Begonia Tom Foolery (Harvested 2016,2017)
The Begonia Tom Foolery seeds were sown on the 8th January 2019. The seeds were harvested from plants in 2016 and 2017 and have been stored since then. The propagator was set to 20-21 Degrees Centigrade. It is important that the compost is finely sieved and moist but not wet nor soggy. It is best that the compost has been pre-warmed to the desired temperature before sowing the seeds. These are the methods used in the past that have produced the best results.
French Marigold (Glowing Embers-Harvested 2018)
The French Marigold seeds were sown on the 1st February 2019. Within 36 hours three seedlings had popped through the compost surface. The seeds were harvested throughout the 2018 season. The seeds were stored in the greenhouse so that they had been through a period of at least 4-6 weeks of cold weather. The plan is to sow the seeds earlier than normal to see if the yield is high enough to make it worth while. The seedlings will have to be kept under lights to ensure good growth as the sun light is still very low during February in the Edinburgh area. As soon as the seedlings are strong enough they will be put into the greenhouse over mild heat when required. Hopefully the seedlings can be developed in waves and moved out to cold frames when the weather improves. If the early seedlings fail then there will still be time to sow replacement seeds as Marigolds generally develop very well from early March onwards.