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These pages are designed to offer general advice to the Home Gardener and should be taken as a guide only.
*** New page! *** Autumn and Winter Lawn Care
Growing from Seed - for beginners
Tips:
- Use clean pots and trays.
- Use fresh compost
- Don’t firm the compost – let watering and natural settling do this for you
- Water from beneath or the surface may crust over
- Sow sparingly (allowing for an average of 75% germination)
- Be patient!!
What can go wrong?
- Too dry
- Too wet
- Damping off, a fungal disease which may be reduced by early application of Cheshunt compound, available from garden centres
- Planting too deeply. Some seeds require light to germinate. The packet will usually tell you if this is the case.
- Too cold. This includes positions which are too draughty
- Too warm. This includes positions above radiators
- Pests such as woodlice, slugs and snails, mice
> Woodlice eat dead materials but may attack live growth if in very close proximity to dead matter e.g. growing through a pile of dead leaves
> Slugs and snails will, unfortunately, eat pretty much anything – especially it seems, if the seedlings are very precious or have taken a long time to emerge!
> Mice will dig for peas and beans especially. Soak seeds in paraffin oil overnight prior to sowing, or cover with a fine wire mesh so it is not as easy to dig down and get the seeds. Or pre-germinate on cotton wool or kitchen towel and plant out very carefully afterwards.
Beginner Flowers
- Snapdragon
- Sunflower
- Monkey flower
- Californian poppy
- English Marigold
- Nasturtium
Beginner Vegetables
- Tomato
- Bean – broad, French and runner varieties
- Potato
- Courgette/ Squash
- Radish
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