I grew celery and I am not kidding - it tastes nothing like store bought & I could take it or leave it until I grew my own. There is no aftertaste or blandness nor any strings. The bunches are big and the taste is phenomenal! 😊
Ooh, I am definitely going to order some celery seeds, thank you. I have never grown celery before. My friend grew some last year and it came up more like a thin stemmed herb, like the top leaves of celery but all over the plant, which was delicious in soups, but not like what you find in the shops, at all, whatsoever. I preferred it too.
I felt the same way about cantaloupe. Last year I grew some for my grands. I fell in love with them. I have seedlings growing now. Home grown food is amazing. 😊
I have pepper and tomato seedlings coming along in pots, as well as peas, beans and broccoli in plugs patiently waiting. This will be my first year with a garden and your videos have been endlessly helpful!
Your enthusiasm and enjoyment of gardening is infectious! I appreciate all the practical tips and advice tremendously as I'm just getting back into gardening after many years.
I don’t know how but Ben’s channel is truly like no other, he shares information in such a informative, funny, and positive manner that just makes me want to keep watching, and the tips he provides are so helpful and truly make a difference in our gardening lives. Im so glad Ben is on UA-cam helping us better our spirits and our gardens.
We've got bitingly cold winds where we are right now, and I shivered at the thought of sitting in my garden with a bare bottom XD Can't wait for the warmer days ahead!
I'm in perth Scotland and I'm just waiting to sow my potatoes they're red flesh, forgot the name, also just sowed beetroot, radish, spring onion, and my Gladioli bulbs I dug up in winter as we have widened our beds, also planted a lot of bee friendly wild flowers which came in a ball that looks like mud, cool and just seen my first bee collecting pollen
This is my favorite gardening channel, no contest. As a slow starting beginner (I've been gardening on my own for several seasons with varying degrees of success, mostly failure), you've taught me a lot and have been the reason I haven't just given up. It's been a very destructive winter here in Northern California but after the garden fence damage is repaired, I'm giving it yet another try. Last year all my seedlings died due to a weather related evacuation and power outage. Hopefully this year things will be better. Thanks for all the help!
He always has such enthusiasm for gardening and it makes me happy. Had no idea you could start beans so early and transplant them out. Thanks for the advice!
A little tip that works if you’re sowing tiny seeds eg carrots, directly: mix the seeds with dry silver sand/play sand and then sprinkle on the soil. The sand spreads out the seeds. Also the sand helps with drainage. Win win👍😀!
See that theory alot, but it never worked for me. The sand is heavier than the seeds so I get a bunch of sand, and after that, all the seeds. A dead-end-shortcut if you ask me.
Today in southern Louisiana I'm transplanting the lemon grass divisions saved from last year's harvest. I love Ben's enthusiasm. After watching his videos I have a head of steam motivating me to get cracking in the garden straight away.
We're growing a whole lot this year with Ben's help. Got a lot of seeds started in the greenhouse in plug trays: lettuces, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, broccoli, chard, cucumbers, onions, herbs and several flower varieties. Just sowed zucchinis, pumpkins, melons, beets and carrots in the ground and they're doing great. Grow Veg has been a great help, especially the garden planner. Thanks, Ben! Our kids love your videos too! - David & Chantal
Always love watching your videos. This year I really over did it. Right now I'm growing Carrots, Garlic, Ginger, Beets, Sugar Snap Peas, Callord, Greens, Mustard Greens, Yukon Potatoes, Swiss Chard, I had Brussel Sprouts but they bolted 😢. Summer crops growing I have Pineapple Tomato (beef stake), Hillbilly Tomato (beef stake)), Sun Gold Cherry Tomato, Super Sioux (Semi Determinate), Ace 55 (indeterminate), & Roma Tomato (indeterminate), Red Burgundy Okra, Purple Tomatillo, Bush Bean mix, Long Purple Eggplant, Green Zucchini, Yellow Zucchini, Sugar Baby Watermelon, Boston Marrow (suppose to be the first pumkin introduced in the US from the Mayflower)
Here in South West France - potatoes and peas in the ground. Tomatoes, peppers, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli seeds sown in the greenhouse. I love the videos and newsletter. Plus the garden planner is great for keeping on top things. 😊
I always love Ben’s videos. What a lovely way to wake up in the morning. And now I finally understand why my broccoli hasn’t done well. I will get those little cups like Ben’s. So far, I have lots of pods of different kinds of tomatoes and different kinds of peppers and I am waiting for my eggplant seeds to arrive.
lol, Tony we just got 4” more of the white stuff! Ugh! It takes Forever for spring to arrive in Wisconsin, US. All us gardeners can do is feel more anxious about kicking these seedlings outside😂. And watch others who are able to plant to help break our cabin fever.😊
Hi Tony. Great to see you my friend. It's a very exciting time of year indeed - and a touch exhausting sometimes too! Hope you're off to a grand start already. :-)
Thanks for the great videos! I’ve had some success starting carrots indoors in the toilet paper tubes. That way you can transplant them without disturbing the roots.
Great video, thanks Ben. It's lovely to include advice on what to plant 'between' things and what can be planted after another crop has been harvested. This is really useful for beginners who have small growing spaces and need to rotate what they're growing more carefully. This time of year is so exciting! I can't believe it's nearly April already! xx
My tip for planting tiny seeds: Paper towels or tissues. Sprinkle seeds on a paper towel, spread them to the distance you’d like then lightly spray with water to sort of set them in place. Then, fold over the towel and cut (or carefully tear) the seeded area and plant it. Think of it as a DIY “seed tape”. :) Seed tapes are great but are pricier than seed packets; plus, seed tape isn’t available for every tiny seed you might like to plant.
