STOP! DON’T Sow Your Seeds in January… Here’s Why
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- Опубликовано: 8 июл 2024
- STOP! Do not start sowing your seeds too early! Or at least don’t sow your seeds until you’ve watched this. Because here’s 10 things you need to know about sowing your seeds in January and February!
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// Timestamps //
0:00 Intro
0:23 Don't Sow Your Seeds Yet!
1:16 1: Equipment
2:43 2: Etiolation
3:22 3: Waste
4:06 4: Space
5:00 5: Overwhelm
6:01 6: Early Cropping
6:54 7: Last Frost Date
8:14 8: Compost Nutrition Levels
9:10 9: Potting On
9:35 10: There's Isn't Just One Way...
10:22 My Advice
#gardening #irishgardener #irishgarden 
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Do you sow lots of seeds, very little seeds, or no seeds at all in January and February? Let me know what you think!
Tomatoes, pepper, aubergine, lobeilia, celeriac, onions if not done in December, petunia's. Trying some leeks this year. May try some early peas in guttering.. I use propagator, grow lights and a south facing conservatory. If the weather is too cold some nights will leave an electric fire on to keep the temperature above 7 and not greater than 10 degrees C. You are right about the space, the conservatory is crammed full by April/May when things begin to go out.
I absolutely loved this video mate! Really well put together and informative! 🙌🏽💪🏽
I start a lot of early spring cut flowers, tomatoes, and peppers.
@@shesamadgardener What cut flowers do you sow? I have always grown vegetables plus something for hanging baskets. I know little about flowers, other than sweet peas and the odd flower. I want to grow cut flowers for my wife. I also need to grow yellow and/ or blue flowers for my daughter. Any advice most welcome.
@@KPKENNEDY The easiest cut flowers I’ve grown are zinnias and tithonia (Mexican sunflower) and they’re also butterfly favorites. Regular sunflowers are super easy too and look beautiful as cut flowers. There’s also bulbs of all kinds! Hard to screw those up and they come back year after year. :)
I live up in Scotland and I grow my chillis as perennials. I cut them back to about 4-6 inches in early October, top dress with fresh compost and let them reshoot from the base slowly over the winter. I now have some stocky little plants looking as healthy as can be, and by the time the equinox arrives in March, they'll be fully fledged plants again ready to hit the new season running. My Scotch Bonnet will be 5 this year 😊
To clarify, the chillis are indoors. Winter polytunnel is for Salad, Garlic and Spring Onions 🌱🌿
I did the same this year with one chilli and didn’t bother cutting it back. Seemed to get enough warmth and light on my windowsill and it’s already starting to grow tiny flower buds 😳
I usually sow too early and end up overwhelmed with hundreds of leggy plants that I’m moving in and out of the house! This year I’m forced to start later as I don’t have a light warm(ish) space for them. In a way I’ve bought myself a bit of free time, mind you I’ll be frantically rushing around come March! Fab video! :)
Yeah I totally agree with you - the leggy seedling thing just seems to be a thing that happens to the best of us. You certainly have bought yourself free time, and at least that mad seed-sowing-and-growing rush will happen in nicer more optimistic weather!
Another thing to consider with plants raised completely indoors under lights is that they must be gradually acclimatised to outside conditions before you plant them out into the garden. Strong sunlight and cold winds can quickly wreck healthy indoor seedlings unless they are carefully and gradually exposed to them over the course of several days.
You make a very valid point! I think that should be Point 11 on my list!!
This is what I needed to watch today. We are setting up our first garden, no dig permaculture, and I am going to collect my seeds on Saturday and they are all heirloom, organic and you have just saved whole lot of them! Thank you!
Wonderful! And thanks for the lovely comment!
Niall thanks for curbing my excitement and reminding me that patience is a virtue indeed!
I think with Covid we're all keen to get back into the greenhouse and get growing. I've been focused on soil prep and recycling my seed trays from last year. Enjoying my miniature daffodils piercing through the soil. Roll on March 😁
I'm so glad I listened to your video Niall. It's my first year with an allottment. I've sown 24 Cauliflower seeds 17 days ago in my kitchen window and they look leggy! I was keen to sow something else but not now.
No more indoor sowing for me this year. I think I was just a bit too keen.
Great video thank you.
I'm an American zone 9. Texas. We start our seeds indoors in late January. Our last frost date is March 7th. I hope your viewers understand you are speaking about what is best for your growing zone.
