OMG it’s cold in the potting shed! Mental note, need a heater in there. After a mere 45 minutes shed time, dealing with cold compost in cold air with snow falling outside I gave up having lost control of my fingertips due to cold. Just regained the use enough to bash out this post.

So what did I get done?

  1. Checked out progress on the Trial 1 seeds, see separate update in a couple of days.
  2. Pricked out Physalis and sage.
Sage forest

The Physalis was sown back in October and the sage was sown just 2 weeks ago. Since the seedlings are quite small I have pricked out into half trays rather than individual pots which would be too big at this point.

Sage root system

Considering the head start the Physalis seedlings had, they have poor root systems whereas the Sage pot was full of roots after just two weeks. Early evidence for the benefits of the vermiculite method I’m using this year?  I had way more sage seedlings than I could possibly need Sage plants so I’ve been brutal- I’ve pricked out enough to fill the half tray and the rest have gone to the compost bin. This might be a lot to do with the fact I was so chuffing cold. But it is a numbers game really, can’t afford to get too sentimental about it. I suppose I could (should) have just sown less of the seed and saved it for another year or for a seed exchange or something.  Next time.

Pricked out and in trays

There are about 30 to a tray, 40 perhaps.  They’ll be ok in there till they’re big enough to go into final positions, although I might still pot them on to individual 7cm pots first if they get too big. See how they grow in the prop bench.

3. There are signs of life in one set of the Trial 2 seeds, see separate post.

4. The broad beans are coming on a treat too,all germinated and going gangbusters.

Broad and indeed tall.
Broad beans, Red Epicure

5. The parsnips seeds are poking their way through too, not yet photo worthy.

6. The anemone root cuttings I mentioned a couple of weeks ago are also coming along nicely, about 70% of them, so a pretty high rate especially considering I previously had a big fat zero % success rate. Interestingly one of them doesn’t look like the rest, I wonder if that’s a stray bit of Eringium root cutting, I took them at the same time and could easily have got them muddled.

Anemone cuttings

7. I noticed there are some jumpy hoppy black insecty fly things in the heated prop bench. I think they will have been transferred in from the autumn sowings, or possibly the sand, I suppose. Fungus gnats maybe? I’m going to nuke them with a couple of sulphur smoke bombs before they breed too much, just in case they or their offspring are nibblers of tasty seedlings.

8. Finally, the propagation bench is beginning to fill up! This is a good demonstration of why we should always use the smallest container necessary for the job – there’s never enough room.  Nice and toasty in the greenhouse, btw, in comparison to the icebox/shed. I’m beginning to regret transferring the potting bench to the shed. Heater will sort that out I guess, although fingerless gloves might be a cheaper and more environmentally friendly option…

Not much room at the inn