The pros and cons of sowing early

As I said in my last post, I've not sown this early before so I knew there was a chance that things would not go according to plan.

The fact is seeds need warmth and light to germinate, two things January is not renowned for.

The other day, after a major dumpage of snow, it just seemed bizarre to look at the seeds snug in their propagators with a backdrop of freezing temperatures and snow.

One of the disadvantages to sowing early is that sometimes the seedlings go very leggy, the poor things are straining to seek out more daylight.

So, yes some of my tomatoes have gone quite leggy. I rejected one or two that were really quite lanky but the others I have potted up, planting quite deep in the pot and earthing up around the lower parts of the seedling as tomatoes like that.

 So far they seems happy enough.

I've now potted up dianthus, various varieties of tomatoes, chives and aubergine which I'm really pleased with. So the advantage of being brave/reckless about sowing early is when plants like aubergine and peppers that need a longer growing season get a bit of a head start.

I have cayenne and jalapenos getting bigger by the day.

Each day. there is a little more light at the end of the day and that can only be a good thing for getting those seeds going.

And finally, our cat Immy is not a fan of the snow so I was able to look after the birds a bit more than usual. Some strategically placed apple attracted this gorgeous female blackcap who fed almost constantly for nearly a week.

So the snow had gone and the rain and wind are back with avengance.

Roll on Spring.

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