I presume you didn't get his accent. He's from Northern Ireland. Probably the worse place in Britain for weather, which itself is one of the most changeable weather patterns in the world. You have it easy in Texas, maybe water is your biggest problem? We have too much. Happy Growing Tex.
@@TheDAT9 We get about 50 inches of water a year here in my part of Texas. Very humid. Very hot. The sun tries to kill everything in July/Aug/Sept. Have to get our growing in early. Yes. I recognized his accent. My neighbor is from Ireland. Never can tell where a person actually is.
@@TexasHomesteaders Hello folks I live in the White Cottage, it's near Boston, old Boston Lincolnshire. Too far north to grow peaches, but we get good apples.
@@TheDAT9 It depends on which part of Texas you are in. Some areas it's easier to grow things than others. Houston for example is very swampy and the heat of summer can make tomatoes drop blossoms. It can be a challenge to find plants that will grow well here.
Last year's winter storm didn't help matters. People lost a lot of plants and had to start over. This year looks a little better. But, it's still colder than it should be.
So glad that You Tube directed me towards your videos today! Thoroughly enjoying the content! Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you!
This was so important to say! Last year my enthusiasm got the most of me, and as someone with a very small inside growing space, I was overwhelmed by April and in trouble by May when we had an abnormally cold spring. This year I'm waiting.
Couldn't agree more Niall, like you I sow seeds every month of the year, to spread the load and fit in with the seasons. I dont use lights but I do have and use a bench propagator and a kitchen windowsill propagator to help me "cheat the system" of my local weather here in Cumbria. My season is shorter than much of the UK so I start things that will benefit from the extra early start, long season crops mostly. There is a "bandwagon" effect that everyone jumps on, especially here on youtube. But knowledge is king in these scenarios, and everything I sow early is for a very good and considered reason, and they are my own reasons, not the bandwagons!...Steve...😃
How do you stop “leggy” without lights? Heat I can do but lights not so much.
Hi! Thanks for the comment - I agree with your point entirely about spreading the load across the months, that really is so important. Yeah I can well imagine your growing conditions in Cumbria - even though you're not that far from me in a straight line, our conditions will most likely be quite different
Thanks for the great advice Niall! I was starting to feel the pressure to start my seed sowing today. After watching your video, I now feel that it is ok to wait. 😊
Fantastic! 100% do not be feeling under pressure - taking a bit of a pause will only make things easier and more enjoyable in the spring!
Great video Niall, nice to see your channel doing well. Editing is top notch
Such a great video with so many good points. I've learned so many of these lessons through growing chilis and so they're really the only plants I concern myself with in terms of lights and heat. Everything else can go out when they're hardy enough. So easy to end up with hundreds of small pots!
Cheers JB! Glad you enjoyed it! Totally agree - I think this year for me it'll only be peppers, chillies, and a few flowers.
Such a lovely video! Amazing advice and honest opinions. You have saved me so much money and time
That was a lovely video, thanks! I inevitably sow a few things too early each year, so this was a great reminder. My fave seeds for January are sprouting seeds. :D.
Ooo, I needed to hear all of this … I love starting seeds for the pure joy of growing them but it’s definitely important to think all the way through the process before starting to many. Thank you!
That's so nice that you think so - glad that you found it useful 👍
Such good advice!! Even though I’m in zone 7b, we have at least a foot of snow on the garden right now and often get some snow the end of February. So I can’t prep beds until then. It’s hard to wait! I am planning the garden and figuring out what seeds I can start indoors, however. 😊 Thanks for the tips! 🌱💕
Thank you. I watch too many videos where the people live in the South of England or parts of Wales where the weather is not like here in N Ireland and I think ohh I must start sowing. Your video has come at the right time. I will hold back until March.
Thank you for your time in making this wee video, I appreciate it and hope this finds you well
Thank you! You too!
I needed to hear this so much!!! Thanks Niall! :)
You're so welcome!
Great video and a very balanced advice. Keep up the great videos Niall.
Thanks so much for this great advice. Was definitely feeling the panic set in so now I'm going to chill for a bit and allow myself to be patient. I've already created another no-dig area last month and also a new soft fruit bush area planted up so that's just fine I reckon. Relatively new to gardening these last 2 years and am loving your cheery, uplifting and enthusiastic approach. Best wishes to you.
