All Articles
Prepare for seed sowing
Use January to get organised says Jackie Whittaker
January is a fairly quiet time in the garden so I like to use this month to get organised for the coming growing season.
After sweeping out my greenhouse and washing it down, top of my ‘to do’ list is gathering together all my equipment for seed sowing.
By doing it in January rather than waiting until you are about to start seed sowing, you can be sure that everything is clean, intact and in working order.
This avoids any last minute dashes to the garden centre and ensures that at least you start the season on the right track.
January is a good time to get your seed sowing equipment ready for use. Click on image to enlarge
Make sure all your seed trays and cell trays are clean. Good garden hygiene at seed-sowing time is vital to avoid transferring pest and disease problems from your equipment to freshly sown seed. I’ve brushed out any lingering compost from trays used this year and I'm washing everything in hot soapy water. I’ll then leave these to air dry before storing away. Click on image to enlarge
It’s amazing how many pots you acquire in the course of a year. As a priority, I’m washing all of the small pots (3in) that I’ll be using to transplant seedlings into. I’ll then wash the larger pots in the same way as I’ll also need these for potting on at a later stage in the season. Click on image to enlarge
It’s important to wash any other equipment that will come into contact with your newly sown seed. This includes seed tray lids, plant labels, your dibber, compost scoop and even the compost sieve. Cream cleaner on a scouring pad easily removes pencil from plastic labels. Click on image to enlarge
Finally I’ve dug my heated propagator out of the garage and have given it a thorough clean. I’ve also plugged it in to test that it’s still in full working order. If you’ve had your heated propagator for a few years, it’s particularly important to test it prior to using it again. As with all electrical appliances, they don’t last forever, and the last thing you want to do is cook or freeze your freshly sown seed rather than warming it gently. Click on image to enlarge
