The next step

After succumbing to my urge to sow seeds two weeks before, and having done a little more planning about what veg I might like to grow I then got to sowing some more. Once again, here is an update on what I did next ....

6.3.2011

Sowed outdoors:

• 8 x cloves of French Garlic Cristo in large trough planter. Also transplanted the 4 x cloves sown indoors two weeks earlier. Had to protect these from frost for a couple of nights using fleece. Those sown indoors wilted a little and the leaves turned a little yellow, but the soon got used to their new conditions. Still better to sow direct outside in the future I think. 
• 20 x Red Onion (Red Baron) sets into large trough planter (same size planter as garlic). Planted fairly close together to get medium size rather than large onions. 

Sown Indoors:

• 8 x French Beans (Cobra) four in 3 inch bio pots and four in 3.5 inch plastic pots. All germinated. All grew to 8-10 inches tall in the space of two weeks. Decided this is far too early to sow as they cannot be planted out yet. Will re-sow indoors in mid-april to plant out in their final position as soon as they have germinated.
• 8 x Peas (Early Onward) four in 3 inch bio pots, 4 in old Clover Butter tub at 2 inch spacings. All germinated. Should crop in 12-16 weeks (early June onwards). 
• 2 x Purple Sprouting Broccoli in modules - both germinated
• 3 x Courgette in modules - all germinated. 

Moved:

• 7 germinated Tomatoes (Gardeners Delight) from modules into 3 inch bio pots

Status of plants already sown:

• 4 x cloves of French Garlic Cristo - all had a good 4-6 inches of leaves and looked strong and healthy before transplanting them outside.
• 5 x Broad Beans (Sutton) - all growing well with a good 2-3 inches of growth by this point
• 7 x Tomatoes (Gardeners Delight) - all growing well, 3 or 4 stronger plants. All had started to develop true leaves so were transplanted into bigger pots. 
• 10 x Beetroot (Boltardy) in modules - All leggy (about 1-2 inches tall) and weak.
• 5 x Red Cabbage in modules - All leggy (about 1-2 inches tall) and weak.
• 7 x Red Pepper (California Wonder) in modules - all growing well, no true leaves yet
• 9 x Red Chillis (Cayenne) in modules - all growing well, no true leaves yet
• 10 x Bambino Main Crop Potatoes - chitting nicely
• 10 x Vales Emerald First Early Potatoes - chitting nicely

Broad Beans in the plastic bottles. Garlic in back left corner. Various smaller seedlings in modules.

Broad Beans (5 out off 6 germinated)

Closer view of 4 x garlic in pots. Beginnings of Pea seedlings in clover butter tub.

Closer view of leggy beetroot seedlings in the module tray.

Closer view of broad bean leaves.

My chitting potatoes.

Valuable lesson learnt - hardy vegetables such as garlic, beetroot, and red cabbage do not really need to be sown indoors as this has turned them into leggy weaker plants. If in future I should want to sow them indoors first, I think I will only keep them in to germinate and then get them straight outside to toughen up.