THE SEED catalogues have been arriving in the post this week and they got me salivating at the prospect of summer blooms and a bountiful autumn harvest, all on a credit-crunching budget, writes James Iles of jigsawgardens.co.uk
The range, diversity and selection of seed-grown plants increases year on year and demand must surely be high in this climate with gardeners keen to economise while keeping their gardens looking first class.
Seed potatoes and onion sets are already in the shops where for just a few pounds you can produce a bumper crop of vegetables later in the year but you could do so much more from seed.
It's a great time of year to think about sowing more from seed as the stock in stores and on-line now is at its peak before the springtime rush so beat the crowds and get planning ahead now.
There is so much to choose from with perennials, shrubs and even trees (albeit for the more patient gardener) you to wait until next year for the ready-to-plant matured version but there's nothing like getting ahead in the garden.
Cyclamen seeds, for example, could be sowed now in a propagator on a windowsill, ready for flowering next winter. Sweet peas can also be sown now under cover, ready for planting out once the frosts have passed in April/May.
And that brings me on to what basic kit you will need, which is cheap too. I picked up two windowsill propagators with vented lids for around £3 each and even adding in a small bag of seed compost you could get yourself a basic seed germination system for under a tenner.
However even some old plastic pots will do. All you need for either method is some window ledge space.
With seed packets starting from around £1.49 per pack for flowering annuals to just £3.50 for the more mass-producing climbing bean plants (just compare that to the price of one packet in the supermarket this summer!) you begin to see why sowing from seed can save you some serious money in the long run.
This week you can get your gourmet garden off to a flier with some early crops in tray modules or try the biodegradable coir plant modules/pots, which I find extremely useful as you can stick them straight in the ground without disturbing the root ball of your seedlings.
Sow small quantities of lettuce, cauliflowers, radishes, summer cabbages, carrots, broad beans, turnips, peas and salad onions. They only need temperatures of around 13C to germinate so your budget propagator or pots on a windowsill will be fine before growing them on in decent lighting indoors.
Prick them out very carefully by their leaves from seed trays (if you do not use modules or pots) as soon as they are large enough to handle and place in new trays of compost.
Start onion seeds off in modules by sowing in clusters of five or six seeds. Put on a warm windowsill in a propagator until they germinate.
They should be ready to plant out by April but don't worry about thinning out as they should fight their own corner in the garden producing bulbs of a suitable size for the kitchen.
Flower and perennial or shrubs seeds can be sown under cover from around March time according to the packet's instructions in a similar way to these early veg crops so you'll soon be on your way to getting a great selection of flowers on the go for this summer's displays.
The beauty of buying them now is you will find a wider choice to start from than you may get later in the year from plant stock and you will have saved yourself a tidy sum in the process.
For more on gardening tips or to check out more of James' gardening writing visit www.jigsawgardens.co.uk
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