 16 humorous songs sung by Jo Stephenson and Dan Woods about growing your own vegetables.
Song titles include:

• To Who Ever Stole my Giant Marrow,
• A Sprout is not only for Christmas,
• Somethin’s Been Nibblin’ Me Pumpkins,
• Derrick the Evil pigeon and
• there’s even a bit of a rap thrown in for good measure called Gardener Vs Slug.

There are snippets of a few of the tracks on the website to wet your appetite.

Last Order Date: 20th December 2011.

Windowsill Growers

Capsule Pots

Capsule Pot

Shop: Not on The High Street – Beecycle

A stylish self watering space saving capsule which can be put on your desk or windowsill, it comes with a choice of four herb seeds (Basil, Thyme, Parsley and Oregano) just add water and the seeds to start growing.

This is a lovely little stocking filler that anyone would love to have sitting in their window, it would also be good for children as well.

Take a Note or Two

Allotment Sticky Note Pad

Allotment Sticky Note Pad

Shop: Wildforms.co.uk

A handy compact note pad with sticky sheets decorated with allotment illustrations is the perfect stocking filler for the gardener that can never find a bit of paper when they need one. Just remember to buy a pen too attached to a bit of string.

Gardeners Magnetic Memo Pads

Memo Pads

Shop: EggCup and Blanket

This is a bumper 3 Memo pads pack containing:

• Gardeners notes,
• Things to do in the garden and
• Planting notes.

These are perfect for the home gardener, all with handy magnetic strips so they can be attached to the fridge. With 96 Tear off sheets in each pad means you’ll never forget to write down when and where your seeds were sown.

Veg Based Words

Edward Monkton’s range of gifts are great and their words bring joy and happiness to all, so here’s are a few vegetable garden gifts you might be interested in:

Friendship Kitchen Worktop Saver

Worktop Saver

Shop: CampusGifts.co.uk

A lovely worktop protector for the kitchen made from tempered glass and is heat resistant up to 160 degrees centigrade. Easy to clean and a joy to read the words of wisdom as follows:

The GARLIC is a friend of the CARROTS
the CARROTS are friends of the POTATO
the ONION is fickle and cannot decide
where her loyalties lie and has hence
formed a LOVELESS but PRACTICAL
alliance with everyone except the
BROCCOLI. Do not ask about the
BROCOLLI it will only MAKE YOU CRY

The Garden of your Heart Coaster

The Garden of your Heart

Shop: CampusGifts.co.uk

A drinks coaster for that perfect cup of tea or shot with the meaningful words as follows:

The GARDEN of your HEART
And in the Sacred Garden of
your HEART grow 4 bright
flowers – of Kindness, Wonder,
Happiness and LOVE.

Fruits Designs

Fruit Tree Apple Makeup Bag

Apple Makeup Bag

Shop: CampusGifts.co.uk

A lovely bright apple designed makeup bag measuring 7 inch by 5 inches with a zipper apple and polker dot lining.

Also Available: Apple Design in a Wallet, Tote Bag or overnight bag and Pear Design.

Real Fruit

The Mulberry Crate

The Mulberry Crate

Shop: Gluttonous Gardener

Introduce your nearest and dearest to growing fruit trees with this fabulous growing gift of a ready to plant mulberry tree, mulberry jam and syrup in a lovely presentation gift box and gift message included.

Alternatives: The Winter Chills and Misery Kit, The Nut Case and The Wild Strawberry Box.

Have a Great Christmas from iGrowVeg.com

Share

Last nights temperatures went down to zero degrees in the south but if you think thats cold, spare a thought for Felicity Aston who is on a 70 day solo trek across Antarctica in temperatures of minus 10 to 30 degrees centigrade. I have been following her tweets and phonecasts on twitter @felicity_aston with great interest as she is from Kent where I grew up. Find out how she is surviving in these arctic conditions and her mapped journey on the Expedition website.

This got me thinking about plants and how they survive in winter, so here are some survival tips on how to keep your vegetable seedlings and bulbs happy throughout the winter.

