Sowing Broad Beans in Modules

Broad beans are often sown directly in the autumn to overwinter as small plants; this gives an earlier crop and avoids the worst of the blackfly that broad beans attract. However we will sow in modules.

We need 12-16 plants later to be transplanted, spread along two rows on our 120cm bed.

Use the same seed tray that we used for radishes and spinach.  There should be 16 spare cells.

Fill and firm the compost in the modules and then make a small hole and press the beans so they are on their edge, rather than lying flat, below the surface. Water the compost after covering the seeds.  Use the video on the radishes page as a reminder.

Leave on the bench for a few weeks while the seeds germinate.

Carrots and parsnips are both root crops and should be planted directly into the soil, not transplanted. They are often sown early in the season but often do better by being sown later in April or early May.

Sowing

Courgettes and squash seeds should be sown in early May in modules as we did for broad beans.

We will use the new larger module trays.

There are two varieties of courgettes and two of squash so label carefully.  You will need two or three modules of each so sow three seeds of each, one per module.  That will be twelve modules in all. We shall sow some extras in case anyone needs replacements.  They can be left on the polytunnel bench to germinate although if the polytunnel gets too hot you would be better looking after them at home.

Fennel is a crop that can be grown in modules and then planted out when earlier crops have been cleared.  It can be sown for an early crop but spring/early summer is it's period for producing seed so best to wait until after mid-summer's day before sowing.

Dwarf French Beans don't need support and should be sown as a single row, about 60cm from other row crops ending up with 8 plants in a row.  Start by sowing 16 seeds across the row, 3-5cm deep, and thin later.

Sow in early May so, by the time the seedlings appear about 10 - 14 days later, all danger of frosts should have passed.  Sow a few extras in pots in case replacements are needed.

All of these crops can all be sown in a seed bed, pots or a seed tray in late May, around 25 May.  Seedlings should be pricked out a week or two later and planted out in late June.  We shall sow in a prepared seed bed and the plants can be lifted and planted out 4-6 weeks after sowing.

It is always worth sowing a few extra spare plants to replace any failings.

Leeks can be sown in a seedbed or in modules or in pots.

We shall sow in a single pot, about 20 seeds in all, in late March/early April.  They should begin to show a couple of weeks after sowing. When the roots have filled the pot we shall then place the contents of the plot in a holding bed where they will grow on before planting out in May or June.

This method allows for germination under cover but growing on in the open ground. They could just be sown directly into a holding seedbed to grow on before transplanting.

You will need 6-8 plants for each 1.2m row; plant one or two rows.

Sowing seeds in a Seed Tray

Even a small seed tray can hold hundreds of seeds and seedlings so sow thinly. We will sow several types of lettuce and one row of 'Greyhound' cabbage (not labelled in photo) in a seed tray. The well firmed compost should be watered prior to sowing the seeds and then the seeds covered with a thin layer of dry compost.

Leave on the bench until the seeds have germinated

Planting Onion Sets

Onions can be grown from seed but we shall be sowing onion sets which are small, dry onion bulbs grown the previous season but not allowed to mature. Growing onions from seed is my preferred method but sets are much easier.

There is no rush to plant onion sets, late March or early April would do if the weather or ground is too wet.

Sowing Peas in Gutters

Peas are usually sown direct in the ground but they can be prey to cold soil, biting winds, mice and slugs. Another technique is to sow them in 120cm lengths of guttering in the warmth of the polytunnel and then transplant them a few weeks later by sliding the contents of the guttering into a shallow trench across the width of a 120cm wide bed. The peas are sown in two rows in the gutter with peas about 7cm apart. The compost in the gutter can be watered prior to inserting the peas a nail's width deep; cover with dry compost.

Leave the gutter on your bench area or it could go underneath while waiting for the seedlings to show.

The gutter technique can be used for a variety of crops such as lettuce and salad leaves.

Chitting Potatoes

From an Alys Fowler article in the Guardian ..."It is most likely too late to debate whether to chit or not. Across the land, egg boxes are full of sprouting potatoes willing on the first good days of spring. There is something so pleasing about those little fat shoots appearing at the end of a tuber.

Multi-sowing in Modules

Radish seeds can be sown directly in the ground, in seed trays to 'prick out' later, singly in modules, or multi-sown in modules.  Radishes grow quickly and can be sown and harvested at different times during the season.  We shall be multi-sowing in modules.

Making a support: Construct a support system for your beans, as they are strong climbers. There are a number of ways in which you can train runner beans.  Have a look at what others do.  It is better to put the support up after the beans emerge in case they need to be fleeced.

All of our sowings so far have been in modules or in rows in small seed trays (remember the lettuces and cabbages) before pricking out.  Now that the soil is much warmer we shall sow some seeds outside in a prepared seedbed.

Think of our trays of lettuces and cabbages.  We shall do the same with leeks, autumn brassicas and more lettuces, but this time the seed tray will be replaced by a prepared seed bed, 120cm x 30cm.

Sowing spinach in modules

Sow 12 modules for two rows across the bed.

For spinach make a shallow (5mm) or so hole or thumb imprint in each cell and drop in three seeds in each hole; we shall later thin to one seedling per cell. Lightly cover with compost.

Sweetcorn can be sown in modules in mid-late April and planted out and fleeced four weeks later once frosts are not a threat - after 15th May.

Sow 8 modules with 2 seeds in each module, 1-2cm deep, and thin out later.