You're welcome! Glad that you're liking the style of the videos. I think it sounds like you're making great progress already with your raised beds and soft fruit area. Keep me posted in the comments with how you're getting on!
Great! Thanks for pointing these out :)
Yes! Very easy to get carried away with early sowings!
Yes I’m definitely realising that the seeds I plant directly in the soil seem to come through healthier and stronger without all that fuss of potting up etc. Great video thankyou
Very interesting and useful message for an apprentice gardener like me!! Thank you
Excellent video Niall 🥰
Really great video clip very professionally done - Brilliant!
So love your beautiful amalgam of encouragement and wisdom. ❤️ You really help keep us pragmatic about what's possible yet still feeling inspired and excited for growing.
You are so welcome, that's very kind! Thanks!
It's hard to be patient, but I think you've convinced me that it's worth waiting before I start sowing! I'm starting from scratch, so landscaping is what I need to concentrate on now.
I love this information ! Even though I had to figure this out by trial and error .😅 Thank You !
Was planning on starting Vegetables this year, but thank god I watched this- Thank you so much. Saved me the heartache of losing seedlings as well as time wasted. Will hold on abit longer… 👍
Glad it was helpful! I do think it's the right thing to do
Such a great video Niall. Many of us including me get excited. But there's no rush to sow everything. Spring is almost here & the fun begins.
Cheers Danny! I totally agree, there's no real rush and we can still sow a few faves and just enjoy them. Can't wait until this spring!!
@@niallgardens me too! Excited to see your garden burst into life 🌱
It depends on your planting zone. In southeastern Texas we can outdoor sow in fall and winter.
Totally agree - this is very much based upon my (and similar) climates
Love the vid and your no pressure style of advice new sub here 👌🏽
This is a really helpful summary. Thank you.
You're very welcome!
I always sow some seeds early, but have the gear to do it and have fun doing it. Its not easy to get good plants early in the year, and takes some time and failures to learn. Your advice is spot on and will save a lot of people a lot of grief trying to do it. Very good video 👍
Thanks Kevin - glad you agree with the points I make in the video. Like you say, it does take a combination of good equipment and experience - good luck with all your growing this year!
Great advice as always and beautiful filming. As you emphasise restraint is the order of the day. I sow most of my seeds in late March/April. My birthday is mid-April and spending the morning seed sowing is my treat to myself! I watch a RUclips Garden Answer which is American. Inspirational girl who is obsessed with seed sowing! She was demonstrating winter sowing for seeds that need stratification - empty clear plastic containers with lids, filled with compost, scatter the seeds, replace lid and leave outside in the cold, just as in nature. Never seen this recommended before. Last tip - use square pots for potting on - you can squeeze more in!
Thanks Honore! Glad you liked the video (and the filming!). I think you've got the right idea when it comes to your seed sowing. Thanks for the info about the stratification, and the tip on the square pots!
Great tip with the square pots! I watched her video too. I’ve sowed seeds outside last week in seed trays and cover them with those big clear plastic tote boxes. They make great mini greenhouses.
Absolutely brilliant! Completely agree with you Niall 😃
Thanks so much Liz! I think it's an important point worth making 👍
Finally!!! I am so glad the algorithm sent me your way. I am a new gardener, and I have been worried beyond measure about heating mats, early seed starting, and, more importantly, grow lights. I have vision problems, specifically cataracts and glaucoma. And I have been concerned about how those bright lights will affect my eyes over time. I've been down the rabbit hold looking at all this equipment so much so that my joy about the prospects of gardening have diminished. But one day while I was down that hole, I thought of my mother and my grandparents, all of whom were successful farmers and gardeners dating back to the early 1900s. I started wondering if they used heat mats or grow lights or if they started seeds early. In retrospect, I seriously doubt they did any of those things where they lived in GA/USA! You have confirmed and affirmed for me that those things are not necessary. And you reinstilled my joy and anticipation at the same time. May you and your garden be abundantly blessed. EBC in NC/USA, Zone 7B
Excellent video! This year, for once, I am doing less indoors. Right now in Ohio, the only things i have sprouted are parsley, artichoke, and eggplant. But I'm going to do three kinds of onions soon. So that's a lot.
