Shedloads of seed sowing

I've had a great gardening day today, - ok so maybe the house is a mess, but I got lots done out in the garden, including a huge amount of seed sowing.  i've been deadheading over the last few weeks, but in my "can't throw anything out that might be useful manner," i've been keeping loads of seedheads wrapped in Newspaper in the greenhouse. These are all nice and dry, so today i've been seed sowing frantically.

As some of the seeds are very small, - my first job was to sieve the multipurpose compost i'm sowing into. - Ideally i'd sow into a low fertiliser compost (a sowing and cutting mix), but they are very expensive, and usually only come in 15-20l bags, so I multibuy a fairly cheap and cheerful compost in 75l bags, and then sieve, add in nutrients or feed less dependant on what the plants or seeds need. Normally i'd use some homemade compost in my mix, - but this isn't good for seeds as it isn't sterilised, so may contain weed seeds. Even I can't always tell the seedlings from the weedlings, so best to sow these into a propitiatory growing media.

I used to buy a new load of seed trays each season, - but i've found now that reusing trays I got my bedding in, or using recycled fruit trays or meat trays (with holes put in the bottom) gets just as good results. They just need washing out first.

So what am I hoping for from my trays and trays of (currently) bare compost.

I've sown, - As well as my regular saladings and herbs, - purple & red poppies, Eryngium planum, Tulips (don't know which colour as I didn't mark the stem with a label ) Aquilegia, Allium Christophii, Astrantia, (i'm hoping they come true from seed as it's a very nice red flowering variety), Campanula (probably persicifolia), Eriginium Karvinskianus, and of course seeds from my mistake of the year

This fantastic yellow verbascum which has added height and colour to my front border was sown from seeds sent to me in a packet labelled Verbena Rigida. However I decided I liked them , I had lots germinate so I planted them liberally through the border in the sun. They are now rewarding me with amazing seed heads, If you'd like to grow this plant, and you're in the uk, just leave a comment on this blog, and i'll send you some seeds.

Comments

[juliette owens]

fantastic blog

[elizabethm]

You re making me feel I need to get outside in the greenhouse and get sowing! I had been diverted by dealing with the gluts.

[Nico2lette]

I would really love some verbascum seeds. I cannot believe they are free......do you want me to pay postage + stuff. I have an allotment....firstly a half plot but now a whole plot so that means a proper flower border. My house is by the river Thames and unfortunately they concreted my back yard for flood defences.........so my Vita type gardening is left to the allotment. Your yellow verbascum will brighten up the whole plot.

[Claire Brown]

very happy to send seeds to blog commenters in uk, please send your address to me via website email form (the ask Claire from any page) and i'll pop them in the post.