Spring is on the way :)

The days are getting noticably longer and the blackthorn in the hedges around us is starting to flower.

The peak time for seed sowing for most gardeners is March, which is only a week away now, although the keen beans will have already sown quite a few things.

What you can sow and when depends a lot on what kind of infrastructure you have for propagation.

If you sow mainly directly into the soil then you want to wait till the soil warms a bit, but if you are lucky enough to have covered space then you have more options available.

Click the button below to visit the seed shop:

How we propagate our tomatoes, chillies and aubergines

1. Fill a 9cm pot or seed tray with fine seed sowing compost
2. Sprinkle some seeds on the surface and then cover with a thin layer of compost ~5mm and press down to make sure seeds have good contact with the compost
3. Water with a very fine-rose watering can, being careful not to displace the seeds
4. Place in a warm spot; you can use an electric propagator, or a sunny windowsill above a radiator. The seeds will germinate best with even temperatures of 20-30C; if they get cold at night they will take longer to come up
5. Once the seedlings have emerged, they can be pricked out into module trays or pots depending on your space availability. If you use modules you may need to pot on again once the plants are 4 inches tall
6. Keep well watered but do be careful not to over-water, especially chillies. Your compost should be as moist as a moist chocolate cake but no wetter or the plants will suffer
7. Once risk of frost has passed, probably around mid-May, your plants can be planted out in a sunny sheltered spot or under cover. They may still benefit from being covered by a bit of horticultural fleece if the weather is cold

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All the best and happy seed sowing :)

Fred, Ronja, and the rest of the team

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P.S. in our next newsletter we take a deep dive into propagation methods as March is the busiest month for seed sowing - stay tuned