Omg last frost date app! This is sooo useful for a newbie grower - thank you xxxxx
Which app is this? I looked for it, but not successful in finding it 🙂
I'm in Alaska. so I've already started my winter sowing jugs weeks ago. And have all my seeds didvided up for starting 10 weeks out down to four weeks out. An I'm outfitted with a grow tent and an assortment of grow lights. Fom full spectrum leds to shop lights. I'm itching to get started though, February 27th can't come soon enough!
Hi its Tina loved the vlog great advise
Very well said.
Out of all the Veg growing videos we are all influenced by!This is the best yet!I 100% agree with everything you said!Last year i did all the things i shouldnt have done!And ended up with plants coming out of my ears! Covid laws stopped me being able to travel and give seedlings and plants away,so im ashamed to say that some plants went in the bin.But don`t worry! Ive learnt a massive lesson.I admit i have sown pepper seeds today!But i do have a propagation cupboard.This year, there are going to be less plants ,less seeds and less varieties.I want to enjoy it more and concentrate on quality and not quantity!I have seen a couple of videos this week of people planting first early potatoes!I could not believe it!Anyone new to veg growing are being led up the garden path by videos like those.Most seed packets have sowing timings printed on for a reason.So after a good moan, let me thank you for making a proper instructional video!Keep up the good work and stay safe and healthy ,Shaun, North Wales.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a lovely and detailed comment - I really appreciate it. Glad you agree with the sentiment of my video, and that you think it's useful for people. Like you say, having something like a propagation cupboard makes all the difference. Take care, lovely to hear from you
Fantastic video Niall with great advice! Last year I was definitely guilty of "overwhelm" and sowed millions of seeds and far too early!!! Leggy plant city haha! I hadn't discovered you this time last year so I shall be doing everything properly this year. I have to say though, my fingers are itching to get sowing but I shall resist the temptation...well, maybe a few wee chilli seeds haha! thanks again Niall x
Hi Geraldine! Thanks so much for that lovely comment. I have way to many instances of the ol' leggy seedlings, so don't worry, you're in good company!! I'll be joining you in the sowing of the chilli seeds!!
Thank you for this!
My pleasure!
Great Video Niall thanks
You're welcome! Thanks for the lovely comment!
Hi Niall, good information as always, a lot of greetings from Serbia !
Hi from Ireland! Thanks!
This makes me feel better about waiting. I always get the urge to plant super early and then logic kicks in… so I’m working on setting up my compost system instead.
Glad you thought the video was good - cheers!
Thank you. I'm ttly new to this & am so scared i want to cry. Sadly, I do have something to prove (not by my own doing entirely). So, the pressure plus all the nuances are starting to get to me as January ends.
Just remember that in gardening there truly isn't anything to prove. You're free to make the choices you want and garden in your own style 😃
Great video Niall. I have 'the itch' to start sowing lol, and your points were spot on! I love your content, you always seem to hit the nail on the head. Oh, I loved your 'live' the other night too!! Keep up the good work!
Thanks very much Vivian! That was so cool that you were on the live - I was delighted when I saw your name pop up! I might just have to do those live videos more often!
@@niallgardens I couldn't agree more!!
I agree Niall with everything you have said, i don't have facilities or space to accommodate early sowing, i had fallen into the trap before and regretted, i do agree about the peppers etc, can you believe i still have peppers growing on a pepper plant from last season,and a tomato plant( did as a experiment). Thank you s always for good honest advice, basically many do but have the equipment and space,if you don't, hold off. I did the latter on your video, was out clearing, and pruning at home, as allotment not back open yet. Satisfaction i felt doing this did me good for now. Thanks again Niall, you always put yourself 110% into everything you do.
Hi Lorraine! I'm actually trying the same thing with overwintering my chillies and bell peppers, though I'm not sure how successful it's going to be! Glad you thought the video had worthwhile information. Yeah you really can't beat a bit of clearing and tidying in the winter can you - it's so satisfying knowing that the weeds are racing up when you turn your back!
@@niallgardens for sure satisfaction,nice to look out this am and see it was worth it. Nice to experiment,and see results. Enjoy your Sunday, may be overcast and wet,but still plenty to do. Thanks again Niall.
You are exactly right. Well said!
Thanks so much!
What camera and lense are you using? Beautiful video. Thank you.