@@Alison-g5l That is another interesting use for toilet paper. To be clear, I use toilet paper (or cheap/thin paper towels) as a dry base for spacing out tiny seeds. Once I have them spaced as I prefer, I then spray the paper towel and the (now properly spaced) seeds with water so that the seeds do not move. Then I fold over the paper towel on top of the damp seeds and press that bit of towel down until it is damp as well, to insure that the seeds do not move during transport. Then, I place my DIY “seed tape” onto the soil row I have prepared for the seeds.
I have more seeds collected than I have space! Tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, Swiss chard and zucchini are usually top on my list, but I want to try carrots and other root crops as well. I was just telling my sister how gorgeous okra flowers are, like hibiscus; I may throw a few amongst the flowers for added interest. I think I'll gift her various seedlings this year, to help her out and hopefully get her excited about gardening again. 💜
When I am lazy to go and work in my garden, I listen to Ben for a while. His enthusiasm is so infectious, that it gives me the energy to stand up and go…
I’m a new allotment holder! So I’m sowing quadruple what I normally grow in my garden. Onions and garlic are already in, so are first early potatoes. I’m prepping a no dig sweetcorn bed and I have tomatoes, peas, and some cosmos flowers on a small windowsill. 😊Leeks, carrots, and a bit later - French beans too.
Thanks Ben , you are truly inspirational. I like the way you explain everything ,even though I’ve been growing veg for about six years now, there is always something to learn , also the timing for sowing various crops can be quite crucial and you make the video at just the right time.
Howdy Ben and Rosie! I think Rosie is also excited for another gardening year. 😃 I've learned so much from UK gardeners...like you! In Central Texas we are starting to transplant our summer crops. Our last frost date was the 22nd...used to be the 17th. I'm growing a lot of the delish food you just sowed seeds for. Something I transplanted today that isn't on your list is okra! We love our okra in the south.😋 I also have my popcorn coming up. And I'm growing lotus plants...for the beautiful flowers and to eat.🙂 I'm growing luffa...to est and for sponges.
I'm going to try corn for the first time this year, inspired by one of my neighbours who grew a beautiful crop last summer. Will be planting beans again - the runner beans did really well last year - ended up with a host of them, and I just planted the seeds straight into the ground, came back from holiday and they had already sprung up!
I've noticed that a lot of people (when talking about heading broccoli) talk about the second cropping of spears...but they never mention that the entire plant is edible. During the course of their growing, I often will go out and pick off the lower leaves and cook them. Treating them like collards. And when the plant is done, I forage from them what is in good condition and do the same. The leaves are either cooked as mentioned before or dehydrated into powder to add to soups and stews. The stems are sliced thinly and frozen to be used in either soups/stews or stirfry dishes. The only thing that i don't eat is the roots because I leave them in the ground to break down and feed the soil.
Big shout out for your neighbour! 🥰 such a sweet lady! Great video as always, i think i watched it 5 or more times this month just as a reference if i havent missed anything. 😅 best wishes from Lithuania ❤️
Dear Ben, thanks for all the useuful information and keep up the good work. This summer im growing onions, french beans, potatoes, lettuce, radicchio, rocket, cherry and regular tomato, pepper, cucumber, melon, courgette, squash, cabbages, strawberries, mint and camomile.
Thanks, Ben! Monday, I'm starting the Fl. Giant watermelon. And, I have decided to try cantaloupe, again. I just pruned the bottoms of my tomatoes, most of the plants have a set or two of blooms. Corn is about 12 inches tall...Beans are rolling up the trellis..Ah, spring has sprung and summer is rapidly approaching, for us Floridians.
I second the choice of Crown Prince squash they grow well fruit well and their flavour is second to none. They also keep for so long I still have some from last years harvest.
You are like the adult version of Art Attack, and I'm loving it! Thank you for all the information!! I'm trying out a veggie garden this year for the first time
Thanks, Ben! Carrots and courgettes are on my list too. Made the mistake of growing six courgette plants last year just for myself, assuming they'd struggle in part shade, and... well... you can probably guess what happened. And I had the same issue with the French beans but I suspected they didn't root properly in the soil here --- I *guess* the soil dried out too quickly and made my clay too hard.
I had to look up courgette....it is zucchini!! I do if the same thing my guest year gardening...I planted about 6-8 and was giving them away to everyone I knew....and then some. Lol.
I just spent a couple days sowing tomatoes and peppers in plugs in a heated tray. Then in trays I lined out several areas and put in a row of spinach, lettuce and romaine. Many flower varieties for the garden, delicata, zucchini, dill and sunflowers. I have found that it is better to direct sow my beans in the garden. I have raised beds. I have a 3.5 foot tall, by 3 foot wide, by 20 foot long bed, then I have lots of big tubs up on cement blocks for my garden. Very little bending and very easy to keep weed free! I live about 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Western Washington. We have a very similar growing season as Ben does, I think. That is why I love all his videos and share them on my farming and gardening group on FB. Thanks again for a great video Benn!!
