Plant begonia tubers (hollow side up) in pots of moist compost and cover with a little more compost. Keep them in a bright, frost-free position.
Sow antirrhinums (snapdragons) and laurentia now to ensure early flowering.
Start dahlia tubers into growth by planting them in pots of compost, maintaining a minimum temperature of 10 degrees celsius.
Sow sweet peas in a glasshouse, cold frame or a cool place indoors. Soak sweet pea seeds in tepid water overnight before planting them, to speed up germination.
Grow your own chrysanthemum plants from seed — start them off now in the greenhouse for the earliest blooms.
Sow geraniums (pelargoniums) indoors now for earlier flowers.
Plant or pot on hardwood cuttings taken last year.
Pot on rooted cuttings of tender perennial plants taken last summer.
@B3 might help, electrical propagators are a good choice to give some heat
"There are a terrible lot of lies going about the world, and the worst of it is that half of them are true"
Germinating seeds at this time of year is easy with a heated propagator ... less easy is finding enough space that is warm enough and light enough for them to grow unchecked when they’ve been pricked out and potted on ... and potted on again ... and then again ....
Those first sowing dates on the backs of the seed packets are fine for gardeners with lots of heated greenhouses space in the gardens of private estates.
The rest of us are better off holding our horses in check for just a bit longer ... our plants will soon catch up with the ones sown earlier.
“I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh
I am sowing chillies this week. In my best year for chillies, I sowed in late January. I also tried doing them in late February/early March and it was too late. So this week it is
I'm sowing asparagus now and I would sow chilies if they were planned for this year, but I have enough lights to keep them going until they can go out.
And on Friday I pick up 100kg of potatoes, 40kg will go out on the window ledges to chit (Yes I have a lot of windows!) Nothing else will be sown before April at the earliest. (last frost June 1st)
I put a few favoured seeds in the porch. The rest go outside early April. . Some germinate. Some don't. I have the space for a few trays inside but no way of accommodating loads of potted on seedlings.
I'm not particularly concerned about getting plants to mature a few weeks early. I would rather appreciate what's in season. There's plenty going on in my garden in early spring as I allow many pretty 'weeds' to join the party. By the time they're finished, the survivors are ready to plant out.
Also, there are a few plants that I really only want one or two of. Those I get from the garden centre along with plants that sneak into the trolley.
I've already started well I start around 20th December on Begonia they take forever to get going . I've sow quite a few now I did petunia the other day . I am using electric propagators and supplementing some with a grow light for hours every day , its only a little light that clips onto the windowsill .
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In the greenhouse/indoors
Those first sowing dates on the backs of the seed packets are fine for gardeners with lots of heated greenhouses space in the gardens of private estates.
The rest of us are better off holding our horses in check for just a bit longer ... our plants will soon catch up with the ones sown earlier.
Best to leave it a few more weeks.
I'm not particularly concerned about getting plants to mature a few weeks early. I would rather appreciate what's in season. There's plenty going on in my garden in early spring as I allow many pretty 'weeds' to join the party. By the time they're finished, the survivors are ready to plant out.
Also, there are a few plants that I really only want one or two of. Those I get from the garden centre along with plants that sneak into the trolley.