In January, I started peas, radishes, and kale. Then my slow growers, tomatoes and peppers. It's a juggling act, though. Some are cold weather and can go in window sills, others can't. Some get enough sun, some move from window to window. All need transplanting often to keep them stretching. Always phasing everything, small steps. Never sprinkle a bunch of radish seeds into a tray. You'll need to transplant all those teeny, tiny sprouts into their own containers. Quite tedious. Lol 😆
Very useful advice.
Glad you think so! Thanks!
This is a fantastic video, and so pleased you gave decided to talk about this. And I have to confess....ive already started sowing some veggies! And I already know/feel stressed as I was just so impatient some seedlings are already leggy! Ahhhh!!! Why didn't I watch this video a few days ago!
Glad it was helpful! Thanks so much Patience! Don't worry, I think we all need to sow a few seeds at this time, just to get it out of our systems! 😂 I'm sure everything else you grow this year will do great!
Nill. Having watched your video I will force myself to delay the seed sowing!. I agree with the points you made and having made the same mistake of growing too early for years it is time to be patient. Thanks for the very interesting videos. Steve T.
Glad you agreed with the points I was making in the video - thanks very much!
We have a short growing season, so I do start most of my crops early indoors. This year our last frost date is moved up to May 5, a bit earlier than usual. Unfortunstely, we always get a hail storm at the end of May, so, I usually wait until the first week of June to transplant my seedlings. Last year it rained every day in the first week of June, which is abnormal.
My tomatoes and peppers were started early indoors, transplanted June 7, and they took the whole season outdoors to ripen fruit. Except, my San Marzano tomatoes were still full of fruit when we got our first frost. They were grown vertically on hooks and strings, so, I cut them at the base, removed all foliage, and hung them inside my sunroom with the stems in buckets of water until they could be picked early. 25 extra pounds!
So, I think this year I will go ahead and transplant them in May, anyway, but cover the hoop they are strung from, and cover individual plants if we get extra frosts or a late hail storm. They need those extra weeks to fully ripen. I can also make mini poly tunnels to protect anything else planted... just be ready, in case. It really is a juggling act and a lot of babying when you have short growing seasons... but those San Marzanos were amazingly productive, and sooo worth it!
Hi Joanie! I think it sounds like you've got the right idea considering your conditions. It sounds like you grow a really fantastic range of things - I like it!!!
These are really great to confirm all I did wrong!
Personally still happy I blindly forged ahead anyways and learned the hard way, otherwise I'd be so overwhelmed and not do anything 😅.
Re-started properly this time!
Glad it helped, or at least confirmed what you were thinking!
Really good information.
Glad it was helpful!
@@niallgardens as the new growing season is approaching I am gathering information about what to sow this year. Hopefully this year will be also good for all the gardeners in 🇬🇧
really appreciate all of your information and advice! Have you ever started hardy mums from seeds? hopefully they're not too complicated =)
Great tips and advice Niall! Have you ever tried Winter sowing?
Thanks! I have indeed - I have a growlight, propagator, etc... so I do get very early things going, like chillies, aubergines, peppers 😃
Great video Niall. I too get overwhelmed with all sorts of things. And have in the past started seeds off way to early ( feb i think) and had many if not all of the problems you mentioned. Also watching a fellow utuber. Tony C Smith. Who started a load of chilli peppers early last yr for selling. But got a huge electric bill. So how ever much our palms are itching. We need to reign ourselves in if we dont want disappointments.
Thanks Nicola! Great that you enjoyed the video! Oh that's a really interesting point about the electricity bill - that's not actually something I've thought about, but it's so true. Just wait until Spring kicks in and we can all go seed sowing mad!
Great advice for those who don’t have a green house, poly tunnel or conservatory
Glad you think so! Thanks very much for the lovely comment!
Good navigation, Niall :) Greetings from Aina in Sweden
Hi Aina! Thanks for the lovely message!
Never sown early and I've always had great harvests .We are in the midlands and I don't start till March .
5️⃣ Overwhelm. You and I sound very alike on this one! All in!!! I hit my threshold a few times last year, including at the start of the year when I was walking seed trays outside and back in again every day. And related to your 4️⃣ Space point, I had a LOT of trays - far too many. So I have managed to resist sowing seeds and will start 🌶🫑🍆 later this month, several weeks later than last year! Plus I’m tightening up how I pot on to conserve space for a bit longer too 🤞
Yeah overwhelm is very much a real thing isn't it! I can well imagine how you felt carrying all those seed trays in and out - phew! I think it sounds like you've got the right idea this year
Bravo!!
