🎺 I've actually lost sleep because I've been awake excitedly thinking about what I'll be doing in my garden the next day. I can hardly contain my excitement that spring is around the corner.
Your videos have set the gold standards for instructional videos - no long intros (the trumpet gimmick of this video may be a slight departure?), straight into the subject, concise and yet informative. Too often, many videos faff about with someone holding forth about the history of the plot, why they are making the video, blah, blah, blah. So thank you for not wasting time and for some very useful tips. 👏👏👏👍
Last year I sowed my seeds and dutifully wrote on the pots in marker what was in them. I watered them in and immediately washed off all the labels. Surprise veg all summer!
And to less rain!! Here in East Sussex I think it has rained almost every day! My allotment is very muddy and unworkable, so frustrating especially as the days are longer now!
Love your tip to put the leeks between the flowers, so I can make us of my flowerbed for some vegetables and nobody can complain 🙂 as they're looking great between them. Yippee!.
Parsnips truly are the king of root vegetables. I recommend adding a scattering of sesame seeds near the end of your honey roast parsnips. Bloomin loverrrrly. 😁
@@WaterOne-lt6xt I've just ordered some from Suttons online. They had 2 choices £1.99 for normal ones and £2.49 for ones that self seed so I bought the self seeding ones
It's snowing today. And I'm in Bath. Not the north! I am envious of your lovely greenhouse to do things in when the weather is bad. I shall have to take over the dining room and annoy everyone instead. You're making me think of that lovely smell of tomato plants.
What I wouldn't do for your greenhouse 😊 I have one of those green plastic ones but it does the job and grew my first ever tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine, chillis and red peppers in them ladt year. I already have my red peppers and aubergine growing on a heat mat 😊 This is my second spring growing. Im so excited. I sowed some parsnips, turnips and beetroot yesterday. Im in the south of England so a bit warmer down here.. I also planted some California poppies down a little gravel section down the side of my house near the wall. They remind me of my trip to California... I absolutely love your channel. Ive brought some borage and will definitely be trying to make some fertilizer from it as well as grass clippings. Thanks so much for your valuable knowledge Ben... 🌱🍀🌱🍀🌱🍀
Once more a great video !!! Parsnip is one of the "lost" vegetables in Belgium but oh so tasty. Every year I make a decent amount of super simple parsnip soup. 400 g parsnips, 80 g leeks, 80 g shallots and 150 g sweet potatoes, possibly a chili pepper from the garden. Peel and cut the parsnips and potatoes, as well as the shallots, leek and chili. Stir everything and add about 1 liter of (homemade) vegetable stock. Puree, add parsley to taste and season. And if I have a large quantity of parsnips, I fill jars of about 300 ml and water bath the soup for 2 hours at 100°C. Enjoy!!!
Spring needs to get here already! Can’t wait to get my garden going, love your content too. You do a great job! Keep up the awesome work and best of luck!
Ah, yet another lovely vid. Yes, thank God for spring. This morning my first seedlings greated me. It always makes me jump for joy. I didn't know you play the trumpet, Ben. Would love an intro with the trumpet one day ;-)
Haha - yes - beginner's luck borrowing my daughter's trumpet! Great to have seedlings up and greeting you - spring is the most magical time of year. :-)
Egad! I had to check the date of this video! Here, where I live, we have a high of -16°C today, going to -25°C overnight. We're expecting a huge dump of snow this weekend. I'm not complaining: we have had drought and intense wildfires the past few years, so we'll take any precipitation that comes down. Another reason to check the date: Ben! Do you not age? You look just as young and fit as you did when I started watching GrowVeg several years ago. Gardening is good for us for so many reasons.❤ Your videos are so well done, fun, and informative! They get my little green fingers twitching.
Howdy, Ben and Rosie!👋 It is indeed such an exciting time of year!😃 I'm having all kinds of fun potting up and watching the seedlings grow.🌱 We are already seeing 80s for highs here...Central Texas. I see Rosie has a fresh spring cut...she's looking adorable as always.😃💕
I love your enthusiasm and your excitement! Here in New York we are about 2 weeks behind you for spring coming, but the weather is warming next week so out we go into the garden!
Tomah'to - tomay'to :) always exciting when this time of year has come. Everything is gently starting in these late stages of Winter. And there are so many good days yet to come . I'm so happy Winter has almost come to an end. Every season I'm trying a new tomato variety. This year I'm going to try 'Saldun Moldovan'. Varieties i sow each year are: Red Oxheart, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Black Cherry, San Marzano, Cherokee Purple and Pineaplle. Thanks for the video and have a happy sowing everyone!
