I’ve decided that 2023 is going to be the year of the blog. I intend on doing monthly ‘garden tips and what I’m up to in my garden’ alongside semi-regular postings on design projects I’m working on, items of interest, things I’ve learned. Kicking off this month with the seeds I’ve ordered and seed sorting. Before ordering I went through my current collection, checking the dates on the packets. Some of them, including the courgettes and runner beans were well in date so could be used again but biennial crops like parsnips and carrots are worth buying fresh every year as the seeds don’t last at all well.
With the frozen outside temperatures, I consider it far better to cosy up inside with a cup of tea and my seed collection, to sort them into type and sowing time. It’s a bit of escapism and excitement of the growing possibilities! I spent an enjoyable few hours perusing Premier Seeds website – they’re a mail order company but happen to be based in my local small town and offer all sorts of unusual and heirloom varieties of seed. I got temped by delicacies such as ‘Atomic Red’ carrots, ‘Guatemalan Blue Banana’ squash and the climbing courgette ‘Shooting Star’ alongside loads of other beautiful favourites of beans, sprouts, parsnips, salad leaves, radishes, beetroot, blight resistant outdoor tomatoes (‘Burlesque’, ‘Cocktail Crush’)...the list goes on and on! Ordering in January gives you first pick of all the fun varieties and means you can plan your vegetable garden or allotment to make the most of the growing space available.
Despite a few signs of Spring – snowdrops making their way up through the floods, the very tips of my autumn-sown tulips beginning to show above the cold earth, it’s still the depths of midwinter, so I’ll be waiting for slightly longer, lighter days before sowing begins in earnest.
The sweet peas will probably be the first things I sow, as I don’t have a warming propagator to kickstart anything else. This year I’ve ordered the divine and highly scented bright pink ‘Lipstick’ and coral ‘Edith Flanagan’ varieties, alongside the classically popular ‘Spencer mix’. Whilst sweet peas can be planted in the autumn, or early in the new year, I prefer to wait for a bit more light and warmth in order to avoid coaxing the fragile seedlings through the cold. Remember to soak them overnight in water before sowing, which really helps them germinate.
Potatoes, dahlias and onions are next on my list!
Do follow along with my growing progress as I start planting in the next month or so – I will be posting lots on my Instagram at eogardendesign .
Until next time, happy planning!
Eleanor (and Ishka the dog)
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