Thank you!
The only seeds i will sow in January or February are ones needing a bit of stratifying. We don't have room for seeds indoors really and certainly not for grow lights etc. I am going to try peppers this year and chilli's but they won't be sowing them until later and I will look to over winter them after that.
It's such a learning curve learning to grow here in the UK, where I lived in Australia we didn't really have to worry too much about alot of the things we have to worry about here. Even during winter I could grow tomatoes without too much hassle so knowing the growing seasons wasn't such a hard line. I do appreciate your take on this though it helps alot. Thanks hun great vid as always xox
Hiya! Yeah there are some huge differences between Australia and here, aside from the opposite seasons!! Glad you enjoyed the video! Take care xxx
Good info 👍
Glad you thought so! Thanks Debbie! I'm so aware that whilst I make these kind of videos myself, it has the potential to lead people astray as well. So I'm paying my dues! 😂
@@niallgardens thank you, it makes sense really, you have very good no nonsense honest advice 👍
harry vu here, in door seeds until march to ready plant to plant it in garden
Read the weather the ground the surroundings I say, I'm an intutive gardener
I'm going to try winter sowing this year. I do have a grow light set up as well. I'm only going to try herbs indoors, and cool weather (broccoli, cauliflower etc) veggies for winter sowing. New York here, zone 6a
I think that's sounds like a fair plan - especially considering you have the grow light. Let me know how you get on!
Totally agree. Sowing now usually leads to disappointment, nothing more discouraging than a bunch of spindly seedlings by February. As a winter pacifier I sometimes sow things like common Impatiens flower seeds that need that extra time anyway, I have even sprinkled some seeds among the houseplants with good results, so my houseplants have impatiens flowers in April. Veggies can wait.
Hi Jeffrey! Oh I love the idea of sprinkling seeds in amongst houseplants - how cute! That's so cool!
I am very proud of myself I have barely sown anything so far, some brassicas, onions and a few peppers and aubergine seeds. And I won’t be doing more til at least mid Feb. it’s space for me and I don’t use a lighting system. Thanks for sharing 👍🇨🇦stay safe
Hi Ali! Go you! That's great - I'm exactly the same as you, except I'll be sowing some flower seeds also 👍
@@niallgardens 😂😂😂 now flowers 😱 I’ve loads to start my new crack Zinnias
Hope to do a few sweet peppers and aubergines. And looking forward to getting kale on the go.
Sounds great! Good solid choices for this time of year - I'm basically doing the same. Though I'm actually weighing up whether to grow aubergines this year. Last year WAS NOT a success! 😂 Plus we don't eat that many of them, so I might take a year off from them!
@@niallgardens ive heard that buying a grafted aubergine are much better.
I have previously planted seeds in vast quantities and early but this year have a calendar where I have planned my weekends of when to sow my seeds but only small numbers! yesterday planted a load of geraniums and are on my bay window which enjoys sunshine all day! Only plan to grow onions, spring onions and one type of tomato this month but concerned I have peppers planned in March to sow - is this too late?
Those geraniums will do great, I'm getting mine going this week too! I like the sound of the edited seed list that you're going for 👍 I have a viewpoint on when to sow peppers, but I've done a little research to make sure I'm giving you worthwhile info. I think if you get them going before the end of March you should be just fine. It's certainly much better than starting them too early and them just ending up all leggy and sad.
Great video, Niall!
Wanting to grow as sustainably as possible, I only provide light and heat to those plants that really need the time (chili peppers, mainly). But the time factor combined with "waste" is the main reason I'm holding off even longer than last year for most of my crops. We have fungus gnats - and I know we'll never completely be able to avoid them. The sooner I start seedlings, the more I will have to fight fungus gnats and the more seedlings will be irreparably damaged by them.
So all in all: brilliant video - I love how you've summarized the information - for beginners as well as for experienced growers.
You could always boil your starter soil? It’ll kill the larvae and then you can remix some myco in it at the time of sowing?
@@melissasullivan1658 - yes, I do steam it (in the oven) - but somehow they always manage to take hold 🙄
@@MorningsattheAllotment they’re so determined sometimes! My only other suggestion is to dry out the very top and bottom water and use a fan. Those yellow sticky gnat traps do catch them but they’re also such a pain to work around. Drying out the very top has helped me 80% of the time. Good luck!!