Must be much warmer where you are Ben. Here in south Yorkshire my allotment plot is still very cold and wet. I am sowing but everything under cover on my home made 'hot bed' in my greenhouse at home. I can't wait for spring. We had sun yesterday, it was just wonderful
After seeing Charles downing 2 years ago I can’t proudly say I am 100% no dig on veg. On a standard allotment plot that’s a lot of money to start out. I have also sorted my composting out. I get the equivalent to 10 bags of 50ltrs per 6 months. This is helpful with cost
@@GrowVegI just did the lazy man's thing & bought premixed Foxfarms Ocean Forest for trans-potting my coffee shrub & avocado tree both indoors now still. They'll stay indoors until midsummer, as Shakespeare would say. I spray them twice each day with distilled water & water them adding a tiny measure 1/2 teaspoon of liquid fertilizer 10-10-10 twice weekly. If the British had known war was coming back in 1939 then they all could have grown their own indoor coffee plants & not had to settle for faux !!! They trusted Chamberlain too much. Now they (the Continent) have Putin staring down at them. Fortunately marry olde England shall always be safe behind her wooden (now steel) walls as the ancient Athenians.
Hi Ben and Rosie, thanks for the video. Both educational, I learned a new word- glaucous, and so full of positivity and enthusiasm (as with all the videos) that I always feel I can get anything done after watching. A great way to start the day! 😊
Good morning Ben, that is such a great feeling to have, enjoy it, and the garden is looking great, great expectations I might add. I had to giggle at Rosie and her love for the leeks, she knows about the good stuff. Amazing how some animals just love fresh vegetables, we had a dog he enjoyed eating the real fresh baby carrots, he plucks them up, lies on the lawn and munches away to his hearts content, and he felt like another he would just go and help himself. We would just find the greenery - love smart animals. He also enjoyed eating oat crunches, he seemed to enjoy a varied diet, just like us. So happy spring has sprung, we are starting autumn, it is such a delightful season, everybody loves autumn. It will give us an opportunity to prepare a rich soil for the coming season, it can mostly all settle in. Have a wonderful happy day. Kind regards.
I guess you could say Rosie has a well developed palate with the onions. haha I've interplanted onions with my collards to see if that deters the slugs and time will tell. I just loved your cheery attitude in the video, makes me want to plant even more!!
Sowed my first seeds a few days ago. 3 different kind of tomato and 4 different kind of chili peppers. I will be sowing my cucumbers and pumpkins in a weeks time. The rest of my seeds I will sow in ground when it gets warmer. Lettuce, raddish, peas etc. Im so exited for the season. Damn I hate my long winters 😅
Springs already here in US Zone 9b! Direst sowed buckwheat seeds Saturday and just waiting for the seedlings to be big enough to harden off and transfer!
having started the chitting process for my 1st and 2nd earlies, as well as my maincrops, with my chillis and aubergines under a grow light doing well, as well as my plan to sow tomatoes on my heat mat under a dome (and now with an extra plan to sow some parsnips) I'm feeling massively reassured at the content of your video!
Thanks for another great video as ever! I had never heard of poached egg flowers till I watched one of your older videos. So I sowed a packet 2 years ago and they self seeded literally all over the place! 😂Some would say almost like a weed! They stayed green as you said all winter and we had a few frosts down to -6. With time I now recognise the baby plant so if it pops up where it’s not wanted I either lift it up and plant it somewhere else or throw it on the compost heap. Great little plant. I now wouldn’t be without them or nasturtiums.
I'm envious of that greenhouse, I admit. But I do plan to create a small one for myself this year. I'm glad you brought up leeks. I'd been thinking I needed to start them. I have onions and garlic to start. Garlic is in the ground. But waiting another couple weeks on the onions. Nothing like a crunchy radius with a sandwich.
that Wren really likes shouting at you and your pouched egg plants. I have the Cornell Merlin bird app which I use to play bird songs to the birds in my garden. The Wren really loves shouting back at me
2 weeks on, it's still bloody cold here in Cumbria... Still, my tomato, pepper, aubergine & cucumber seedlings are now coming on (plus some overwintered Sungold cuttings).
Instead of marking the parsnip seed row with sticks, I like to sow a line of radishes along the row. The radishes will be ready to harvest long before they can interfere with the parsnip growth, and provide a great marker for the parsnip seeds.
Great content, Ben. I start tomatoes first week of March in zone 7b Virginia. However, I have started my peppers and are slowly coming up. Great content love your greenhouse.
The lights are very old, and I was given them, so I'm not sure where you'd find them. I'd recommend looking for LED grow lights instead, which will be a lot cheaper to run. More on this here: www.growveg.co.uk/guides/3-shopping-tips-for-plant-grow-lights/
Glad you are so optimistic about a nice sunny spring, as soon as the rain stops in sunny Kent and the sun comes out for a few brief hours it pours down again. I make sure not to go in my vegetable garden at this time of year without my phone in case I have to make an emergency call to get some help to pull me out of the mud again. Should I be growing Rice?
