READY, SET, SOW – SEEDS TO START NOW

unnets of seedlings from the garden centre are great if you only want a few plants of each variety and you’re happy with a limited range of popular varieties. On the whole, there’s enough choice and the seedlings are generally of very good si e and quality so there’s an excellent chance of newbie gardeners having success. On the other hand, growing from seed is much cheaper if you need a lot of plants and there’s so much choice of interesting varieties to try from tried-and-true heirlooms to the latest disease-resistant offerings from the plant breeders. lus, it is so satisfying to watch your seed babies grow day by day.

Now is the time to sow tomatoes, eggplants, chillies, capsicums and pumpkins in punnets or trays indoors. These heat-loving crops need a long season to ripen but the ground is still too cold to sow their seeds directly outside. iving them a head start indoors means you’ll have big established plants by the time it is warm enough for them to be transplanted outside.

Start with clean containers and fresh, moist seed-raising mix. Check seed packs or Kings Seeds for the correct sowing depth. Cover with newspaper to keep the mix moist but remove it when the first seedlings appear. Keep warm – the top of the fridge or underfloor heating both work well.

Seed trays are handy for corralling sets of punnets together. It’s a quick job to lift a batch in and out of a water basin or out into the sun when hardening off.

ining the tray with old towelling or newspaper acts as a moisture reservoir.