I just discovered my new favourite gardening channel and Brittish accent is the cherry on the top haha. For some reason it's soothing and relaxing, videos got solid information and is visually beautiful. Greets from the other side of the pond (Netherlands)
just planted some sunflower seeds with my 4year old and somehow ended up buying a greenhouse picking it up tomorrow and will be looking through all your videos, thankyou
First time starting everything from seed. So far have kohl rabi already put in final position and 3 sets of multisown Leeks outside with a further 6 plugs to go later in spring. Marigolds are whizzing away in the plug trays as are 3 different types of tomatoes (one for indoors and the other two for conservatory & outside). Carrots being sown first week of April and two varieties of multisown beetroot currently in plug trays. Soon I will be starting my aubergine (two varieties) pumpkins and Courgettes in the near future as well as coriander and basil. Then it's just Sprouting Broccoli in May time and Brussels sprouts sometime in the next month and I am fully planted! So excited and I'm looking forward to giving some of the seedlings away to friends as well as soke produce down the line. Wishing you all the best in the coming year!!
I sowed some snow peas outside a couple days ago and indoors last week I started peppers, 2 types of tomatoes, eggplant, basil, snapdragons, zinnias, rudbeckia, marigolds & thyme
My French beans are so tall already but I'm scared of frost so they're still making a lovely twirly display on my windowsill which is ridiculously crowded now! I'm so impatient to get everything sown. I think I got a bit carried away!
I'm still 5-6 weeks away before I can even think about sowing zucchinis but I'm growing everything you shared plus another 100 varieties of stuff LOL I'll be trying potatoes and corn this season so off to watch your other videos. Thank you for the great information that helps my garden grow bigger & better every year, and great job supervising, Rosie!
Lovely video, bless you for using imperial and metric measures side by side. We are in the Pacific Northwest USA and have sewn many things to set out and just sewn a few things straight outside today, among them are, onions, beets, radishs, zucchini, red kuri, and companions like marigold and garlic... Some tomatoes too. Happy planting!
I can recommend sowing 'Hamburg Parsley' or parsley root (Petroselinum crispum var. tuberosum). It's just as easy to grow as carrots and parsnips, and these mildly sweet tasting roots are a lovely addition to soups and stews - like celeriac, but wit a parsley flavour instead of a celery flavour.
Oh I always get weather envy when I see you sowing in April lol. Snow again here this morning 🙄🥶🏴 at least it gives me more time to prepare my beds 👍
What a great video, Ben! I'm so happy April is just next week, it's been a horribly brutal long winter here on the plains of eastern Colorado, but finally the pastures are sprouting and my garden beds are thawed. I'm planting everything you are, and 18 varieties of tomatoes and lots of native flowers like Agastache and Yarrow. The drought of the last 3 years has decimated my farm, and now since my beloved horse passed away, I'm going to reseed the meadows and pray for gentle rains. A year of keeping animals *horses & cows* off will hopefully create a restored and beautiful farm. It's so needed too, the land has been trampled and grazed for 30 years. I am looking forward to your next video! Happy Spring!!
I bought celery from store and planted the roots and it grew and I’m just waiting for it to seeds, planted in clay pots and doing great 👍😊👩🌾 I will start my courgettes if I have time tomorrow Sunday, so busy cleaning the pool and putting it to work, I’m tired 😪 wish me luck 😊👩🌾👍 thanks Ben for sharing this video 👍😊👩🌾
I can't wait to eat my red core Chantenay carrots! The seedlings are about an 3 centimeters tall and have a ways to go, but the taste will be worth it. Love your videos and enthusiasm.
A French farmer gave me the tip when planting French Dwarf Beans. Just put 3 seeds together in the hole. As they grow, they support each other. No more toppling over plants.
Hello Ben, this year for the first time we are growing Norfolk Turnips. The prices in the shops are in excess of £2/kg and they are such an underrated vegetable that we love for stews etc.
I always leave a celery to go to seed as celery seed is the ingredient in pot pie dough that gives it its unique taste. The neighbor was fun 👍 and NOT doing the bare bottom test is good advice for all. It must've originally been an old man advising a young woman. 😆
I love your greenhouse! I am growing everything you mentioned except leeks. I do SFG. Just started my nasturtiums, marigolds, cleome and butterfly weed yesterday! Hopefully I can get out there to amend and get some root veggies in, sugar snap peas, and onions and taters.
Thanks Ben, I’m attempting to grow celery for the first time this year. I didn’t realise how small the seeds were until I opened the packet, I was desperately trying to sow them in a uniform manner and they were going everywhere 😂 I will definitely have to thin them out when they come up!
@@GrowVeg I'm nervous about putting tiny celery plants into their plugs. Can I sow a few into each plug and then thin them? Will that risk less damage? Thanks Ben
I never worry about planting depth with large seeds. A couple of years back some pumpkin seeds ended up in some compost, which ended up getting buried in my raised bed about half a foot. They sprouted all the way to the top with no problem. I took one of the sprouts out and it was the length of my forearm. I let one of the plants grow and got some nice pumpkins in the fall.
I'm not growing much this year yet - still have over 6 feet of snow in our yard & on our raised beds!!! I have started seeds inside - kale, collard greens, cabbage, onions...The room that I normally do all my seed starting is FREEZING right now so I must wait until things warm up quite a bit!!! I am chomping at the bit waiting for my spring to arrive!!!
Love this Ben! I'm so ready to plant but my garden beds have just emerged from the snow and I still can't walk to them! Your dog looks almost exactly like mine, he also like to hop into the beds and usually tries to steal a pea pod! I will be doing the planting you are showing in probably a month, if I'm lucky and the snow storms stop. Thanks for the advice!
My dog hops all over my vegetables and my cats poop on my onions! I think the cats think the smell of the onions will disguise the smell! Grrr! I fed the pigeon who I was looking after my peas- he absolutely loved them. I don't think we even got any peas because he ate all of them. They must have helped heal him because he flew away after 8 weeks, strong and healed from his splay-legged nest fall. Happy gardening!