I just sowed seeds for Danvers carrots, Imperator carrots, Malaga Radish, German Giant Radish, Golden Detroit Beetroot, Oregon Mammoth snow peas, Arrow peas, assorted lettuces, Japanese Giant Red Mustard, Southern Curley Mustard, peppermint, and Fordhook Swiss Chard. I have seedlings sprouted for Early Girl-bush tomatoes, Ace-55 tomatoes, Thorburn's Terra Cotta tomatoes, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries, Debut Hybrid tomatoes, Park's Whopper tomatoes, Tiny Tim tomatoes, Corona di Toro-yellow peppers, Corona di Toro-red peppers, Lunchbox Orange peppers, Hungarian Yellow Wax peppers, Sweet Banana Peppers, Cubanelle Peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Lipstick peppers, Lesya peppers, Etiuda peppers, Big Red bell peppers, Sunbright bell peppers, Keystone Giant peppers, Yellow Monster peppers, Emerald Giant peppers, Goji Berries, Creole White bulbing onions, and Red Beard bunching onions. I also added a Honeycrisp apple tree and a Fuji apple tree to my orchard. This morning I got a raised bed ready for planting potatoes. Tomorrow I will cut up chitted potatoes for planting, and plant them in a few days. There is still a lot of work left to do in the garden with zucchini, Crookneck squash, Lemon Squash, cucumbers, pole beans, cantaloupe, water melon, assorted herbs, and flowers left to plant.
You mentioned tightly closing up your seed packets for next year. Would you mind sharing where/how you keep and store those seeds? t Do you put them in an air-tight container? Dark location? In the fridge? I haven't had much success holding onto seeds. Thank you!
I put them into a simple lidded tin container - a Tupperware container would be even better. I add a few sachets of silicon crystals in there to keep the air dry. They're then stored in a cool room, but a fridge would be even better.
I bought mine from a local garden centre. But you're looking for something a bit like this: www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-17998-Garden-Soil-Sieve/dp/B06XXWVLZW/ref=sr_1_7_mod_primary_new?crid=2W6I7W2WZFZGH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mqm553b4KStfmcIIp-5sty-nmqKYJdVmKsjYusIPE4E_kqe1nVDhUgSc5g40AcdqZcJ7cUe-S4-J-dOeM_2bryuvQjKg6OvN030a_uagKxhXCbPUs-ZC313H1DKvp3zFu911wLH-Z4wOmSyPUBaUDvdTjmKQ-3T36XTKbI2BS3KvI86_mCXDj-sE6mvLjvDKdkTPZmvgKo4l4e8WptrRBoBGiUYKv30LB8SHpOKFM_28YLPbgcyadGMsLQWsWfqyvqi3uZeliYUxuXB0J3Enaz0kWSwAOIA1vZ_Bsu187BY.ezJREMkNbgZoSv0y98AenLikHPv4N7mEOp3d4k28HuM&dib_tag=se&keywords=garden+sieve&qid=1709636808&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=garden+sieve%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-7
Hello, couple of questions 1) I was wondering what temperature I set my heat mat ? You mention 50 degrees Celsius is the environment but I can't measure that and don't have a thermometer 2) also I dont have a grow light as such but do have a couple of Desk lights I am thinking of changing the bulb colour. Am I right in thinking seedlings need blue and red coulours ? 🙏 Finally, i want to express how greatful I am for your content, I thoroughly enjoy watching your month by month advice. Thank you. I have just started gardening last year following the recent effects of my disability and lack of mobility. Your content has helped me to developed into a hobby where as other things are no longer accessible. This has helped me with my mental health ❤
So pleased you found this channel. And I am thrilled that you are finding gardening with your mental health - it certainly helps mine. 😀 In answer to your questions. 1) I aim to germinate warm season crops like tomatoes on a heat mat but really any indoor place would be fine as the pots would get the background heat from room. Any heat mat would be above about 15C or 60F or so. Then once the seedlings are up they just need to be kept frost free - ideally warmer than that. 2) I think you may be able to buy natural daylight bulbs specifically for growing plants, so these could be worth investigating. Plants need a specific spectrum of lights, which tend to give a blueish glow, but a bulb specifically for growing plants should match what they need.
@GrowVeg thank you for your advice. I'm all set now and despite my tomatoe seedlings a little leggy, I'll just transplant deep when ready, hope that will encourage root growth. Rest of seedlings broccoli, swiss chard, cucumber, 3 types of basil lettoce, and more cabbage and peas are lookinf fine. Thanks again, it's all trial and error so I'm determined to find out what works best in my west facing house.
@GrowVeg and I've just purchased the daylight bulb you mention for my next batch of seedlings so hopefully that makes a difference.. hope 40w is OK but will let you know 🤞
Good day from WA State, USA Ben. What plants in this video would or would not be suited for growing in a raised bed (as in waist-high)? I don't have the option of growing in the ground. I've been a many year viewer and appreciate the practicality you share, as well as good humor and fur baby cameos. Well done sir!
Thanks for your kind words! I would say all of these would be suitable for a raised bed - so long as you can reach them, of course, which may be tricky for vining/indeterminate tomatoes (I would grow bush/determinate tomatoes instead, for this reason). :-)
Rosie, could you please ask your master about the mesh size of his trusty green garden sieve. Is it 1 cm spacing? I sieve the soil from my balcony pots to isolate curly white grubs and drainage beads before I reuse it. 1cm is not quite small enough for both small grubs and small beads, so I think I have to get an 8mm version. I tell the grandkids those grubs are "land shrimp" and to get the grill ready...
