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Allotment holders / gardeners

On 16 Apr 2016 at 10:35am Rich wrote:

How are your seeds germinating this year? Have made several sowings of lettuce, beetroot, carrot and spring onion - all under glass and nothing has germinated yet. Cabbage and Kale in open ground are coming up fine.

On 16 Apr 2016 at 11:50am Celine wrote:

Could be your seeds. Gardening from Which did a seed germination test a few years ago that showed that alot of seeds sold in the UK were in effect dead. The worse offenders were the big name companies. Go for companies like King's, DT Brown, the Organic Gardening Catalogue and the Italian company that I can't remember the name of.

On 16 Apr 2016 at 11:51am Celine wrote:

Seeds from Italy!!!!

On 16 Apr 2016 at 6:04pm Percy Thrower wrote:

I would think that the soil is far too cold and far too wet for most things to have any decent germination. Watch for slugs too.

On 16 Apr 2016 at 6:24pm Allotment holder wrote:

I agree with celine, and have had varying success with different companies. I have so far had great success for the past two years using seed parade. I have both saved a small fortune on seeds and also had a very high germination rate with all my seeds from them. Sometimes though you just have to give them that little bit of extra time. Hope they start popping up soon.

On 17 Apr 2016 at 10:52am monty wrote:

i think although its April we are seasonally a month behind this year.

On 17 Apr 2016 at 12:09pm Celine wrote:

The soil is very wet and with that late cold spell I expect it's taking a long time to warm up.

On 17 Apr 2016 at 1:43pm Doug wrote:

It could well be a bad batch of seed - especially if it was from Thompson and Morgan. The carrots and beetroot that I planted in pots outside are just beginning to germinate now (after a long and anxious wait I must confess). Leeks and onion seeds are doing well now too. It's been cold and wet and more importantly, DULL. Some seeds actually need high light levels to germinate rather than being kept in the dark. It's still very early at the moment and there's still a good chance of a cold snap so I'd give it another go with a different packet of seed. If the originals come up they'll be a bonus. (P.S. I use Marshalls, D.T. Brown's , Kings or the Organic Garden Catalogue) as you seem to get more seed for your money. Suttons are good for peas and beans though.

On 17 Apr 2016 at 1:44pm Horseman7 wrote:

The problem with watching Gardener's World is that I feel inadequate that Monty has blooms everywhere when I have nothing. The very nice gardeners in The Grange assured me last week that everything is about a month behind here and, sure enough, things are starting to emerge now. But agree with Rich, no joy with seeds, either in the kitchen, cold-frame or ground. I will take the advice here and try a new supplier.