Thanks Ben!! It's only my second gardening season but thanks to you & a few other trusted gardening youtubers, I've got a greenhouse full of seedlings on the go!! I just sowed big flats of celery & leeks the other day, and I've already got the earliest lettuces ready to pick baby leaves from.
I'm brand new at growing veg. This will be my first time trying. I'm really excited and want to grow everything 😂 but I'm just going to stick to a few things this year.. I will be growing in my back garden as it's fairly big. Unfortunately half the garden is full shade. It get light but no direct sunlight which is a shame as that's a lot of wasted space to grow stuff.. I really loving your videos. Great advice, especially for bigginers like me..
😂🤣🤣😂 I can't believe you said that Ben! In your bare bottom! 😂🤣😂 Sorry, a bit childish of me, but I couldn't help but laugh for a good few minutes. Love your advice, and your sense of humor as well! Thank you for a good laugh. 😉👍
We moved 500 miles south last fall, so I'm starting all over from scratch for my garden!! I've really enjoyed setting up raised beds, which are easier on my knees, and other than fighting fire ants (eww) this year's growing season has gone lovely! I've got 5 varieties of onions growing, shallots, and two varieties of potatoes all growing in beds. I've got 6 varieties of tomatoes ready to go out in a few weeks, 2 sweet pepper varieties, 5 chili varieties bc we LOVE them, 4 types of eggplant, dill, 6 kinds of basil (mmmmm!) 6 kinds of zinnia, 4 kinds of marigolds, 2 types of calendula, borage, and I started rhubarb from seed which has done fabulous. I had to start my herb garden from scratch so I started oregano, thyme, chives, parsley, sage, lemongrass (maybe others? Lol) from seed, some are already transplanted. I just started squash, celery, and will be starting beans this week also in plug trays. So much to do, and so much fun!!!
Thank you Ben. Your dog demonstrated perfectly that parsnip sowing time is spot on.
I guess she did there Gwen!
I grew celery and I am not kidding - it tastes nothing like store bought & I could take it or leave it until I grew my own. There is no aftertaste or blandness nor any strings. The bunches are big and the taste is phenomenal! 😊
Ooh, I am definitely going to order some celery seeds, thank you. I have never grown celery before. My friend grew some last year and it came up more like a thin stemmed herb, like the top leaves of celery but all over the plant, which was delicious in soups, but not like what you find in the shops, at all, whatsoever. I preferred it too.
Such a difference. :-)
Oh I’m sold! What a recommendation. Thanks!
I felt the same way about cantaloupe. Last year I grew some for my grands. I fell in love with them. I have seedlings growing now. Home grown food is amazing. 😊
@@hanreality.7266 You're welcome! Just make sure they get lots of water too!
April is a great month for planting vegetables! Warm, lots of sun, great weather!
Happy Spring everyone!
Love the dog sitting on the vegetable bed😍
I truly feel as if I'm there and you are telling me what to do. No muss no fuss. Great info!
Thanks so much. Happy gardening. :-)
I have pepper and tomato seedlings coming along in pots, as well as peas, beans and broccoli in plugs patiently waiting. This will be my first year with a garden and your videos have been endlessly helpful!
So many wonderful things already started off - brilliant!
Yay!! Good luck with your garden!!
Your enthusiasm and enjoyment of gardening is infectious! I appreciate all the practical tips and advice tremendously as I'm just getting back into gardening after many years.
Wonderful! I really hope you love rediscovering the garden. Such a superb thing to be getting back into! :-)
I don’t know how but Ben’s channel is truly like no other, he shares information in such a informative, funny, and positive manner that just makes me want to keep watching, and the tips he provides are so helpful and truly make a difference in our gardening lives. Im so glad Ben is on UA-cam helping us better our spirits and our gardens.
Thanks so much for the kind words. I'm so pleased you're enjoying the channel. :-)
here here
I am always recommending Ben's channel
Yours is Absolutely my most favorite gardening channel. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.
Thanks so much Emilia. :-)
Spring is finally here! So excited to get planting!
Yey!
We've got bitingly cold winds where we are right now, and I shivered at the thought of sitting in my garden with a bare bottom XD Can't wait for the warmer days ahead!
Not far off now I hope. :-)
I love the abundance of enthusiasm over in this corner.
Luvly stuff 🌞 U 💎
Thanks so much, really appreciate that. 😀
I'm in perth Scotland and I'm just waiting to sow my potatoes they're red flesh, forgot the name, also just sowed beetroot, radish, spring onion, and my Gladioli bulbs I dug up in winter as we have widened our beds, also planted a lot of bee friendly wild flowers which came in a ball that looks like mud, cool and just seen my first bee collecting pollen
Spring has well and truly arrived for you Sheila! 😀
This is my favorite gardening channel, no contest. As a slow starting beginner (I've been gardening on my own for several seasons with varying degrees of success, mostly failure), you've taught me a lot and have been the reason I haven't just given up. It's been a very destructive winter here in Northern California but after the garden fence damage is repaired, I'm giving it yet another try. Last year all my seedlings died due to a weather related evacuation and power outage. Hopefully this year things will be better. Thanks for all the help!
Hoping this year goes better for you. Keep on trying - and happy gardening!
He always has such enthusiasm for gardening and it makes me happy. Had no idea you could start beans so early and transplant them out. Thanks for the advice!
Happy gardening! 😀
love the idea of combining radish with parsnips. Thanks for the great tips!
Ben, you are the best.