Tomatoes, I save some seeds on kitchen paper, don’t clean just separate a bit, leave to dry and store in an envelope, next year plant a piece of the paper slightly cover with compost, wet and keep moist, works every time
Thanks Tracy. I don't have a link to the grow lights I'm afraid. They're actually really quite old and I would recommend some LED grow lights instead if you're looking to buy. They will use a lot less energy (so cheaper to run) and have a spectrum of light better suited to plants. This buying guide offers a few tips: www.growveg.co.uk/guides/3-shopping-tips-for-plant-grow-lights/
🎺 I've actually lost sleep because I've been awake excitedly thinking about what I'll be doing in my garden the next day. I can hardly contain my excitement that spring is around the corner.
I Hear ya!! Bloomin can't leave the allotment alone. 🤣
@@invokalink162 haha. Wonderful. It's just me and my little back garden! I stare at it for ages just planning things.
I’ve got seedling plantings in my bedroom window so I can nurture them daily!
@@bradlafferty yuppp! Me too. I have 4 windowsills in my home and every single one had about 6pots on them. Willing the rather to become warm finally!
Me too 😭
Eternally jealous of your greenhouse. So great looking.
I'm very blessed that this greenhouse was here when we moved here. Very lucky! :-)
You make me feel happy and hopeful ❤ Come on Spring!!
Your videos have set the gold standards for instructional videos - no long intros (the trumpet gimmick of this video may be a slight departure?), straight into the subject, concise and yet informative. Too often, many videos faff about with someone holding forth about the history of the plot, why they are making the video, blah, blah, blah. So thank you for not wasting time and for some very useful tips. 👏👏👏👍
Thanks so much for this lovely feedback. Happy gardening! :-)
Last year I sowed my seeds and dutifully wrote on the pots in marker what was in them. I watered them in and immediately washed off all the labels. Surprise veg all summer!
I cut plastic milk jugs for my labels. Works great. And did you know that you can remove permanent marker with dry-erase markers!?!
Watching your videos gets me so psyched up for garden season!
Keep going. We are all looking forward to spring.
You are correct all I have at the moment is purple sprouting
And to less rain!! Here in East Sussex I think it has rained almost every day! My allotment is very muddy and unworkable, so frustrating especially as the days are longer now!
it's gonna be a great year folks
Love your tip to put the leeks between the flowers, so I can make us of my flowerbed for some vegetables and nobody can complain 🙂 as they're looking great between them. Yippee!.
Parsnips truly are the king of root vegetables. I recommend adding a scattering of sesame seeds near the end of your honey roast parsnips. Bloomin loverrrrly. 😁
That sounds like a superb idea! :-)
I absolutely love your happy energy and ❤️ your love for your garden
Could make you forget you was in a war zone this man, so positive & happy 😊
Thank you Ben, you make the sun shine.
Love the idea of sowing little poached egg flowers just outside the bed! Thanks!
I will be growing these poached eggs flowers too
I cannot find poached egg plant seed. Any suggestions on where to find them?
@@WaterOne-lt6xt I've just ordered some from Suttons online. They had 2 choices £1.99 for normal ones and £2.49 for ones that self seed so I bought the self seeding ones
@@WaterOne-lt6xt Hi, my posts keep getting deleted. I'm in the states and found mine from an online place that starts with an A. 😂
Here we go again Ben - Happy gardening!
It's snowing today. And I'm in Bath. Not the north! I am envious of your lovely greenhouse to do things in when the weather is bad. I shall have to take over the dining room and annoy everyone instead. You're making me think of that lovely smell of tomato plants.
I think you should definitely take over the dining room - it's only for a few weeks or so! :-)
What I wouldn't do for your greenhouse 😊 I have one of those green plastic ones but it does the job and grew my first ever tomatoes, cucumber, aubergine, chillis and red peppers in them ladt year.
I already have my red peppers and aubergine growing on a heat mat 😊
This is my second spring growing. Im so excited. I sowed some parsnips, turnips and beetroot yesterday. Im in the south of England so a bit warmer down here.. I also planted some California poppies down a little gravel section down the side of my house near the wall. They remind me of my trip to California...
I absolutely love your channel. Ive brought some borage and will definitely be trying to make some fertilizer from it as well as grass clippings. Thanks so much for your valuable knowledge Ben... 🌱🍀🌱🍀🌱🍀
You're off to a flying start all ready - great job! I agree, those Californian poppies are just stunning. Happy gardening! :-)
We got our greenhouse built and finished just today! So excited to get started
Great job - what a fantastic springtime present! :-)
You have such a wonderful way of energizing us gardeners in every presentation! Carry on!!👍👍
I will, thank you! :-)
Love seeing the green and growing thing since we have a snow storm again today. Can't wait for the weather to change so I can start growing things!
