It’s been about a month since we seeded our vegetables and for the most part it’s been a very good start. The weather has been patchy with cold and warm spells, so the temperatures in the studio have fluctuated leading to delays in germination in some of our seedlings from Thompson & Morgan that need more warmth to get going.
As mentioned in the video below, we are using Ecoworm on our seedlings which is hands down the best organic, liquid fertiliser we’ve used, along with magnetised water from our Plantsurge units. We’ve also got our Riiai CO2 monitor and thermometer connected to provide us with data.
We are always experimenting with Eve’s amazing range of smart home gadgets and this spring we’re using their strip lights to provide our seedlings with some colour therapy creating a custom burple (blue and red) light that we’re hoping will be beneficial to our seedlings.
Without getting into too much technical detail, red light is considered the fundamental spectrum for plant growth and photosynthesis, while blue light has a positive effect on plant structure, so by creating a mixed blue and red colour (commonly known as RB) we’re aiming to deliver a one-two punch with Eve’s strip lights’ triple-diode that radiates a rich hue of colour at 1800 lumens.
If you’re interested in any of the seed varieties we’re growing this year from Thompson & Morgan, here’s the full list with direct links to their website along with some notes and thoughts that will be updated in future posts.
Direct seeded in raised beds in the vegetable garden
Swiss Chard ‘Celebration’ – quick to germinate, and we’re growing a lot of this year. We find chard to be a lot more versatile than spinach when it comes to cooking.
Kale ‘Nero di Toscana’ (National Trust) – growing very nicely.
Kale ‘Starbor’ F1 Hybrid – Kew Collection Seeds – has taken a while to germinate but now coming along nicely.
Kale ‘Midnight Sun’ – as expected, germination and growing speed is excellent
Cabbage chinese ‘Natsuki’ –
Cabbage ‘Cordesa’ (Autumn Savoy) –
Cauliflower ‘Veronica’ (Summer/Autumn) –
Salad Leaves ‘Cut ‘n’ Come Again’- Kew Collection Seeds – very quick to germinate (grown under a small poly tunnel in the raised bed to protect from frost). They have formed wonderful plants and we are now (as of early May) using the leaves in salads.
Salad Leaves ‘Bright and Spicy’ – very quick to germinate (grown under a small poly tunnel in the raised bed to protect from frosts). A good assortment of leaves, but have been ‘attacked’ by ants, an issue we’ve never faced in the vegetable garden before. We’ll be applying an ant nematode to deal with this.
Rocket ‘Sweet Oakleaf’ – Kew Collection Seeds – coming along very nicely
Broccoli ‘Monclano’ F1 Hybrid (Calabrese) –
Brussels Sprout ‘Bright’ F1 Hybrid –
Broccoli ‘Purple Rain’ F1 Hybrid (Purple Sprouting) –
Leek ‘Below-Zero’ F1 Hybrid – excellent germination rate with strong plants forming.
Radish ‘Amethyst’- Kew Collection Seeds – very quick to germinate and establish
Potato ‘Maris Piper’ – every seed potato has successfully sprouted and we’re looking forward to a bumper crop.
Seeded indoors in our studio
Squash ‘Sunshine’ F1 Hybrid (Winter) – a slow starter but two of the four seeds have germinated
Pumpkin Zombie F1 Hybrid – one of the success stories so far with all the seeds germinating
Swan Gourd – none of the seeds have germinated yet
Courgette ‘British Summertime’ F1 Hybrid a slow starter but two of the four seeds have germinated
Gourd ‘Ornamental Mix’ – a slow starter but two of the five seeds have germinated
Cucumber ‘Mini Munch’ F1 Hybrid – a slow starter but two of the four seeds have germinated
Cucumber ‘Goblin’ F1 Hybrid – four of the five seeds have germinated
Pea ‘Jumbo’ – a slow starter with only three of 10 seeds germinating
Pea ‘Oasis’ – one of the success stories so far with most the seeds germinating
Peanut (Arachis hypogaea) – no activity yet. Planted four seedlings and none have sprouted/germinated yet
Globe Artichoke ‘Green Globe Improved’ F1 Hybrid – Kew Pollination Collection – six of the 10 seeds have germinated and the seedlings are looking strong.
Tomato ‘Romello’ F1 Hybrid – one of the success stories so far – all the seeds have germinated
Tomato ‘Oh Happy Day’ F1 Hybrid – half the seeds have germinated
Cucamelon ‘Melothria’ – very pleased so far – four the five seeds have germinated.