:-)
Your enthusiasm is wonderful. I’m still waiting for above zero temperatures before I sow seeds. Your dog is adorable 🥰
Thanks Aldina. Hopefully spring isn’t too far off you now.
A little tip that works if you’re sowing tiny seeds eg carrots, directly: mix the seeds with dry silver sand/play sand and then sprinkle on the soil. The sand spreads out the seeds. Also the sand helps with drainage. Win win👍😀!
Great tip!
See that theory alot, but it never worked for me. The sand is heavier than the seeds so I get a bunch of sand, and after that, all the seeds. A dead-end-shortcut if you ask me.
Today in southern Louisiana I'm transplanting the lemon grass divisions saved from last year's harvest. I love Ben's enthusiasm. After watching his videos I have a head of steam motivating me to get cracking in the garden straight away.
Great stuff! :-)
Northeast Georgia here my lemongrass seedlings have just sprouted ❤❤❤
We're growing a whole lot this year with Ben's help. Got a lot of seeds started in the greenhouse in plug trays: lettuces, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, broccoli, chard, cucumbers, onions, herbs and several flower varieties. Just sowed zucchinis, pumpkins, melons, beets and carrots in the ground and they're doing great. Grow Veg has been a great help, especially the garden planner. Thanks, Ben! Our kids love your videos too! - David & Chantal
That's really lovely to hear. You've started off so much already!
We still have 2 feet of snow on the ground and getting more tomorrow. Only sowing we have going on is in the greenhouses and indoor grow
Always love watching your videos. This year I really over did it. Right now I'm growing Carrots, Garlic, Ginger, Beets, Sugar Snap Peas, Callord, Greens, Mustard Greens, Yukon Potatoes, Swiss Chard, I had Brussel Sprouts but they bolted 😢.
Summer crops growing I have Pineapple Tomato (beef stake), Hillbilly Tomato (beef stake)), Sun Gold Cherry Tomato, Super Sioux (Semi Determinate), Ace 55 (indeterminate), & Roma Tomato (indeterminate), Red Burgundy Okra, Purple Tomatillo, Bush Bean mix, Long Purple Eggplant, Green Zucchini, Yellow Zucchini, Sugar Baby Watermelon, Boston Marrow (suppose to be the first pumkin introduced in the US from the Mayflower)
Sounds like you are off to a good start.
Purple tomatillo? I love tomatillos but only ever saw and grow the green ones. Do they taste the same?
Purple Tomatillos taste the same as normal tomatillos
So much growing already Simone - great work!
@@GrowVeg ☺️🤩
Thank you, Ben, for a wonderful video. I can see how happy you are in your garden, just like me.
The garden always makes me happy. :-)
Here in South West France - potatoes and peas in the ground. Tomatoes, peppers, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli seeds sown in the greenhouse. I love the videos and newsletter. Plus the garden planner is great for keeping on top things. 😊
That's really wonderful to hear Elizabeth. Sounds like you've got a good start on the growing season already. :-)
Thanks Ben! Always Helpful. Sowing peas, carrots, beets, radishes, kohlrabi, chard, kale, okra, artichoke and pole beans. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼💜🥦🥕🍓🥑
What a fab list already! :-)
I always love Ben’s videos. What a lovely way to wake up in the morning. And now I finally understand why my broccoli hasn’t done well. I will get those little cups like Ben’s. So far, I have lots of pods of different kinds of tomatoes and different kinds of peppers and I am waiting for my eggplant seeds to arrive.
Sounds like you've made a great start already Sharon. Happy gardening! :-)
Great video Ben. Loads happening and its an exciting time of the year.
lol, Tony we just got 4” more of the white stuff! Ugh! It takes Forever for spring to arrive in Wisconsin, US. All us gardeners can do is feel more anxious about kicking these seedlings outside😂. And watch others who are able to plant to help break our cabin fever.😊
Hi Tony. Great to see you my friend. It's a very exciting time of year indeed - and a touch exhausting sometimes too! Hope you're off to a grand start already. :-)
Thanks for the great videos!
I’ve had some success starting carrots indoors in the toilet paper tubes. That way you can transplant them without disturbing the roots.
What a great idea. :)
Great video, thanks Ben. It's lovely to include advice on what to plant 'between' things and what can be planted after another crop has been harvested. This is really useful for beginners who have small growing spaces and need to rotate what they're growing more carefully. This time of year is so exciting! I can't believe it's nearly April already! xx
I know - time flies and warmer weather seems to be pretty much here already.
My tip for planting tiny seeds: Paper towels or tissues. Sprinkle seeds on a paper towel, spread them to the distance you’d like then lightly spray with water to sort of set them in place. Then, fold over the towel and cut (or carefully tear) the seeded area and plant it. Think of it as a DIY “seed tape”. :) Seed tapes are great but are pricier than seed packets; plus, seed tape isn’t available for every tiny seed you might like to plant.
What a great idea Robin. :-)
@@Alison-g5l That is another interesting use for toilet paper.
To be clear, I use toilet paper (or cheap/thin paper towels) as a dry base for spacing out tiny seeds. Once I have them spaced as I prefer, I then spray the paper towel and the (now properly spaced) seeds with water so that the seeds do not move. Then I fold over the paper towel on top of the damp seeds and press that bit of towel down until it is damp as well, to insure that the seeds do not move during transport. Then, I place my DIY “seed tape” onto the soil row I have prepared for the seeds.