Once more a great video !!! Parsnip is one of the "lost" vegetables in Belgium but oh so tasty. Every year I make a decent amount of super simple parsnip soup. 400 g parsnips, 80 g leeks, 80 g shallots and 150 g sweet potatoes, possibly a chili pepper from the garden. Peel and cut the parsnips and potatoes, as well as the shallots, leek and chili.
Stir everything and add about 1 liter of (homemade) vegetable stock. Puree, add parsley to taste and season.
And if I have a large quantity of parsnips, I fill jars of about 300 ml and water bath the soup for 2 hours at 100°C. Enjoy!!!
That sounds like a super-tasty soup! :-)
Spring needs to get here already!
Can’t wait to get my garden going, love your content too. You do a great job! Keep up the awesome work and best of luck!
Thanks so much. Spring can't be too far off now I hope! :-)
Ah, yet another lovely vid. Yes, thank God for spring. This morning my first seedlings greated me. It always makes me jump for joy.
I didn't know you play the trumpet, Ben. Would love an intro with the trumpet one day ;-)
Haha - yes - beginner's luck borrowing my daughter's trumpet! Great to have seedlings up and greeting you - spring is the most magical time of year. :-)
Egad! I had to check the date of this video! Here, where I live, we have a high of -16°C today, going to -25°C overnight. We're expecting a huge dump of snow this weekend. I'm not complaining: we have had drought and intense wildfires the past few years, so we'll take any precipitation that comes down.
Another reason to check the date: Ben! Do you not age? You look just as young and fit as you did when I started watching GrowVeg several years ago. Gardening is good for us for so many reasons.❤
Your videos are so well done, fun, and informative! They get my little green fingers twitching.
Oh wow, thank you for your kind words. I'm losing my hair though! :-)
Howdy, Ben and Rosie!👋 It is indeed such an exciting time of year!😃
I'm having all kinds of fun potting up and watching the seedlings grow.🌱
We are already seeing 80s for highs here...Central Texas.
I see Rosie has a fresh spring cut...she's looking adorable as always.😃💕
It is indeed a thrilling time of year. Things have warmed up quickly where you are! :-)
I love your enthusiasm and your excitement! Here in New York we are about 2 weeks behind you for spring coming, but the weather is warming next week so out we go into the garden!
You'll soon catch up! :-)
Tomah'to - tomay'to :) always exciting when this time of year has come. Everything is gently starting in these late stages of Winter. And there are so many good days yet to come . I'm so happy Winter has almost come to an end. Every season I'm trying a new tomato variety. This year I'm going to try 'Saldun Moldovan'. Varieties i sow each year are: Red Oxheart, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Black Cherry, San Marzano, Cherokee Purple and Pineaplle. Thanks for the video and have a happy sowing everyone!
Some lovely varieties there - and always good to try something new. Enjoy! :-)
@@GrowVeg Thanks :) let me know if you want some seeds for this or next year. These are all heirlooms. Red Oxheart is our family favourite. cheers!
I always enjoy your videos! Very informative and FUN!
Must be much warmer where you are Ben. Here in south Yorkshire my allotment plot is still very cold and wet. I am sowing but everything under cover on my home made 'hot bed' in my greenhouse at home. I can't wait for spring. We had sun yesterday, it was just wonderful
Little bit warmer, but frosty nights have returned so caution and juggling with some seedlings needed! :-)
Best get cracking then! I’ll have to say this to my British neighbor. Love this channel!
I love parsnips. So sweet roasted. yummm
Really enjoy you upbeat videos! Looking forward to what spring brings this year :)
Thanks again Ben!!! Love watching your videos.
Hi 👋 I shall be doing my leeks tomorrow. Thank you for another fantastic video. God bless Rob from Wales
Cheers Rob! :-)
YAY!!!!! Garden planting party!!!!
Top tip on leeks, I love them and they're worth growing when you see the prices in the supermarket but the thinning is always a fiddly job. Thank you!
After seeing Charles downing 2 years ago I can’t proudly say I am 100% no dig on veg. On a standard allotment plot that’s a lot of money to start out. I have also sorted my composting out. I get the equivalent to 10 bags of 50ltrs per 6 months. This is helpful with cost
That's a fantastic amount of compost - great job! :-)
What is the sprayer that you are using please 😊?
@@GrowVegI just did the lazy man's thing & bought premixed Foxfarms Ocean Forest for trans-potting my coffee shrub & avocado tree both indoors now still. They'll stay indoors until midsummer, as Shakespeare would say.
I spray them twice each day with distilled water & water them adding a tiny measure 1/2 teaspoon of liquid fertilizer 10-10-10 twice weekly.
If the British had known war was coming back in 1939 then they all could have grown their own indoor coffee plants & not had to settle for faux !!!
They trusted Chamberlain too much. Now they (the Continent) have Putin staring down at them.
Fortunately marry olde England shall always be safe behind her wooden (now steel) walls as the ancient Athenians.
I can’t wear gloves when gardening either 😆 but found if I put hand cream on before I start it seems easier to clean up afterwards 👍
Wise move. :-)
Thanks Ben you and Charles are the best.
