The Carrot Tops Allotment Blog!

Last time I posted, I talked about preparing equipment and your growing space ahead of growing you’re own own or if you’re getting into gardening – now it’s time for the fun bit, and that’s the sowing of your seeds!

Some might say I’m a little bit late to the party when it comes to sowing seeds at this time of year – mainly because I’ve seen lots of videos and images on social media of the seedlings and plants that are well and truly underway.

I’ve been holding off from sowing seeds due to the cold weather, but now things are picking up, I feel that wait is justified. I also live by the saying “Don’t cast a clout until May is out”, which means to not plant anything outside until May has been and gone – and this is to try and avoid the frost.

In this post, I’m looking at sowing indoor seeds in trays and pots, and hopefully showing you how easy it is to get started – as well as incredibly therapeutic.

The way that you sow is pretty much the same across the board, whether you’re sowing broccoli, cabbages, tomatoes, courgettes, pak choi, marrows, cucumbers and so forth.

All you need is a something to sow in, your seeds, compost and perhaps a label and that’s it!

Grab a tray, pot, tray or something that will hold compost and fill it with…. you’ve guessed it – compost, about two thirds of the way full.

In this demonstration, I’m using this polystyrene tray with 6 cells.

I’m growing broccoli here, so I plan to grow at last 4 plants in each cell, making a total of 24 plants, which should be ample.

Once you’ve added your seeds, you just need to cover the tops of the trays with compost and add a label so you know what it is.

Don’t forget to water and I’ll probably water every other day, or when I notice when they’re dry.

Kept watered and warm, you should see germination in about 7-10 days approximately – some plants take a little less time (courgettes and marrows for instance) and some take a little bit longer (cauliflower and Brussels sprouts), but be rest assured that these little efforts will be worth it in the end.

I wish there was more to write in this particular post, but it’s really as simple and as quick as that.

I hope you find this useful and I’d love to know what you’re growing and how you’re getting on in the comments below 🙂