I have more seeds collected than I have space! Tomatoes, sweet and hot peppers, eggplant, Swiss chard and zucchini are usually top on my list, but I want to try carrots and other root crops as well. I was just telling my sister how gorgeous okra flowers are, like hibiscus; I may throw a few amongst the flowers for added interest. I think I'll gift her various seedlings this year, to help her out and hopefully get her excited about gardening again. 💜
That's a lovely thing to do Michelle. I hope your sister rekindles a love for gardening. :-)
Same Michelle - sooo many seeds, such little space 😬
My struggle also... I have sown 20-something species and am trying to figure out how to fit them on my small balcony
When I am lazy to go and work in my garden, I listen to Ben for a while. His enthusiasm is so infectious, that it gives me the energy to stand up and go…
Ah, thank you! :-)
It’s full on from now on Ben,April is one of my favourite months garden wise,lots of planning and lots to do 👍
Tell me about it - so much to be cracking on with!
My favor Garden teacher.. you are Ben.. Thank you !!🤩
Cheers Daniel! 😀
I’m a new allotment holder! So I’m sowing quadruple what I normally grow in my garden. Onions and garlic are already in, so are first early potatoes. I’m prepping a no dig sweetcorn bed and I have tomatoes, peas, and some cosmos flowers on a small windowsill. 😊Leeks, carrots, and a bit later - French beans too.
Lots of promise ahead - lovely stuff!
Thanks Ben , you are truly inspirational. I like the way you explain everything ,even though I’ve been growing veg for about six years now, there is always something to learn , also the timing for sowing various crops can be quite crucial and you make the video at just the right time.
Hi Lynda. As a gardener you are always learning - that's the joy of it I reckon. :-)
4:29 I recognise that soil ;-)
Howdy Ben and Rosie! I think Rosie is also excited for another gardening year. 😃
I've learned so much from UK gardeners...like you!
In Central Texas we are starting to transplant our summer crops. Our last frost date was the 22nd...used to be the 17th.
I'm growing a lot of the delish food you just sowed seeds for. Something I transplanted today that isn't on your list is okra! We love our okra in the south.😋
I also have my popcorn coming up.
And I'm growing lotus plants...for the beautiful flowers and to eat.🙂
I'm growing luffa...to est and for sponges.
I would love to try okra someday. Will need to keep that in the greenhouse though. What fun to be growing luffa!
I'm going to try corn for the first time this year, inspired by one of my neighbours who grew a beautiful crop last summer. Will be planting beans again - the runner beans did really well last year - ended up with a host of them, and I just planted the seeds straight into the ground, came back from holiday and they had already sprung up!
Can't beat a good crop of runner beans - top stuff! :-)
Hi, Ben. This year, carrots, beans, peppers , eggplant, onions and lots of flowers
Nice video! I always start my beans in cells to give them a chance outside against the slugs.
Smart move Erik!
Great Video as always, Ben! Love the footage of your neigbour! 😂❤️❤️❤️
She was a great sport! :-)
I've noticed that a lot of people (when talking about heading broccoli) talk about the second cropping of spears...but they never mention that the entire plant is edible. During the course of their growing, I often will go out and pick off the lower leaves and cook them. Treating them like collards. And when the plant is done, I forage from them what is in good condition and do the same. The leaves are either cooked as mentioned before or dehydrated into powder to add to soups and stews. The stems are sliced thinly and frozen to be used in either soups/stews or stirfry dishes. The only thing that i don't eat is the roots because I leave them in the ground to break down and feed the soil.
That's a really good point - the whole plant's good eating. I peel the stalks then slice them up with other veg to make a tasty soup.
Big shout out for your neighbour! 🥰 such a sweet lady! Great video as always, i think i watched it 5 or more times this month just as a reference if i havent missed anything. 😅 best wishes from Lithuania ❤️
Thanks so much for watching. :-)
Another great video as always Ben, with some really good suggestions. Keep up the good work and kind regards. Gary
Cheers Gary, really appreciate that. :-)
Dear Ben, thanks for all the useuful information and keep up the good work. This summer im growing onions, french beans, potatoes, lettuce, radicchio, rocket, cherry and regular tomato, pepper, cucumber, melon, courgette, squash, cabbages, strawberries, mint and camomile.
Lovely list of crops. 😋
Thanks, Ben! Monday, I'm starting the Fl. Giant watermelon. And, I have decided to try cantaloupe, again. I just pruned the bottoms of my tomatoes, most of the plants have a set or two of blooms. Corn is about 12 inches tall...Beans are rolling up the trellis..Ah, spring has sprung and summer is rapidly approaching, for us Floridians.
You're well ahead there - great job! :-)
I second the choice of Crown Prince squash they grow well fruit well and their flavour is second to none. They also keep for so long I still have some from last years harvest.
It's a real winner Colin!
You are like the adult version of Art Attack, and I'm loving it! Thank you for all the information!! I'm trying out a veggie garden this year for the first time
Yes!!
Hope your new veggie garden brings much joy and a few tasty harvests too - enjoy! :-)
Thanks, Ben! Carrots and courgettes are on my list too. Made the mistake of growing six courgette plants last year just for myself, assuming they'd struggle in part shade, and... well... you can probably guess what happened. And I had the same issue with the French beans but I suspected they didn't root properly in the soil here --- I *guess* the soil dried out too quickly and made my clay too hard.
No such thing as too many courgettes 😁
❤
I had to look up courgette....it is zucchini!!
I do if the same thing my guest year gardening...I planted about 6-8 and was giving them away to everyone I knew....and then some. Lol.