You're awesome 🎉 I so appreciate your positivity 😊
Really love your video's. Keep up the good work. looking forward to a lot more of your stuff. grts from belgium
Hi Ben and Rosie, thanks for the video. Both educational, I learned a new word- glaucous, and so full of positivity and enthusiasm (as with all the videos) that I always feel I can get anything done after watching. A great way to start the day! 😊
Thanks so much. Happy gardening! :-)
Good morning Ben, that is such a great feeling to have, enjoy it, and the garden is looking great, great expectations I might add. I had to giggle at Rosie and her love for the leeks, she knows about the good stuff. Amazing how some animals just love fresh vegetables, we had a dog he enjoyed eating the real fresh baby carrots, he plucks them up, lies on the lawn and munches away to his hearts content, and he felt like another he would just go and help himself. We would just find the greenery - love smart animals. He also enjoyed eating oat crunches, he seemed to enjoy a varied diet, just like us. So happy spring has sprung, we are starting autumn, it is such a delightful season, everybody loves autumn. It will give us an opportunity to prepare a rich soil for the coming season, it can mostly all settle in. Have a wonderful happy day. Kind regards.
Have a wonderful day also. Autumn is a fab time of year - the cooler air and colours. I love it. Enjoy! :-)
🐝Thanks for the great video 🌻 YES give me spring!!
0:01 wakey wakey lol I've been looking forward to this one Ben
I guess you could say Rosie has a well developed palate with the onions. haha I've interplanted onions with my collards to see if that deters the slugs and time will tell. I just loved your cheery attitude in the video, makes me want to plant even more!!
Love the idea of interplanting onions with collards - let me know how it gets on. :-)
🎉 Yay spring! Thanks for your cheerful video. I actually forgot about parsnips, must get on that pronto. 😅
Thanks for sharing what’s happening over in your garden and what’s gonna happen in March? Can’t wait to see what you come up with
Sowed my first seeds a few days ago. 3 different kind of tomato and 4 different kind of chili peppers. I will be sowing my cucumbers and pumpkins in a weeks time. The rest of my seeds I will sow in ground when it gets warmer. Lettuce, raddish, peas etc. Im so exited for the season. Damn I hate my long winters 😅
Lots to look forward to - spring has sprung! :-)
Springs already here in US Zone 9b! Direst sowed buckwheat seeds Saturday and just waiting for the seedlings to be big enough to harden off and transfer!
Can't thank you enough, Ben, for the inspiration I get from your enthusiasm🙏🪇😊 Susanne in Sweden
having started the chitting process for my 1st and 2nd earlies, as well as my maincrops, with my chillis and aubergines under a grow light doing well, as well as my plan to sow tomatoes on my heat mat under a dome (and now with an extra plan to sow some parsnips) I'm feeling massively reassured at the content of your video!
Loving Every Video Ben* Learning So Much* Thanx
Love your videos because I learn so much. Try lime around your plants to keep out the slugs.
Great suggestion, thank you. :-)
Love the videos, they're brilliant. Just started my first allotment and am looking forward to getting some tips off you. Thanks 👍
Great job Matt. Enjoy! :-)
Thanks for another great video as ever! I had never heard of poached egg flowers till I watched one of your older videos. So I sowed a packet 2 years ago and they self seeded literally all over the place! 😂Some would say almost like a weed! They stayed green as you said all winter and we had a few frosts down to -6. With time I now recognise the baby plant so if it pops up where it’s not wanted I either lift it up and plant it somewhere else or throw it on the compost heap. Great little plant. I now wouldn’t be without them or nasturtiums.
I'm delighted to hear you've fallen under the charms of the poached egg plant. :-)
Always informative and entertaining
i still have a foot of snow in Northern Ontario! I cant wait to get going
Looking forward to this
Very uplifting positive video Ben. Thank You.😄
I think it is time for your cooking and preserving book!!😊
There are a million books already out there. DO WE NEED ANOTHER
@@christophermee5214 Yes. Already preordered before he's even finished writing it.
Still too cold in New York, zone 7. Can’t wait until it gets warmer ! 😊
Dang, you might be a “good old southern country boy” with those collards! Another great video…thanks!
I'm envious of that greenhouse, I admit. But I do plan to create a small one for myself this year. I'm glad you brought up leeks. I'd been thinking I needed to start them. I have onions and garlic to start. Garlic is in the ground. But waiting another couple weeks on the onions. Nothing like a crunchy radius with a sandwich.
that Wren really likes shouting at you and your pouched egg plants. I have the Cornell Merlin bird app which I use to play bird songs to the birds in my garden. The Wren really loves shouting back at me
It's a very vocal little bird!
How funny. I'll be sowing poached egg plant for the first time this year, and around my veg beds to boot. Glad to see it's a good idea.
2 weeks on, it's still bloody cold here in Cumbria...
Still, my tomato, pepper, aubergine & cucumber seedlings are now coming on (plus some overwintered Sungold cuttings).
