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Lettuce begin – the 2011 growing season is underway!

Posted by on Friday 21 January 2011 in growing | 10 comments

Check these out:

My first baby seedling shoots of 2011!

They’re Winter Gem lettuces – planted a little late in their growing window but they wouldn’t have germinated in the super cold of December.

We grew them last year too – planted about now – and they formed tasty greener-than-the-picture heads by early April – just when we wanted to start eating lots of salad but before our spring salad leaves were ready.

(I’d intended to start a batch on 1st Oct, 1st Nov, 1st Dec & 1st Jan to see where the sweet spot was for planting them and how early we could enjoy the heads – but didn’t get around to it. Maybe next year.)

I think these little tiny shoots delight me because they represent the start of the 2011 growing season – before we know it, we’ll be up to our ears in courgettes, tomatoes and all sorts of salad & greens.

After a chilly few days this week (the ground’s been frozen since about Tuesday), it’s supposed to be warming up a little over the weekend – which means, hopefully, I’ll be able to get into the garden. I’ve got a few baby fruit bushes to plant on and a couple of inherited, overgrown shrubs to pull up to replace with fruit trees/bushes.

I’m also going to try to get ahead of myself and fill lots of pots with my starting soil mix so they’re ready for seeds when the time comes. My “to plant in Feb” and “to plant in March” seed packet piles are rather extensive so any help I can give my future self will be gratefully received!

Have you started growing anything in 2011 yet? When does your growing season start?

And since at least a few of you are on t’other side of the globe so are in the opposite situation, have you been planting anything for overwintering?

Other posts you might like:

Why our growing season was disappointing Lessons from our summer of growing Growing salad leaves – frugal, organic & green Growing vegetables for chickens

10 Comments

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  1. sara
    21 January, 2011 at 6:21 pm

    Hi oohh there is nothing nicer than seeing your little seedlings pushing through the compost..very satisfying to think you did that..we have our broad beans in little pots in the greenhouse..didn’t get around to doing them in november..too cold,frozen ground and we were poorly…we have a whole row of conifers to remove so we can plant 2 more fruit trees and i really would like a plum tree but will have to see…depends if aldi or morrisons have them in again lol..thats where all my fruit trees and bushes have come from…and they might be cheap but by crikey the fruit well…

    take care
    sara

    Reply
    • louisa
      21 January, 2011 at 6:24 pm

      I’ve heard mixed things about cheap fruit trees and bushes – good to hear another positive as I’ve bought some cheap fruit bushes this year and have high hopes for them ;)

      Reply
  2. sara
    21 January, 2011 at 6:28 pm

    Its how you treat them that counts i think..we mulch ours and treat them too..i had loads of apples from a £1.99 tree from aldi..we got fruit bushes from wilko’s..only had them since last summer but i have high hopes for them too..especially the bluberry bush..yummy…
    sara

    Reply
  3. Linda
    21 January, 2011 at 7:23 pm

    Southern hemisphere here -supposedly mid-summer but LaNina weather pattern has bought autumnal weather 18*C and overcast with a little rain (insufficient to really water the ground but annoying for line-drying other outdoor activities)
    I’m harvesting garlic and potatoes this weekend and putting in more potatoes and probably broad beans.
    I don’t put to much stock in the gardening guide recommendations for planting as the climate seems completely random. As I get most of my seed from my plants it’s no loss to plant different things and just let nature take it’s course

    Reply
    • louisa
      24 January, 2011 at 1:09 pm

      I don’t put that much stock in the guide recommendations either – they’re not written from growing in damp, cold Yorkshire in the first place, let alone during these crazy weather days. I saved a lot of seed last year so I’m freer to experiment with sowing dates etc – as you say, no loss to try.

      Reply
  4. Jan
    21 January, 2011 at 11:54 pm

    I have a packet of winter gem waiting to be sown, so now I might try them in the greenhouse. Managed to recycle a polystyrene fish box from the local pub on bin day, so could grow them on in that. Have started to clean and tidy the greenhouse and couldn’t resist filling three lots of trays with rootrainers and compost. Have sown one lot of Foremost early peas-I sowed some in the open ground last autumn and a few came up but were eaten. Need to find some broad bean seed from my seed filing drawers (Bagged up in date of sowing order) and will soak some sweet peas as soon as I can find a saucer and a space on the windowsill! Broad beans Aquadulce sown outside in the autumn came up and have survived the snow and mice so far. Have also planted some garlic that was due to go in last autumn, it was starting to sprout so put some in a large pot and the rest in the ground-interested to see which does best.

    Reply
    • louisa
      24 January, 2011 at 1:14 pm

      Nothing I overwintered has really survived so congrats to your broad beans! :)

      I’ve heard polystyrene fish boxes make good cold frames – might go to see if the fish and chip shop uses them… Thanks for reminding me!

      Reply
  5. damnthebroccoli
    27 January, 2011 at 12:42 pm

    My growing season will start in the next couple of weeks with the first pepper seedings.

    Not sure you would have got a good result this year anyway with the harsh weather though.

    Got a lot of plans this year to try out. Hopefully growing more in the whole garden rather than the bit round the back.

    Reply
    • louisa
      27 January, 2011 at 12:53 pm

      Yeah, I think the earlier sowings would probably have died too. Another time when laziness pays off ;)

      Got a lot of plans this year to try out. Hopefully growing more in the whole garden rather than the bit round the back.

      That’s our plan too. We’ve got some scratty herbs in tubs at the front but could easily swap them for a 2 or 3 metre square deep raised beds type things.

      Reply

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