Thanks so much Rebekka! I totally agree with you that there's a sustainability point to all of this - the heat wastage, the electricity usage, etc... Really glad that you liked the video
4a.m here in Windermere, Florida zone 9b USA 🇺🇸
And January and February is a good time for me to get my seeds in the ground. Although we are supposed to drop to 40°F tomorrow morning.
We only have frost fear 😨 Jan 1 to
31st.
Your video was lovely and your presentation is professional and yet, endearing 👩🌾👍
A very good early morning to you Peggy! You're so fortunate to have that lovely warm winter climate - I'm jealous!! Glad you enjoyed the video!
@@niallgardens My husband guesses that your US route flies you into Boston. May I ask who you fly for?
Hello fellow 9ber! Yep, I have two full shelves of seedlings already. I know half will fail, but I’m making a concerted effort to get early tomatoes, flowers and ground cherries this year. It’s me vs Mother Nature and I WILL WIN. 😈
@@melissasullivan1658 Hi Melissa,
Stay warm today, looks like we have a cold night ahead 🥶
@@peggyhelblingsgardenwhatyo7920 I’m 9b/California. I’d kill for some more precipitation! But I saw some of that tornado damage yesterday and you can keep all that for yourself if that’s what it takes to have rain year round! Hope you’re warm and safe today. :)
Another great video, thank you! On a random side note, I love that yellow jacket, can I ask where you got it?
Thanks Danny! Yeah no probs - it's made by Stutterheim, a Swedish brand. I only recently got it... but you'll also see in my videos that I have an identical black one that I basically live in!
@@niallgardens thank you so much, I love it! 🥰
Good video
Thanks
Hahaha you're a lot nicer in your video then I was hahaha. But yes its that time of year were all itching to start! Peppers n greens started here.
Hahahaha! You know me, I always keep it nice!
@@niallgardens hey what do you mean by that? Ahahhabha
Just found you, nice video.
Thanks!
You could just start wintersowing. All you need are some bottles or milk jugs, and the plants get much healthier and stronger because they start outside. No lights, no tunnels, no nothing needed. No mess in the house. And you can start as early (fall), through winter, or as late (spring) as you like. The seeds themselves know when it's time to start growing.
Winter sowing methods certainly are a possibility for a lot of people 👍
Good advice, bit of a cutie, but good knowledge
Hahahaha! Thank you!
YES I ALWAYS GET THAT "ITCH " AND WAITING IS NOT MY STRENGTH!!
I START TOO EARLY EVERY YEAR.. BUT... THIS YEAR 2022 I AM WAITING TILL 3-01-22 ..LORD HELP!
GIVE ME STRENGTH!😊
You've got the right idea I think! Aside from the few specific seeds that I really want to get sown now, everything else will be waiting until March!
I tried last year to start flowers early and could never figure out why they failed, I think it had more to do with the sun’s location than the temps (I’m in 9b). Luckily I direct sowed some too so they popped up when they were supposed to. That said, my earliest tomato sown were the most prolific. I don’t even know how that miracle happened!
Hi Melissa! That's great that you had some success with the direct sowing 👍
I am going to wait until it’s warmer
Totally agree - I think that's a good call 👍
Hi Niall. Who are your seed supplier are they based in Ireland. The English companies are not sending seeds to Ireland now.
Hi Marion! I generally use seedaholic 👍
@@niallgardens Thank you for the reply Niall 🙂
I am going wait until it’s warmer indoors and then outdoors in pots.
Yeah I think you've got the right idea
Hi Niall from Dumfries and Galloway. I wont be sowing until end of Feb. Been caught out too much with leggy seedlings and an unheated greenhouse, so will definitely be waiting. Last Spring was a nightmare! Too cold just yet.
Hi Jenny! How're you? I completely agree with you - last Spring here was really tricky also. So for me, I'll be sowing a select group of flowers and edibles, and everything else will kick off later in the spring.
Typical, I already sowed baby sallad mix, wild strawberries and red sunflowers.
🙂👍🍀🌅
Really liked your video about sowing seeds in January and February. We all need to be sensible and curb our enthusiasm at this time of the year. Have subscribed and will follow you this year. Perhaps you might like to check us out? Best Wishes from, "Gardening Made Easy With The Old Country Gardener."
Thanks for the lovely comment