This is a good way to beat the weather and give your crops a head start.

Hardy plants like onion, cabbage and lettuce can be grown indoors from January to March and then planted out under cloches. a warm start indoors is advisable for tender plants tomato, courgette, peppers, and cucumber.

Fill seed trays or pots with good propriety seed compost. A good compost provides moisture, air and food. All you need to provide is warmth.

Firm the compost down lightly and thinly scatter the seed across the surface. Fine seed can be mixed with sand for easy distribution. Cover the seed with a thin layer of compost and stand the tray in water. Watering from the top can displace seeds. When wet take the tray out of the water and store somewhere warm. Cover the tray with glass or cling-film to prevent the compost drying out. When shoots appear remove the covers and store in a warm, light, airy position, ie: windowsill.

When two leaves appear lift the seedlings taking care not to damage them, an old fork is ideal for this job. Transfer to pots or trays with fine potting compost. Use a dibber or your finger to make a hole, pop the roots in and then firm around the seedlings. 

(Note: If you smoke, wash your hands before handling tomato plants).

Grow them on in a temperature of around 60 F until seedlings are ready to plant out. Harden off your seedlings by letting more air into your greenhouse or popping them outside on mild days.

Watering from above can damage or displace your seedlings instead pop them into a tray of water, thus allowing the water to draw up the compost using capillary action.

Part 2: Sowing Outdoors

A good crumbly weed free soil is essential for easy sowing and successful germination. Digging the soil well over winter will ensure this. If you have a clay soil it is important to prepare before the autumn. Over winter the alternating freezing and thawing of the soil breaks up any hard clods.

Freshly dug soil may be firmed down by treading along the sowing surfaces ('the gardeners shuffle') and a good raking down will help.

Use a corner of a hoe or a sharp stick to to draw out a shallow drill (groove) using a piece of string or a canes to get a straight line. Make sure there are no over compacted areas as these tend to harden off making roots difficult to penetrate. 

Seeds may be scattered over a prepared bed but seeds sown in drills look neater and help harvesting. The distance between the rows and seeds are different for each vegetable. To see what distances you require click here for our vegetable index.

Once the seedlings emerge thin out to the recommended distances (see veg index).

Tips:

DO NOT sow vegetables onto cold soil.

DO NOT rake down or firm clay soil when the ground is wet.

DO NOT sow too deeply.

For more information or questions go to our forum.