Some seeds can manage being buried, others will grow anyhow but quite a few need to be exposed to light in order to germinate. Often these seeds are smaller so when surface sown they don't need covering. These varieties include Begonias, Petunias and Primulas
Germination issues? Suburban-Sue identifies the key needs for a seed to grow: moisture, warmth and oxygen. She then explores further the more exacting requirements for those difficult to germinate: light or dark, scarification, stratification. and most of all PATIENCE!
Germination issues. I remember a couple of years ago planting an acorn with my grandson. A couple of days later he dug it up to see if it was sprouting. Having restored it to its...
Very local to JustSeed is a lovely walled garden that has been reclaimed and renovated by a team of local volunteers. As a charity they support disadvantaged young people with training in gardening. Several times...
My neglected windowsill of Hippeastrum, or Amaryllis, as they are commonly known, are looking rather dishevelled after a year of neglect. Hippeastrum originate in South America and grow naturally from Brazil north to Mexico in...
I managed a short UK vacation, just before second lockdown, getting away for a few days to South Ayrshire on the west coast of Scotland. Staying a short walk from Culzean Castle and with lovely...
Working from home has its benefits as well as its drawbacks. Work is around all the time. The dining room has boxes of files and seed equipment. The table needs clearing and re-laying each day. ...
In the greenhouse tomatoes are beginning to ripen - smaller varieties only. I discovered this morning a small cucumber making a go of it my first ever. I got nothing on my cucumber plants last...
When we moved into our house about twenty years ago we inherited a traditional square rectangle of lawn, surrounded by flower borders. The children were younger and this was a protected place to play. The...
So managed to get a busy day in the garden on Saturday. Back of an envelope list as long as a yard arm. With lockdown, and not wanting to make non-essential trips out, I am...
I have a dilemma! I have friends coming to stay at the end of March and for Easter and I’m not sure where I’ll be able to put them as my spare bedroom is currently...
In my Facebook feed I recently found a ‘how to get jobs done’ list, breaking them down from short manageable time slots to longer projects. Mentally the garden seems to need a long time slot...