Sowing Indoors: [Sowing Outdoors]

If you have enough space on a window-sill or in your greenhouse, there's nothing simpler than sowing seeds in 3.5-5in (9-13cm) plastic half-trays or pots. Large seeds can be sown in the individual cells of cellular trays, or in peat pots filled with compost, or else in Jiffy pellets.

Fill the container with compost and firm it down gently with a piece of board. Use the base of another pot to level the surface of the compost, which needs to be approximately half in (1cm) below the rim of the container. Now you can sprinkle the surface with water using a fine rose watering can, and leave it to drain before sowing; the idea is to have the soil moist, but not wet, when you come to scatter the seeds over the surface. It's also quite a good idea to sow your larger seeds in rows.

Most seeds will need to be covered after sowing. Spread them thinly over the compost, either by sprinkling pinches from your finger and thumb, or by tapping them carefully out of the seed packet. Avoid over-sowing, as a mass of weak seedlings will be prone to various fungal diseases.

Now cover the seeds by sifting a little compost over them. As a general rule, you should try to cover your seeds with their own depth of compost or vermiculite. Don't cover very fine seed with the compost. When the seeds are very small, the best way to deal with them is to mix them with a small amount of fine silver sand, then shake the mixture evenly over the compost, in a thin layer, and leave it uncovered. Finally, label each pot or tray.

Most (though not all) seeds will need darkness in order to germinate successfully, so cover the pots and trays with paper, then put a sheet of glass on top. Leave them at a fairly warm temperature (64-70F);18-20C).

Check each day for signs of germination. The paper should absorb any condensation and stop it dripping onto the soil; if it seems to be getting saturated, you should change it. As soon as the seedlings start to appear above the soil, take the paper away and prop up the sheet of glass. Seedlings need some ventilation, but don't expose them to direct sunlight or you'll run the risk of scorching them.

Pots on a window-sill should be turned every couple of days.This will stop the seedlings becoming leggy. If you're growing them in a propagator then make sure that you open the vents. Don't let the compost dry out at this stage: mist the emerging seedlings with a fine spray, or use a watering can with a fine rose. Lettuce, kohlrabi and many flowers need to be placed in a brighter position that is also cooler otherwise the seedlings will grow too long and too soft.

You'll need to prick out these young plants to give them enough space to grow and develop. Fill your pots or trays with some lightly fertilised potting compost. To release the seedlings from the seed compost, hold the seedling by its seed leaves, and ease it out gently so the roots remain undamaged.

Make an appropriately sized hole in the potting compost, and put the seedling into it with its roots hanging straight down; don't let them get twisted. If the roots are long, shorten them slightly to encourage side growth - that way they'll form a root ball. When you've finished, the seedling with its seed leaves should protrude approximately half-1in (1-2cm) above the soil surface - if it's too deep it may rot, and if it's too shallow it can easily fall over. Prick the soil all around, and push some of it in towards the plant to give it more grip. Finally, moisten the compost thoroughly with a fine rose watering can, and put the container in a well-lit position where there's plenty of humidity in the air.

Direct sowing outdoors is suitable for beans, peas, spinach, carrots and herbs to name a few. From the end of March on you can sow them straight into shallow seed drills without any difficulty. However, if these plants are going to grow in the way you want, you must be sure to prepare the seedbed in the right way before you start.

Preparing the Bed: A bed dug over in autumn, then left rough over winter, will need levelling with a rake before it is prepared. If it has been dug in spring leave it to settle before preparation. Don't work the soil if it is so damp it sticks to your boots. When it is dry, tread it firm, rake to a fine tilth.

To make sure that the new seedlings can benefit from capillary action, don't use anything except a rake or a cultivator to loosen the surface. If possible, don't go any deeper than the depth of a seed drill - that's about 1in (2-3cm) or 1-2in (3-5cm) if we're talking about peas and beans. There are risks involved in raking the soil any deeper:you could leave your seeds lying in loose earth without any access to the moisture contained in the soil.

Use a taut garden line to mark out the edges of the paths between the beds, then mark them more definitely with the handle or the flat of your rake. Now stamp the paths down with your feet to make them firm. If you have very heavy soil that's liable to become caked, it's a good idea to lay down planks for walking on.

A seedbed with a width of 3ft is desirable as you can reach the middle of the bed from either side. You can use a row marker to give you the right distance between rows: 10in (25cm) for lettuces and caqrrots; 16-20in (40-50cm) for cabbages; and 4-6in (10-15cm) for radishes, cress and looseleaf lettuce.

For each row, make a drill of the appropriate depth - somewhere between half inch and 2in (1-5cm). Drills can be drawn with the edge of a draw hoe against a straight, taut garden line. For shorter rows, you can simply press the handle of your rake into the soil. Be careful not to make the drill too deep, and keep it the same depth all the way along. If you sow this way, you'll be able to tell the difference between the crop and any weed seedlings that appear.

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What would you like to grow?

Protection from the Cold:

Early sown leeks and onions, like many other plants, need the protection of cloches if they are to survive the cold. Cloches are invaluable for extending the season when you can grow plants outdoors, both early and later in the year and for protecting tender vegetables.

A cloche should be at least twice as high and one and a half times as wide as the nearly fully grown crop to be covered. |n fact it is wise to buy the largest size you can, one that covers your bed width is ideal. Larger cloches ensure that there is plenty of air circulation underneath and therefore less risk of pest or disease outbreaks. Some cloches have vents incorporated in the design to provide ventilation; on others a side or end can be raised or removed. Some designs include extra side pieces which can be added when plants grow tall.

Glass Cloches: provide the best protection from cold, but are heavier than plastic cloches to move around, expensive and not advisable where there are children.

Rigid Plastic: is lightweight, so make sure plastic cloches can be anchored to the ground.

Corrugated plastic: diffuses the light which is excellent for use in summer or for winter protection of mature plants but not so satisfactory for use on seedlings.

Transparent plastic bottles: make excellent clcohes for small individual plants. Add a few small holes for ventilation.

Polythene film: stretched over wire hoops is cheaper. Polythene tunnels are easy to move from crop to crop and the sides can be raised for ventilation. Since they are very light you will need to incorporate a secure method of holding the sheeting down. The film will deteriorate, usually lasting for two to three years at the most.

Sowing the seed: You can sow as soon as the soil surface is sufficiently dry and crumbly. With a little practice you'll soon be able to sow the seeds thinly and at regular intervals along the drills. Make a crease in one side of the open seed packet, tap it gently with your index finger and the seeds will trickle out a few at a time. The more thinly and evenly you distribute them, the better the result will be, as the seedlings will have plenty of time to grow before they start to crowd each other.

Careful watering is essential in the early stages. When you've filled the seed drills, water them again with a fine rose watering can. If the soil is sandy, use more water; if it's liable to turn to mud, water more carefully. Don't allow a crust to form on the surface, as this will stop the new plants emerging; if necessary, use a hand cultivator to loosen up the surface. You should never let the seedbed dry out. Keep it moist right up until the time for planting on. Often this isn't easy, as the surface dries out quickly in hot weather. Always water in the evening, when the moisture will be properly absorbed - never in the heat of the day - and always water thoroughly, so the moisture really gets down into the soil. Take plenty of time over watering. If you use a garden spray, leave it on for several hours. However, if you use a watering can, it's easier to control where the water goes. Continuous superificial watering can often cause damage in the long run; in time the deeper roots, deprived of water, will begin to die off.

The top half of a plastic drink bottle makes an ideal mini greenhouse for frost tender plants.