April is Go!

I always feel that March is the prelude and April's the full blown symphony as far as my seed activities go.

I don't have a greenhouse and the coldframes are stuffed with overwintering pretties, so April's my main month for sowing. I hadn't quite realised quite how much there is to do this month until I decided to put all of April's packets into one box, so I can just pick it up and go whenever I need them. The main reasons why there's so many are:
  • I use lots of different leaves for salads and have a large wodge there at the back ready for successional sowing
  • I've gathered quite a few different packets of various native flowers together during the clear out of my main seed tins ready for some light guerrilla gardening
  • I've decided to grow my own Nigella seeds for curries and bread making, plus lots of different Basils for pesto and pasta sauces
  • I always have too many different seeds anyway
As well as the massive salad and guerrilla gardening stashes, there's the cucurbit stash of cucumbers, courgettes, squashes and melon seed which will be sown much later this month, when my window sill's cleared of the current germinating batches and the weather's warmer. This week will see the seed potatoes planted and I'm in the process of chitting my peas and parsnips as usual, plus starting off the saved chilli seed from last Autumn.

It looks like little and often is the only way I'm going get through that lot. Wish me luck!

Comments

  1. Victoria Summerley8 April 2011 at 10:42

    You put me to shame. I have got some seeds on the go, though - including Mina lobata, which I got free with a copy of Amateur Gardening. I'm amazed at how fast they're growing - I'm running out of space too. I thought I'd have at least two weeks before I pricked them out.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lu8 April 2011 at 13:23

    pardon my ignorance - how do you chit peas??

    ReplyDelete
  3. VP8 April 2011 at 13:26

    Victoria - gosh no! Seeing that seed stash has made me realise just how far behind I am with everything!

    Lu - the link explains all I hope...

    ReplyDelete
  4. themanicgardener8 April 2011 at 15:37

    I do indeed wish you luck--though like Victoria, I am eclipsed by your organization and industry. (Makes you sound like a bustling new business, I fear...)
    --Kate

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chris8 April 2011 at 19:12

    How I love a box of seeds! Only this year found some out of date little beauties from RHS and VBG, but thought I'd give it a go anyway. What's to lose? Just keep on sowing...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Janet/Plantaliscious9 April 2011 at 08:48

    I have a box just like that! And little and often is about right - otherwise I shall go mad. I probably will anyway... I sometimes feel the box is nagging me...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chris9 April 2011 at 15:24

    I've still got a huge pile of seeds from last year in my little seed tin that, sadly, never got planted. Boy am I behind again this year. Have you got anything in the ground yet?

    ReplyDelete
  8. VP10 April 2011 at 08:42

    Kate - how lovely to see you! I'm a bit worried though - I feel most disorganised at the moment. As for a new business - I'm starting one of those too :)

    Chris - I had so many open and out of date packets I simply couldn't have kept up with them all. What you see is the edited version!

    Janet - you've summed up how I feel perfectly

    Chris - welcome :) Whilst you were writing your comment I was planting my spuds - so yes I have!

    ReplyDelete

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