Seed sowing

Seed sowing can start seriously under cover this month. If you have a heated propagator or warm, light windowsill, start sow seeds of tender summer vegetables in pots or modules, especially slower- growing ones such as peppers and aubergines.

Tomatoes for unheated greenhouses and tunnels will often catch up if not sown until early March, and cucumbers can wait even longer. You can sow seeds hardier crops direct into greenhouse and polytunnel borders - rocket and carrots, for example, are best treated in this way.

However, I usually sow peas, lettuce and brassicas in modules for transplanting so I can give them more attention and keep them out of the way of slugs and mice. For extra warmth, sometimes I take pots and trays  with seed sowing into the house, just until the very first signs of seedlings emerging; alternatively, large seeds such as peas can be pregerminated on paper towelling in a warm place before sowing.

These early seed sowings need all the help they can get to give good germination and avoid 'damping off (where seedlings rot at the base and topple over).

Plant seeds 

Start seed sowing of these plants in February:

Sow in Feb.  without extra heat:

lettuce, kohl rabi, calabrese, summer cabbage, radish, annual spinach, cutting salads (leaf lettuce, rocket,

cress, oriental greens), carrots, sugar peas, early peas, broad beans

Sow this month with extra heat:

tomatoes, peppers, chillies, aubergines, spring onions, onions, celery, celeriac

EARLY SEED SOWING TIPS

• Make sure plant seeds pots and modules are clean.
• Add sharp sand or vermiculite to seed sowing compost. If necessary, as it needs to be well drained.
• Use new seed - this should germinate more quickly and produce more vigorous seedlings than seed that is several years old.
• Provide extra heat for germination where possible.
• Don't overcrowd seedlings and give them good light so they don't get leggy.
• Don't overwater your seed sowing.

Grow your own pots of produce

Even the smallest outside space can be filled with a wealth of colorful crops that will please the eye as well as the palate

What vegetables to grow in pots or containers

The following vegetables will all do well in pots or containers: herbs, salad leaves, spinach, dwarf runner/broad and French beans, radishes, peas, beetroot, compact courgettes (Summer Ball" and
Midnight'), potatoes, dwarf carrots ('Caracas' and 'Parmex'), aubergines, peppers and rhubarb, Thompson & Morgan, Dobies. Suttons and Chiltern Seeds offer vegetable seeds for growing in pots. Suttons has a Patio Vegetable Seed Collection of 15 varieties and 'Chiltern Seeds' Urban Selection has nine varieties suitable for containers.

Fruit trees in container

Some fruit trees, such as figs, enjoy having their roots restricted so are ideal for growing in pots, while others are suitable because they are grafted onto dwarfing root stock. such as M9 or M26 for apples and St Julien A for peaches, apricots, plums and nectarines. Use a large pot and fill it with heavy, soil-based compost for stability. Pruning and general tending is carried out in exactly the same way as for fruit in open ground. Recommended fruit varieties for growing in pots or containers: apple 'Bright Star', 'Falstaff and "Pixie"; nectarine Nectarella'; peach "Garden Lady'; fig 'Brown Turkey', pear Garden Pearl'.

Pots full of vegetable goodness

With just a few containers and pots outside your kitchen door, you can pick-your-own vegetables all summer long. Plus, you don't have far to go to tend them, which is ideal for things you use little and often, and you can also keep on top of pests and diseases. Regular watering and feeding vegetables in pots are essential but your efforts will be more than repaid by the satisfaction of stepping back into the kitchen with your home-grown produce.

Choose your compost for vegetables in pots

Good quality multi-purpose compost is fine for most vegetables and soft fruit in pots. Adding some well-rotted manure into the lower half of the containers or mixing in a humus-rich soil conditioner
such as Lakeland Gold will provide slow-release nutrients and improve moisture retention. Fruit trees, being more permanent plantings, need a soil-based compost such as John Innes No 3. Acid-loving blueberries planted in pots require ericaceous compost.

Seeing red vegetables in pots

Blight-resistant bush tomatoes such as sweet, cherry-sized 'Losetto' from Thompson & Morgan  thrive in hanging baskets and pots, and you don't need to pinch out any sideshoots; Vilma', which
only grows to 50-60cm tall, is also a good choice for vegetables in pots. For hanging vegetables in pots baskets, try Tumbling "Tom" and 'Hundreds and Thousands' (just as prolific as its name
implies). Find space for a few chilli plants, too: 'Basket of Fire' and Prairie Fire' are both compact and bushy vegetables in pots.

Soft fruit for pots

Strawberries, blueberries, redcurrants. white currants, blackcurrants, gooseberries and autumn raspberries can all be raised in pots and containers. You need a pot that is at least 45cm deep,
ideally in a sunny position for the vegetables in pots, although gooseberries and currants can cope in partial shade. Recommended varieties of soft fruit and berries for growing in pots: strawberry 'Flamenco'; blueberry Sunshine Blue'; redcurrant 'Rovada'; blackcurrant 'Ebony'; gooseberry 'Lady Sun'; raspberry 'Autumn Bliss".

Seeds or plants for veggies in pots?

You will get the widest, most economical range by raising plants from seed. However, you have to find space for the seed trays, plus raising seedlings takes time and dedication and there's an increased risk of them succumbing to slug attack before they're sturdy enough to cope. Alternatively, you can buy small plants. The main seed suppliers sell some of their ranges as young plants and the selection at nurseries is increasing.

Shoots and leaves

It's immensely satisfying to slip outside and snip off fresh leaves from the  vegetables in pots every day. The seed companies have made it simple with salad- leaf mixes in all conceivable combinations, from baby leaf and Oriental to bright and spicy. Stagger sowing every four weeks to produce a continuous supply. You can double up  vegetables in pots on space by sowing lettuce in gaps between other plants.

How to plant veggies, vegetables in pots.

WORDS BY PAULA McWATERS

Garden Decor

Very interesting garden decorating idea!

Great cottage garden decoration ideas!

Garden Tips

• A good blanket of locally quarried sand keeps down weeds on the flowerbeds. Originally 10 cm in depth, we have found this to be an invaluable labour-saving device.
• Don't cut perennial plant back until late February to give them some protection over the winter.
• Cover the soil with sheets of heavy plastic when clipping topiary, tucking them under the hedge and weighting them down with wood in case of wind. It saves so much time when clearing up the clippings.
• You can contain variegated ground elder by lining the planting area with plastic. If it nips over the edge, seize upon it as soon as you spot it.
• We dig up our plants for sale each year and prune the roots before resetting them. If you are about to move house, this is a good preparation.