Thursday 20 February 2014

Sowing onions from seed

There can never be enough onions , I wish I had a field!
The sun is shining (between pelting showers) but regardless of the weather today is the day for sowing onions from seed.I finally got my module trays(7cellx12cell) from Garden World at 9am sharp this morning.This year I am trying out module trays on the advise of Klaus Laitenberger who swears by sowing three onion seeds per module and transplanting all three to the next stage before separating them out in the outside bed.Usually I use an open tray and broadcast the seeds, but these Letrim Germans might be on to something, and I'll never know unless I try.

I'm experimenting with compost this year too. I'm trying out a new worm castings compost called Celtic Gold which I got in Raheen Co-op last week.Supposedly the addition of 10% worm castings boosts plant growth by 100%, on the downside the remaining 90% is peat based. Great stuff peat, but not sustainable unfortunately. And while I'm not exactly wearing hemp clothes and living off grid  you can't escape the pressures on our resources.

Seamus has resurrected the heavy duty propagator and it's all set up in the Utility, with only a few cat paw prints so far-Ginger has yet to break in properly to sleep on it as he did last year, knocking pots, flattening seedlings, (well hes a bit large and clumsy)and causing general chaos. This year the plan is to put a cloche over it to make it harder for him to find a way in. But you know cats, they would sit on your head to get a bit of heat, so I'll be dubiously optimistic until I see otherwise. Expect me to post photos of him caught rotten, trying to pretend he is invisible!


2 comments:

  1. Perhaps Ginger is related to "Macavity"

    "Macavity's a Mystery Cat: he's called the Hidden Paw-.
    For he's a master criminal who can defy the Law.
    He's the bafflement of Scotland Yard, the Flying Squad's
    despair:
    For when they reach the scene of crime-
    Macavity's not there!"
    T. S. Eliot.

    Hope you are keeping well Marie.

    Happy growing John

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  2. Hi John!
    What a great poem! if only you could train cats to do useful things like weed and commit crimes! I now have three-none of them look like making promising gardeners. I am keeping very well John, getting lots of fresh air and eating well, lots of home grown broccoli and brussels sprouts-excuse my hot air!
    hope the bees will soon be flying John!
    Marie

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