My attempt at growing herbs from seeds has failed miserably. From all the herb seeds I planted I have about 6 square inches of small herbs poking up from the soil. So time for a new tactic I think. I am adaptable. I have to be.
I’d already bought several herb plants from ASDA at 50p each and planted several of them in their own pots. ASDA don’t do Rosemary so I was forced to spend £2 on a Rosemary plant from Wilkinson’s which I also planted. All these plants seem to be doing well without any help from me so I though I would add the available herbs I was missing and had failed to grow from seed.
I’ve extracted some of my compost from my composters and filled some pots where I planted the new herbs. There are now in place and the best bit is I can use them immediately.
While I was out I noticed that some of the compost leaked out through the holes in the composter and fell down to the base. Although I have several strawberry plants in containers and grow bags the strawberries that appeared around the composter by some method of plant movement unknown to all but triffids are the biggest I have in my crop. I’m guessing it is from the compost itself. Why is it my plants do better without me than with my help? Don’t answer that. I think I have an idea.
I’m actually planning to revisit by stores list and revise up the number of plants I have in there. Add a few more of my chosen plants. I’ll still keep the seeds though. There must be someone who can grow them who I can barter with for full size plants.
I see you planted them straight into soil. This is risky, there are a few exceptions, but most herbs do better in compost in pots/trays, transplanted when they are bigger. Whats your soil like?
How about your veg? Do you have room? Runner beans and peas are easy. I seem to remember you talking about tomatoes. Friend grows carrots in big, deep window boxes. Lettice… I grow it but there’s little in it! A supermarket bag of rocket leaves i have here. Its 70g, yet in the small print it says you need 80g to count as one portion of fruit and veg!
Ronnie,
I did use the word soil. It was compost though. They went into compost with was brown earth stuff and so I called it soil.
My soil is brown and dirt like. It is wet when it has rained and dry when it hasn’t rained for a while. Things do grow OK in it, my raspberries for one.
I have room for some veg but tend to grow fruit. I have a couple of tomato plants. I seem to do better from plants rather than seeds. I’m going to revisit my garden.
I don’t tend to worry about the ‘advice’ from our hectoring nanny state. People lived on much less than the poorest in the UK lives on for centuries.
skean, you must be the unluckiest guy on the planet sowing seeds on a concrete path has a better success rate. i sew mine as the instructions which usually works and we get a good crop. it is better to use plants where you can but some crops just have to be from seed
Maddog,
OK, OK. I get it. It is better for me to try now than after an event when I would be starving about now.
I spoke to someone over the weekend and he thinks I’m doing two things wrong. The first is over and under?? watering them while they are inside and the second is moving them outside too early.
The success rate is inversely proportional to how often I ‘look after’ them. The less I am involved the better they are.
The Plant Assassin