Winter Peas and Broad Beans sown


This Sunday I finally got my peas and beans sown. I got down to the plot early and managed to get both rows sown and given a light sprinkling of paraffin to keep the mice away.
I moved on to open up the most mature compost bin ready to start transferring it to the middle and final bin. Then I decided to take a break and have my customary morning coffee and cake at the cafe. As usual it was a very cheery crowd and it was nearly an hour before I got back to the plot to dig out and transfer about a third of the compost over to the new bin. It is a bit wet and soggy so really needs stirring up and aerating.
As always there were raspberries to pick and I dug a couple of leeks to take home. I need to leave the rest to fatten up before I eat them all. The 3 rows should last me through to next April, if the pests and diseases don't get them first!

At Home I am trying to sort out what seeds I need for next year. As always I have collected loads of packets from Magazines, cheap seeds from the shops and garden centre's autumn clearances as well as those I bought on a whim! Many of the packets are old so I mark each packet with the last year I can use them using a chart of how long each type of seed lasts. As long as I keep them dry and not too hot or cold (I use the spare room at home) I can use them. I have found several websites with 'seed viability' charts and use them as a guide, remembering that many are for the USA. You can check them out using these web pages.

amateurgardening.com

homegrown.org

allotment-garden.org

ezfromseed.org

growingtaste.com

clearcreekseeds.com

You need to remember that these figures apply only if the seed has been kept in the a pristine state. I assume that once opened the packet has a very short shelf life, especially if it was in a foil pack inside the packet.