Saturday, April 11, 2009

Apply for a FREE seed pack from BBC Dig In

Thanks to a post on Little Green Blog for posting about this great offer from Dig in: apply for a FREE Dig In seed pack. If you're interested, I suggest you apply right away as the offer is good only as long as stocks last, and I'm sure it will be very popular. Also, you have to allow 28 days for delivery so it makes sense to apply now. I did! The offer includes a packet of each of the five Dig In veg - tomato, beetroot, lettuce, butternut squash and carrot. The Dig In site offers a series of helpful videos about planting the seeds and you can also sign up for a newsletter for tips on how to grow your vegetables. And the Dig In van will be travelling around the country from April to August. Perhaps it's visiting your town. We have a large garden but it's mostly shrubs (to attract birds) and flowers. We keep saying we should grow some vegetables so now the free seeds will be just the impetus to get us started! Will you be planting a new garden this year? Are you planning to grow veg? If you have grown lots of different vegetables before, which ones would you recommend are good for a beginner? Do you start your seeds indoors (a greenhouse would be a nice option but we don't have one) or do you wait until the last frost and plant all your seeds directly in the garden?

6 comments:

  1. I sent off these a couple of weeks ago!
    Lists of easy to grow vegetables vary but I would say that beetroot, onions (sets not seeds, apart from spring onions), lettuce, runner beans and potatoes are all easy. Here's the RHS list
    http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0601/easy_veg.asp
    I sow virtually all my seed direct in the ground as I simply don't have the room to start them all off indoors. I don't wait until after the last frost, which is mid-May, for all of them and will be sowing some such as beetroot and carrots now.
    If you've not grown vegetables before then try some this year to see how you get on and start planning and preparing for next year.
    Happy gardening! xx

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  2. Thanks for the advice, Flighty! I appreciate it especially since you have a lot of experience growing veg on your allotment. That's interesting that you don't wait until the last frost. Do you cover things up if there is a frost warning?

    I like your suggestions. My father used to grow lettuce, runner beans and potatoes as well as tomatoes and carrots. I used to help him so hopefully I will be as successful as he was. I think I will start this year with the veg you suggest: beetroot, onions, lettuce, runner beans and potatoes. I'd like to grow tomatoes and carrots too.

    Thanks again, Flighty!

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  3. This is only my second year growing vegetables so I don't have much experience! Mind you my family and friends have been growing them for many years.
    I don't cover things up as frosts now are unlikely to be severe enough to damage anything planted or sown.
    Many people plant and sow far too early, instead of waiting for the right time!
    The best advice I've been given, along with keep it simple, is if you want to grow it then go ahead and give it a try. xx

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  4. That's good to know about the frosts not being severe enough now to damage anything that's planted.

    I think "keep it simple" and just "go ahead and give it a try" is very good advice indeed. I will remember that!

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  5. Thanks for the link love maureen :)
    For a beginner I suggest potatoes, tomatoes, courgettes and runner beans.
    I plant some things in pots and keep them on the dining table (things like basil and parsley) and I try to plant straight into the ground, but our soil is lousy so it's not always an option.
    often I actually buy plants at a plant sale. This year, however, I'm planting it all from seed; so it will be hit and miss no doubt!

    Have fun and enjoy your free seeds :)

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  6. You're welcome Mrs Green - I'm grateful for your post about the free seed pack offer. And thanks for the suggestions.

    I think I may start some veg seeds indoors on our kitchen windowsill, and the rest I will plant straight into the ground.

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