Great start already! :-)
Thanks for sharing
Hi Ben this Monday the 26 feb I started of my tomatoes aubergines and marigolds
Great job Leo! :-)
@@GrowVeg thank you
I need me a furry pet for my garden for sure☺️
Instead of marking the parsnip seed row with sticks, I like to sow a line of radishes along the row. The radishes will be ready to harvest long before they can interfere with the parsnip growth, and provide a great marker for the parsnip seeds.
I love roasted parsnips too! Absolutely delish as part of a Sunday roast. I prefer mine with garlic, though, not sweet. But to each their own.
Oh yes - with garlic is utterly sublime too! :-)
Thank you for the informative video, I'm going to seeding my tomato tom.
Great content, Ben. I start tomatoes first week of March in zone 7b Virginia. However, I have started my peppers and are slowly coming up. Great content love your greenhouse.
Thanks so much. Great to have your peppers coming up already. :-)
Thanks for another helpful, informative video. Please will you link to your grow light apparatus at 3:28?
The lights are very old, and I was given them, so I'm not sure where you'd find them. I'd recommend looking for LED grow lights instead, which will be a lot cheaper to run. More on this here: www.growveg.co.uk/guides/3-shopping-tips-for-plant-grow-lights/
@@GrowVegThanks very much for getting back to me. Your light box is just perfect, what a shame it's not made any more.
Great video, can't go wrong with tomatoes 🍅, lovely stuff, solid advice. Keep it up 👍💪
Cheers so much! :-)
Oh my goodness Rosie is SO CUTE
Thanks so much. :-)
I’ve used crepe myrtle branches and twine around my garlic plants to keep my little dog out…. Seems to do the trick 😊
Super suggestion Emma, thanks so much! :-)
Thank you
Great job, I hope I do this
Glad you are so optimistic about a nice sunny spring, as soon as the rain stops in sunny Kent and the sun comes out for a few brief hours it pours down again. I make sure not to go in my vegetable garden at this time of year without my phone in case I have to make an emergency call to get some help to pull me out of the mud again. Should I be growing Rice?
Haha - I know EXACTLY what you mean right now! :-)
you need a duck for those slugs ! :) A ducks heaven, your garden is !
Awesome video, 😀
I love leeks, too, Rosey!
Poached egg plant fan club! They're native here in the Pacific Northwest US.
They're fab aren't they?!
Brilliant! I've never seen them before, so I thought they might be native to England, but luck is with me! They're native to my home!
Great recommendation. I lost about 80% tomatoes last year due to blight.
Hope you sidestep blight this time round! :-)
Thank you! 🤞
I love my matabis- perfect for hot flushes or a cool down in the polytunnel when it’s hot 🥵
It has many uses! :-)
I just sowed seeds for Danvers carrots, Imperator carrots, Malaga Radish, German Giant Radish, Golden Detroit Beetroot, Oregon Mammoth snow peas, Arrow peas, assorted lettuces, Japanese Giant Red Mustard, Southern Curley Mustard, peppermint, and Fordhook Swiss Chard. I have seedlings sprouted for Early Girl-bush tomatoes, Ace-55 tomatoes, Thorburn's Terra Cotta tomatoes, Sun Gold cherry tomatoes, Aunt Molly's Ground Cherries, Debut Hybrid tomatoes, Park's Whopper tomatoes, Tiny Tim tomatoes, Corona di Toro-yellow peppers, Corona di Toro-red peppers, Lunchbox Orange peppers, Hungarian Yellow Wax peppers, Sweet Banana Peppers, Cubanelle Peppers, Jalapeno peppers, Lipstick peppers, Lesya peppers, Etiuda peppers, Big Red bell peppers, Sunbright bell peppers, Keystone Giant peppers, Yellow Monster peppers, Emerald Giant peppers, Goji Berries, Creole White bulbing onions, and Red Beard bunching onions. I also added a Honeycrisp apple tree and a Fuji apple tree to my orchard. This morning I got a raised bed ready for planting potatoes. Tomorrow I will cut up chitted potatoes for planting, and plant them in a few days. There is still a lot of work left to do in the garden with zucchini, Crookneck squash, Lemon Squash, cucumbers, pole beans, cantaloupe, water melon, assorted herbs, and flowers left to plant.
Crikey Jay, you've been very busy! :-)
My peaches are blooming so its time to finish all that winter pruning im about 1/4 done with so many branches
You mentioned tightly closing up your seed packets for next year. Would you mind sharing where/how you keep and store those seeds? t Do you put them in an air-tight container? Dark location? In the fridge? I haven't had much success holding onto seeds. Thank you!
I put them into a simple lidded tin container - a Tupperware container would be even better. I add a few sachets of silicon crystals in there to keep the air dry. They're then stored in a cool room, but a fridge would be even better.