Thank you verry much, now my garden is thriving
Brilliant! :-)
I just spent a couple days sowing tomatoes and peppers in plugs in a heated tray. Then in trays I lined out several areas and put in a row of spinach, lettuce and romaine. Many flower varieties for the garden, delicata, zucchini, dill and sunflowers. I have found that it is better to direct sow my beans in the garden. I have raised beds. I have a 3.5 foot tall, by 3 foot wide, by 20 foot long bed, then I have lots of big tubs up on cement blocks for my garden. Very little bending and very easy to keep weed free! I live about 40 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Western Washington. We have a very similar growing season as Ben does, I think. That is why I love all his videos and share them on my farming and gardening group on FB. Thanks again for a great video Benn!!
Thanks so much for sharing these videos - really appreciate it. Very happy gardening to you!
I just discovered my new favourite gardening channel and Brittish accent is the cherry on the top haha.
For some reason it's soothing and relaxing, videos got solid information and is visually beautiful.
Greets from the other side of the pond (Netherlands)
Greetings to you, and thanks so much for watching! 😀
brilliant
just planted some sunflower seeds with my 4year old and somehow ended up buying a greenhouse picking it up tomorrow and will be looking through all your videos, thankyou
The adventure begins, Danny! 🥬😀
First time starting everything from seed.
So far have kohl rabi already put in final position and 3 sets of multisown Leeks outside with a further 6 plugs to go later in spring. Marigolds are whizzing away in the plug trays as are 3 different types of tomatoes (one for indoors and the other two for conservatory & outside). Carrots being sown first week of April and two varieties of multisown beetroot currently in plug trays.
Soon I will be starting my aubergine (two varieties) pumpkins and Courgettes in the near future as well as coriander and basil. Then it's just Sprouting Broccoli in May time and Brussels sprouts sometime in the next month and I am fully planted!
So excited and I'm looking forward to giving some of the seedlings away to friends as well as soke produce down the line.
Wishing you all the best in the coming year!!
Plenty started off already - a bountiful year awaits you!
I sowed some snow peas outside a couple days ago and indoors last week I started peppers, 2 types of tomatoes, eggplant, basil, snapdragons, zinnias, rudbeckia, marigolds & thyme
Wow - so much started off already!
My French beans are so tall already but I'm scared of frost so they're still making a lovely twirly display on my windowsill which is ridiculously crowded now! I'm so impatient to get everything sown. I think I got a bit carried away!
My first seeds started coming up yesterday. I'm so happy! Predictably it's the self-saved seeds that started first. Does anyone else find this too?
Same here ☺️ Strangely enough for me they are the sturdiest, strongest little seedlings too!
That does seem to be the case when I've saved seed.
I'm still 5-6 weeks away before I can even think about sowing zucchinis but I'm growing everything you shared plus another 100 varieties of stuff LOL I'll be trying potatoes and corn this season so off to watch your other videos. Thank you for the great information that helps my garden grow bigger & better every year, and great job supervising, Rosie!
Sounds like a very busy year for you - great stuff!
Lovely video, bless you for using imperial and metric measures side by side.
We are in the Pacific Northwest USA and have sewn many things to set out and just sewn a few things straight outside today, among them are, onions, beets, radishs, zucchini, red kuri, and companions like marigold and garlic... Some tomatoes too. Happy planting!
Happy planting indeed Erik! Love the Pacific Northwest - very similar climate to here.
I can recommend sowing 'Hamburg Parsley' or parsley root (Petroselinum crispum var. tuberosum). It's just as easy to grow as carrots and parsnips, and these mildly sweet tasting roots are a lovely addition to soups and stews - like celeriac, but wit a parsley flavour instead of a celery flavour.
Sounds superb Christa!
Oh I always get weather envy when I see you sowing in April lol. Snow again here this morning 🙄🥶🏴 at least it gives me more time to prepare my beds 👍
Spring not long off now Lynn. :-)
What a great video, Ben! I'm so happy April is just next week, it's been a horribly brutal long winter here on the plains of eastern Colorado, but finally the pastures are sprouting and my garden beds are thawed. I'm planting everything you are, and 18 varieties of tomatoes and lots of native flowers like Agastache and Yarrow. The drought of the last 3 years has decimated my farm, and now since my beloved horse passed away, I'm going to reseed the meadows and pray for gentle rains. A year of keeping animals *horses & cows* off will hopefully create a restored and beautiful farm. It's so needed too, the land has been trampled and grazed for 30 years. I am looking forward to your next video! Happy Spring!!
Really hope you get plenty of gentle rain and a summer of relief from the drought. Very happy spring to you too! :-)
I bought celery from store and planted the roots and it grew and I’m just waiting for it to seeds, planted in clay pots and doing great 👍😊👩🌾 I will start my courgettes if I have time tomorrow Sunday, so busy cleaning the pool and putting it to work, I’m tired 😪 wish me luck 😊👩🌾👍 thanks Ben for sharing this video 👍😊👩🌾
Best of luck with the pool Emy. You'll feel so relieved once it's all done.
Brilliant as always. A joy to learn or even to confirm what i am doing.😊
I like the content and information but also I am inspired by your enthusiasm and optimism… and then of course I like your accent 😁
Thanks so much. :-)
You pressed your left paw into your carrot bed. 😅
Love your videos, Ben.
Oops! :-)
LOOKING GOOD MAN 👨🏽
Cheers matey!
As always, fantastic info! Thank you 🤗
Where I live, I can't plant anything until after Mother's Day. It's really hard having to wait to start my garden every year.😊
Try the winter sowing method.
It works really well!
