What's worked and what's not

While most of the seeds sown here have germinated well, there are a few which just haven't appeared. This can happen for a variety of reasons. For example, there is no sign yet of any parsley appearing. It is known for being a bit of a tricky germinator. While warmth brings most seeds on quickly it can slow parsley down and stop it from germinating and you end up with patchy results after three or four weeks.

Otherwise, here is the next batch of seedlings coming on well:

Lettuce Little Gem

Cabbage Golden Acre

Cabbage Kalibos (red cabbage)

Calabrese di Cicco (Italian green sprouting broccoli)

Kale Black Tuscany

Perpetual Spinach

Sprouts Evesham Special

Onions Red Brunswick, Bedfordshire Champion and four types of Italian onion. This was a bit of a mistake in that I forgot I had already bought onion seed, but there is a bit of a trend in Italian vegetables just now and they all looked worth a try. Onion Long Red Florence (normally a reliable one) has not germinated.

And finally, a quick check in on the celery - growing well, but as the seedlings are so tiny they can grow on a little bit more in the pot before transplanting into modules. They still need to be protected from getting a chill.

Beans & Courgettes

Now is a good time to sow some of the less hardy varieties, such as courgettes, "outdoor" cucumbers, french beans (dwarf or climbing) and runner beans. Take care though, as these will all take fright if they get cold or too wet. I haven't mentioned tomatoes as ideally they would have been started off with heat earlier on, but maybe plants can be procured for growing on in a greenhouse. The same goes for peppers and aubergines - they do need a bit more nurturing.

Courgettes, french beans and runner beans on the other hand are fairly easy to look after and will grow well outside given a sunny position and some shelter from the wind BUT won't tolerate frosts.

These wee cucumbers, "Small Green Paris" would normally be described as gherkins. They are really cucumber-y in flavour. They don't have complicated pollination requirements as some cucumbers do, but will do best in a greenhouse.

Planting out the shallots.

The soil is perfect for planting out now, so here are the shallots ready for planting out. They will do well in containers too, such as window sill troughs but will need plenty of watering.

Nice strong root development, but not too restricted means the plants should settle in quickly.

All planted, Jermor on the left and Longor on the right.