Thank for the information. Where can I find the round strainer you use to sift your soil? Thank you
I bought mine from a local garden centre. But you're looking for something a bit like this: www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-17998-Garden-Soil-Sieve/dp/B06XXWVLZW/ref=sr_1_7_mod_primary_new?crid=2W6I7W2WZFZGH&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.mqm553b4KStfmcIIp-5sty-nmqKYJdVmKsjYusIPE4E_kqe1nVDhUgSc5g40AcdqZcJ7cUe-S4-J-dOeM_2bryuvQjKg6OvN030a_uagKxhXCbPUs-ZC313H1DKvp3zFu911wLH-Z4wOmSyPUBaUDvdTjmKQ-3T36XTKbI2BS3KvI86_mCXDj-sE6mvLjvDKdkTPZmvgKo4l4e8WptrRBoBGiUYKv30LB8SHpOKFM_28YLPbgcyadGMsLQWsWfqyvqi3uZeliYUxuXB0J3Enaz0kWSwAOIA1vZ_Bsu187BY.ezJREMkNbgZoSv0y98AenLikHPv4N7mEOp3d4k28HuM&dib_tag=se&keywords=garden+sieve&qid=1709636808&sbo=RZvfv%2F%2FHxDF%2BO5021pAnSA%3D%3D&sprefix=garden+sieve%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-7
@@GrowVeg Thanks so much. Perfect.
Hello, couple of questions 1) I was wondering what temperature I set my heat mat ? You mention 50 degrees Celsius is the environment but I can't measure that and don't have a thermometer
2) also I dont have a grow light as such but do have a couple of Desk lights I am thinking of changing the bulb colour. Am I right in thinking seedlings need blue and red coulours ?
🙏 Finally, i want to express how greatful I am for your content, I thoroughly enjoy watching your month by month advice. Thank you. I have just started gardening last year following the recent effects of my disability and lack of mobility. Your content has helped me to developed into a hobby where as other things are no longer accessible. This has helped me with my mental health ❤
So pleased you found this channel. And I am thrilled that you are finding gardening with your mental health - it certainly helps mine. 😀
In answer to your questions.
1) I aim to germinate warm season crops like tomatoes on a heat mat but really any indoor place would be fine as the pots would get the background heat from room. Any heat mat would be above about 15C or 60F or so. Then once the seedlings are up they just need to be kept frost free - ideally warmer than that.
2) I think you may be able to buy natural daylight bulbs specifically for growing plants, so these could be worth investigating. Plants need a specific spectrum of lights, which tend to give a blueish glow, but a bulb specifically for growing plants should match what they need.
@GrowVeg thank you for your advice. I'm all set now and despite my tomatoe seedlings a little leggy, I'll just transplant deep when ready, hope that will encourage root growth. Rest of seedlings broccoli, swiss chard, cucumber, 3 types of basil lettoce, and more cabbage and peas are lookinf fine. Thanks again, it's all trial and error so I'm determined to find out what works best in my west facing house.
@GrowVeg and I've just purchased the daylight bulb you mention for my next batch of seedlings so hopefully that makes a difference.. hope 40w is OK but will let you know 🤞
Good day from WA State, USA Ben. What plants in this video would or would not be suited for growing in a raised bed (as in waist-high)? I don't have the option of growing in the ground. I've been a many year viewer and appreciate the practicality you share, as well as good humor and fur baby cameos. Well done sir!
Thanks for your kind words! I would say all of these would be suitable for a raised bed - so long as you can reach them, of course, which may be tricky for vining/indeterminate tomatoes (I would grow bush/determinate tomatoes instead, for this reason). :-)
I love that these are cabbages😅🥰
1. Tomatoes
2. Aubergine
3. Parsnips and leeks
4. Radish
5. Collard greens
6. Potatoes
7. Poached egg plants
Rosie, could you please ask your master about the mesh size of his trusty green garden sieve. Is it 1 cm spacing?
I sieve the soil from my balcony pots to isolate curly white grubs and drainage beads before I reuse it. 1cm is not quite small enough for both small grubs and small beads, so I think I have to get an 8mm version. I tell the grandkids those grubs are "land shrimp" and to get the grill ready...
Rosie suggests his master's sieve is more like 8mm in screen size. I like the idea of land shrimps - sounds very tasty... woof!
Tomatoes, I save some seeds on kitchen paper, don’t clean just separate a bit, leave to dry and store in an envelope, next year plant a piece of the paper slightly cover with compost, wet and keep moist, works every time
Great recommendation, thank you. :-)
What is the watering container called that you use? I'd really like to get one of those as what I use is not great. thanks
The sprayer is a hand pump sprayer. They're widely available and fantastic for watering carefully.
Very nice video🌻
Hi Ben.great video always! Can I ask if you've got a link for your light growing system please. It's great. Thank you 😊
Thanks Tracy. I don't have a link to the grow lights I'm afraid. They're actually really quite old and I would recommend some LED grow lights instead if you're looking to buy. They will use a lot less energy (so cheaper to run) and have a spectrum of light better suited to plants. This buying guide offers a few tips: www.growveg.co.uk/guides/3-shopping-tips-for-plant-grow-lights/
For easier clean up, place your plug tray on top of your soil tray. That way the extra soil spills back in the soil tray.
Great suggestion. :-)