Spring is around the corner and the gardener is tempted to plant. Gillian Vine looks at what flower and vegetable seeds can safely be put in now.
The main month for seed sowing in the South is October but many hardier flowers and vegetables can go in during September if the weather is kind.
Before you start, sort out containers and seed mix. Seed trays are usually plastic but at least one company is marketing wooden ones, billed as "good old-fashioned seedling trays".
If you are on a budget, old plastic mesh cutlery trays work well and the divisions mean seeds don't get mixed.
If you work in an office, make use of the paper protectors that surround printer cartridges or the containers used for several takeaway coffees.
At home, hang on to 2-litre ice-cream pottles, stab some holes in the bottom and use them to sow seeds such as lilies, tomatoes, pumpkins and runner beans that will have to grow for some time before planting out.
You can economise by putting homemade compost in deeper containers to about two-thirds their depth and topping up with commercial seed-raising mix.
Commercial seed-raising mixes are weed-free and most contain fertiliser to get seedlings ticking along nicely, plus fungicides to prevent attacks by nasties such as rhizoctonia, pythium and phytophthora, all of which cause roots to rot. Do take sensible precautions when using them, as they contain micro-organisms that may be harmful.
If seed mix - or any garden product, for that matter - is dry, wear a mask to avoid breathing dust and always wear gloves when handling them. Keeping the mix moist when handling helps reduce the potential problems.
Most gardeners use seed-raising mix for sowing in containers but they can also be used outdoors for sowing directly into the ground. Just make a little trench along the row where the seeds are to go, trickle in mix, sow the seeds, then cover with more mix.
It's almost impossible to tell cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli seedlings apart, so don't forget to label rows of seeds.
White plastic labels are available from garden centres or make your own by cutting up pottles (again, ice-cream containers are invaluable).
Write on them with a fine waterproof pen and put the date as well as the plant variety sown.
Keeping a notebook or garden diary enables comparisons from year to year - for example, which carrot cropped better or whether sweet peas were stronger grown from spring or autumn-sown seed.
September sowing
Sow in seed trays
Flowers: Dahlias, zinnias, asters, sweet peas, nasturtiums, annual phlox, carnations and dianthus, delphiniums, hollyhocks, stock.
Vegetables: Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, lettuce, leeks. Pumpkin, courgette, cucumber, runner bean and tomato seeds can also be sown now but must be kept in a warm spot.
Sow in the open
Flowers: Larkspur, cornflowers, pansies, achillea, alyssum, snapdragons, California poppies, love in a mist (Nigella), Iceland poppies, sweet William.
Vegetables: Peas, turnips, swedes, beetroot, radishes, silverbeet, spinach, orach, Chinese cabbage.
Tips
• Be stingy when sowing seeds: well-spaced seedlings will grow into sturdier plants.
• If you can't see the seeds against the soil or mix and therefore have no notion how thickly you are sowing, sprinkle the area with flour or milk powder before sowing.
• If growing lilies from seed, choose a seed-raising mix that does not have added gypsum (lime), as most lilies loathe lime.
• Buy fresh parsnip seed every season; last year's seed is likely to germinate patchily or not at all.
