Seeds - Germinated

Corncockles

A quick check in the greenhouse today has shown that the Corn Cockles that were sown from our own seed the other day have all started rooting. A check outside in the Onion bed showed that the second batch of Onions is growing as is the Broad Beans.

Updated 23 Oct 2013
Every single Corncockle seed taken from seed heads of this years flowers have germinated in the greenhouse. Also many many seeds have germinated outside on bare soil. All seedlings have a good strong 2 leaves.

Broadbeans

The Beans that have started growing were our own seed that was simply taken from pods we had missed and that had dried either on the ground or on the plant.

Updated 23 Oct 2013
Interestingly the seed from my own plants that I sowed has germinated and has leaves. The same type sown on the next bed taken from the original seed hasn't yet germinated. 

More Wild Flowers Sown

Yesterday I pulled the seed from many of this years wild flowers from around the pond and sprinkled the seed over the wild grass area. Some Corncockles had already germinated on their seed heads. I'm rather hoping that enough will take to have made it worth while as the cut grass is about 5 to8cm in height but it rained immediately after so presumably many will have been washed down to the soil level.

Cornflowers were the hardest to sow as their little seed heads don't separate easily so in the main I just split the heads into 3 or 4 bits and dropped them onto the ground. The Marigolds were the same as they were all damp.

Most of the Poppy seed has already been blown out of their seed heads so only a few of these were used.

I think that I will sow a few trays of Corncockles and Cornflowers into trays and leave them in the greenhouse so they can be added in the spring and no doubt I will broadcast sow more seed then as well.

Sweet pea seed was sown all along the fence line so they have something to grow up as well as Sunflower seed, although I did spread a fair few all over the place.

Everlasting flowers, Helichrysums, may not be wild flowers but since they last so long I thought I'd sprinkle a few around the place for added colour. Last year we started a few off in the greenhouse and transplanted them but they took so easily that I think the seed will take readily.

Compost heap

Muck heap 12th October 2013

I also turned over the compost heap/manure heap a little yesterday and it was just a little. I forked the bottom edges to the top and hope to do this at least once per week. Just 10 minutes a time.

Greenhouse

The Tomatoes are still going strong and there were about 100 tomatoes, green and red yesterday but the foliage had stopped much of the light getting to them and since there is so much less sun now I stripped the foliage back considerably, as I have done 3 or 4 times this year although I haven't been stopping any new trusses from forming which has allowed many many more tomatoes to form. The Chilli Peppers are still doing OK and I hope to keep these going all year to see how they perform next year as I understand they are perennials.  I will also try to keep several tomato plants going also, partly because a local permaculture chap said he had picked a ripe tomato on Christmas day last year and partly because they are perennial. Could be an interesting experiment.

Before

After