Having already planted a wide variety of hardy vegetables, such as early peas and broad beans, which are now just about sprouting in my cold frame, today it was the turn of some of the more tender summer crops. Many people start their tomatoes and chillis far earlier than late March, but the truth is that I haven't the space to keep them going once they've germinated. Try as I might, I cannot find enough places with enough daylight to prevent early sowings from going long and leggy well before they can be safely relocated to the cold frame or plastic greenhouse.
This time of year is early enough so that the plants do not fruit too late in the season, but late enough to allow me to take advantage of the increasing daylight and (allegedly) improving weather. Things like courgettes, pumpkins and squashes, and my French and runner beans, will wait another month yet. I find no benefit in starting them this early and late April/ early May is ample time to get them growing strongly in the cold frame for planting out after the last frosts (after being caught out a year or so back, this is now the first week in June for me).
Today I sowed Gardener's Delight, Sungold, Alicante and Golden Sunrise tomatoes, Cayenne Pepper chillis, sweet peppers, and the Cape Gooseberries (Physalis edulus). I expect the first to germinate within about 7-10 days, so by my next post I should have something to report...I'm already getting impatient!
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