Seeds!

I was given a tip-off by Old Bob that Woolworth’s are currently doing a BOGOF on seeds (if you aren’t sure what that means think Safestyle Windows adverts and an annoying prat in a bad costume - “You buy one, you get one free, I said you buy one, you get one free”). So off I plodded through the sub-zero afternoon gloom, shopping list in hand.

Actually it really was freezing through The Walks, as the frost was melting off the trees by that time and it seems like it was sleeting large, painful blobs of icy gloop on everyone below. So I suffered for the sake of our garden, I truly am a modern, horticultural Captain Oates (“Lads, I’m just popping out to pick up some John Innes Number 6”).

Old Bob was right, and I ended up with 10 ticks on my list…..total cost was just over £8, and when I added up the individual packets later it would have been just over £17 without the offer. I think I’ll be pushing a Stella in Bob’s direction next time I’m in The Woolpack.

The one vegetable that I have been looking for a particular variety of is Runner Beans. It’s all because I somehow got talking about gardening in the waiting room at the dentist last week while waiting for my annual dental MOT….the lovely old boy I was chatting with could not praise the Runner Beans known as “White Lady” highly enough, so that’s what I decided to grow. Woolies didn’t have any of these but Wilkinson’s did (mind you, they cost £2.99 for 50 seeds), so if you’re after this variety you know where to go!

This morning I also asked the Wednesday Gardeners on the radio a few questions, and got some good advice:

Q - What can we do on the allotment in the next couple of weeks?

A - Onion sets and shallots can go in any time from now. Get your seed potatoes chitting somewhere dry, as soon as possible. Prepare as much of the soil as you can.

Q - Should we start our vegetable seeds in pots or trays indoors now, or sow them straight into the ground later on?

A - Things like beans, peas, the “legumes” can be started in pots now if you like, and transferred into the ground later on. Things like parsnips, carrots etc (the root veg) should go straight into the ground as moving them will lead to the shape and strength being affected.

Q - When should we start sunflowers, as we want to hold a sunflower sweepstake in the local pub?

A - Start them in pots at the end of February, and plant them out at the end of April. For the biggest plants use a variety called “Russian Giant”.

Good advice Gardeners, thanks!