There are several reasons why you should start your spring vegetables from seeds in the next few weeks; by rearing young plants inside you can start ahead of the season and take advantage of a narrow, but sunny window of opportunity. Seedlings and young plants are incredibly vulnerable and even the slightest touch of frost can destroy them completely, so by protecting them during the early spring you can significantly increase their chances of survival.

Here is a quick and easy guide to get your vegetables off to a great start:
Planting:
First of all you need to buy your seeds. As you are starting early, and can control the temperature, you have the choice of a wide variety of different types of vegetables from around the world.
Once you have decided on your chosen crop you need to get out your planters, get your soil nice and moist (I recommend seed growing mix), and set to work. After you have filled all your little pots you can bury your seeds in the soil. Aim to push them down into the earth at least three times the length of the seed.
After putting them in direct sunlight, and watering them every day, all you have to do is wait for your seeds to sprout.

Hardening:
Many people put their plants straight outside once they have grown a bit bigger, but you need to harden them first. Your plants have had a very cushy life so far, and the shock of being dumped in the garden can see them off. You need to get them used to their new life before you send them into the cold. Here is a timetable for hardening off your budding vegetables.

Once you have planted your veg, you can look forward to a summer of great veg. Happy gardening!

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maris-bard-9wks-after-plant

• The soil warmed up under the polythene and the seed potatoes emerged quickly.
• Once the leaf was out the plants grew more quickly.
• These potatoes were planted with only a shallow covering of soil, so that they warmed up more quickly, and emerged sooner.

new-potato-developing

• This early initial development promises an early harvest!  Potatoes are already the size of a marble!

Maris Bard Potatoes

The potatoes are covered over if there is a chance of frost.  The leaves can be severely damaged or killed by frost, which would reduce the benefits achieved of early planting under polythene.

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* It’s *biological clock* will encourage it to germinate at this time.
* The *temperature* of the soil will also have an affect. If it is
an early spring, and the soil has warmed up, planting can be
earlier than normal.
* The *dampness* of the soil is important. If it is very wet, the
soil will tend to glue together when the seeds are planted. The
air will be squeezed out of the soil & the seed will be unhappy.
Wet soil is also colder.
* The planting *location* should be considered. A windy spot will be
colder, and therefore later. A protected walled garden will be
warmer, so sowing can be earlier.
* *Frost* pockets should be considered.

Click the image below to see a chart of vegetable planting dates.

The chart shows:

* planting dates
* weeks between sowing & harvest

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