A wonderful variety of colour from a mixture of hardy annuals and hardy perennials.
Sowing seeds is great fun. The good news is that there are different types of seeds that can be grown at different periods of the year. Apart from October – December there is probably some seeds that you can be sown under protection of gentle heat. This could be a sample seed sowing season
January – February.
This is time for early season crops like lettuce and spinach. They will need heat and cloche protection to grow. But, vegetables like Spinach may do better in colder times because they are less likely to grow from seed. Later crops may bolt in the heat of summer. February is also a good time for slow growing annuals like Datura.
However, if you do sow in February, growth will invariably be slower because of the lower light levels. Seed grown early, will need more care and time, but, can reward the patient garden with early season flowers and vegetables.
March / April.
This is the peak season for sowing hardy annuals and also half hardy annuals. Seeds grown in April will soon catch up with earlier grown seeds. Half hardy annuals can be sown in March but will need to be kept under glass for two months before risk of frost has passed. Some hardy annuals like Sweet Peas are worth sowing early as they are less likely to be affected by powdery Mildew.
May and June.
May and early June is the last chance to sow annuals of fruit and veg. Some good veg include Runner Beans which have a short and dramatic growing season. Even in late June, Runner Beans can be cropping by the end of summer. Good flowers to sow late include Sunflowers.
For more delicate veg like cucumbers and peppers, May is good time to sow for a late season crop.
June / July.
June or July is a good time to start thinking about bi-annuals like Foxgloves, Wallflowers, Sweet Williams, Penstemons e.t.c Sown in June or July, the plant will get established before winter, ready to spring into action the following spring / summer.
August / September.
For an early hardy annual crop, you can try sowing some plants in late summer. They will offer an early flowering season. It is a good technique if you have some spare land, you want to cover. e.g. Daisy, and Tagetes. You can also sow a green manure for covering bare soil over winter. – A good way to protect against soil erosion and weeds.
- Seed Selection at T&M
- Check out Gardeners tips for February
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