Seed sorting session

Some frugal people don't garden.  Really?  Apparently so.  However, I think that even if I only grew cress or sprouted seeds in a tray, I would always grow something!  We are very lucky to have a big enough back garden to grow veggies and have a greenhouse, and we get the sun on it most of the day in the late spring, summer and early autumn.

I have six veg beds, raised ones, as our soil is a heavy clay, compounded by the fact that the house builder scraped away the topsoil and didn't replace it when the development was complete....I could have words with him.  Anyway, we try not to walk on the beds, and I dig them over using an old scaffold board in the spring so that I don't compact the material any more than is necessary.  We add our own composted material, and we have plenty of that with the chickens and the rabbits.  The FH is always saying that the ground "eats" the material we put in, and he is right in that it all seems to sink down, but quite where it does go, I have no idea.

I had a good rummage through our packets of seeds on Monday night, and it was interesting what I found.  First up, a packet of tomato seeds dated 1992 - can you believe that?!  20+ year old tomato seeds?  I don't think I will be trying those, especially since I have some that are much fresher.

Our repertoire is fairly limited, but only to what we like to eat.  We don't grow stuff for other people so we have just ourselves to please.  I don't think I need to buy any seeds at all this year as we have plenty of everything:

Runner beans, broad beans, climbing beans, dwarf beans [we like beans!], peas, tomatoes, squash & courgettes, radish, onions & spring onions, lettuces, kale, parsley, cucumber, chilli pepper and sweet pepper, beetroot, and landcress.  

I will have to buy some seed potatoes, though.

Years ago, the FH was the gardener, but now it is one of my roles, and I have the solid and dependable advice from UJ to keep me going in the right direction, as well as numerous books and websites too.

I think that the pepper seeds have got to go in later this month, so I will have to get my act together soon!