1. Wrap them up

Plot covered in fleece protection

Remember seedlings that grow over winter are already hardy to some extent. In frosty or snowy conditions, they will need a cloche or fleece tunnel to protect them. But no need to worry, most vegetables make it out alive! 10 Vegetables that can survive the Snow.

Make Your Own Cloche:

• Building a Small Fleece Tunnel
• Building a Geoff Hamilton Giant Cloche

2. Let the winter weather do the watering for you

Frosted Nature

There is more than enough moisture from rainwater, dew, frost, ice and snow to keep the soil wet. In the winter, I sit back and let the weather do my watering for me. I don’t water my broad beans, peas, onions and shallots overwinter because I don’t want them to rot or wither from water-logging.

Whilst you are sitting back and relaxing, why not plan next years vegetable plot with my 7 part series, free plot plans and templates.

• Planning Your Vegetable Plot Part 1
• My Vegetable Plot Plans – From beginners to colourful veg to salads and more.
• Free Resources – extra pdf’s and templates to accompany my Plan Your Veg Garden series
• Veg Variety Gallery – Stuck for what variety to grow? Try a few of my showcase vegetables

3. Check on your seedlings from time to time

Its worth checking on your plants now and again for any pests like slugs (they love wet weather), frost damage, cloche collapse, plants falling over that may need staking etc. Also its good to check how your plants are growing.

Don’t worry if they haven’t grown a lot, they do tend to slow down over the winter and will start growing when the temperatures rise in Spring.

• Slugs and how to get rid of them!

4. After snowfall, check for collapsed cloches

My snowy vegetable plot

Cloches or fleece tunnels tend to collapse with the weight of snow so its best to clear the snow away and any ice thats formed on the netting or fleece as this will block the ventilation and air circulation under the cloche and may prevent light getting to your seedlings.

Try to clear the cloche before ice has formed as its quite difficult to remove without misshaping or damaging the cloche.

• The Affects of Snow, Ice and Cold on your Vegetables

5. Mulch to lock in the moisture

Autumn Leaves

In this weeks Gardeners World christmas special, they spoke about the importance of mulching and how it keeps the moisture in the ground and feeds the soil with homemade compost. Remember to keep the mulch away from the plant stems due to rotting.

• How to Mulch and Mulching Materials
• How to use organic fertiliser on your Veg Plot

6. Unwrap Seedlings in Spring

Broad Beans Flowering

If you are growing Broad Beans or peas or flowering vegetables, Springtime, the month of April is when the last frosts have finished and the weather will begin to warm up. This will kickstart your seedlings into growth.

Remove the cloches and tunnels to allow the bee’s and insects to pollinate your bean and pea flowers, this will provide food for wildlife emerging from hibernation and you’ll get more pods to harvest. Its great to watch the first flowers forming on broad beans after the winter, its one of my favourite times to be in the garden.

• From Flowers to First Beans
• Its a bugs life in the vegetable garden

Share

My first ever Radish

I absolutely love the design of my new logo which can be found at the top of my blog and newsletter. The Radish icon has great significance to me as it was the very first vegetable I grew and harvested on my vegetable plot back in 2007.
Post: Radish Harvest – Delicious!

Radishes have struck a chord with me throughout my vegetable growing years as I have harvested them every year. I have grown French Breakfast, Scarlet Globe and Pink Beauty to find a mild variety to satisfy my taste buds. I found my tastiest Radish last year in the form of the beautifully rosy ‘Pink Beauty’ Variety.
Post: Harvesting Radishes – Pretty in Pink

The humble radish is one of the easiest vegetables to grow so to have the radish icon on the iGrowVeg logo is brilliant, its like saying start growing your own vegetables here as its easy when you know how.

Pink Beauty Radish

More News

And there’ll be more news from iGrowVeg in a few months time as I have some projects in progress at the moment. All will be revealed in the New Year!

In the meantime I’d love to hear what you think of my new logo, please leave your comments below.

Share