I'm in the Indianapolis area, so I feel your pain. Just did a video of mine, if you're interested!
I'm right there with you, late May... I have limited space indoors to grow under lights, but I want to work the soil!
I can't wait to eat my red core Chantenay carrots! The seedlings are about an 3 centimeters tall and have a ways to go, but the taste will be worth it. Love your videos and enthusiasm.
They're already well on their way - bet they'll be so delicious once they're ready. :-)
Always love your videos!! And I am so jealous of your sweet greenhouse 😊😊
I'm very lucky Peggy!
A French farmer gave me the tip when planting French Dwarf Beans.
Just put 3 seeds together in the hole. As they grow, they support each other. No more toppling over plants.
What a great tip, thanks for sharing. :-)
Hello Ben, this year for the first time we are growing Norfolk Turnips. The prices in the shops are in excess of £2/kg and they are such an underrated vegetable that we love for stews etc.
Great stuff. Turnips are indeed underrated. Hope you enjoy a bumper crop.
thought I might plant out my squash today, as its warmed up a little.Glad I waited, hailstones today.
Well dodged!
When you said last frost date, I heard a prostate... think I need to visit the Drs...its an angel sign...
Always worth checking these things.
Thank you for this. I've just started growing and your channel has a wealth of information!! Bravo!
Brilliant! Happy gardening. :-)
@@GrowVeg I noticed you mention peat free potting soil on a couple occasions. I was just curios Is that simply preference, or is peat free better?
Got my answer in your other video, lol. Thank you :)
Hi Ben, great video with lots of useful information about sowing indoor & outdoor too. Thanks for sharing and take care 😊
Thanks so much for watching Christine - and you take care too. :-)
Great video, thanks Ben 👍🤗
I always leave a celery to go to seed as celery seed is the ingredient in pot pie dough that gives it its unique taste.
The neighbor was fun 👍 and NOT doing the bare bottom test is good advice for all. It must've originally been an old man advising a young woman. 😆
Haha - you may well be right there Leslie!
I love your greenhouse! I am growing everything you mentioned except leeks. I do SFG. Just started my nasturtiums, marigolds, cleome and butterfly weed yesterday! Hopefully I can get out there to amend and get some root veggies in, sugar snap peas, and onions and taters.
Great to pack so much into a SFG garden. 😀
I love spring 👌👌💗💗
Your like me, can't bloody wait hehe
Aye that!
Thanks Ben, I’m attempting to grow celery for the first time this year. I didn’t realise how small the seeds were until I opened the packet, I was desperately trying to sow them in a uniform manner and they were going everywhere 😂 I will definitely have to thin them out when they come up!
It's very hard to sow them thinly enough!
@@GrowVeg I'm nervous about putting tiny celery plants into their plugs. Can I sow a few into each plug and then thin them? Will that risk less damage? Thanks Ben
I never worry about planting depth with large seeds. A couple of years back some pumpkin seeds ended up in some compost, which ended up getting buried in my raised bed about half a foot. They sprouted all the way to the top with no problem. I took one of the sprouts out and it was the length of my forearm. I let one of the plants grow and got some nice pumpkins in the fall.
It’s amazing how determined they can be to get to the surface!
Your neighbour is adorable, Ben!
She certainly is!
I'm not growing much this year yet - still have over 6 feet of snow in our yard & on our raised beds!!! I have started seeds inside - kale, collard greens, cabbage, onions...The room that I normally do all my seed starting is FREEZING right now so I must wait until things warm up quite a bit!!! I am chomping at the bit waiting for my spring to arrive!!!
Hope it warms up for you soon Kristina.
Ond week till last date for frosts and I can't wait. Lots to take out of the conservatory and cold frame (which are totally full).
Not long now!
Great vid as always, thanks.
Love this Ben! I'm so ready to plant but my garden beds have just emerged from the snow and I still can't walk to them! Your dog looks almost exactly like mine, he also like to hop into the beds and usually tries to steal a pea pod! I will be doing the planting you are showing in probably a month, if I'm lucky and the snow storms stop. Thanks for the advice!
Ugh! Snow again, I know! Will it ever be spring?
My dog hops all over my vegetables and my cats poop on my onions! I think the cats think the smell of the onions will disguise the smell! Grrr! I fed the pigeon who I was looking after my peas- he absolutely loved them. I don't think we even got any peas because he ate all of them. They must have helped heal him because he flew away after 8 weeks, strong and healed from his splay-legged nest fall. Happy gardening!
My dog ate the tomatoes whilst still green
Rosie is always out with me in the garden. She can cause a bit of mischief but she's a great companion!
Thanks Ben!! It's only my second gardening season but thanks to you & a few other trusted gardening youtubers, I've got a greenhouse full of seedlings on the go!! I just sowed big flats of celery & leeks the other day, and I've already got the earliest lettuces ready to pick baby leaves from.
Wow - great work Claire! A season of plenty awaits. :-)
I'm brand new at growing veg. This will be my first time trying. I'm really excited and want to grow everything 😂 but I'm just going to stick to a few things this year.. I will be growing in my back garden as it's fairly big. Unfortunately half the garden is full shade. It get light but no direct sunlight which is a shame as that's a lot of wasted space to grow stuff..
I really loving your videos. Great advice, especially for bigginers like me..
Hi there. Great to be getting growing. :-) You may find this video helpful for ideas for growing in shade: ua-cam.com/video/9xxaGk31r2I/v-deo.html
Brilliant video, got lots of ideas and tips 🌽🥕🥦🌶👌
😂🤣🤣😂 I can't believe you said that Ben! In your bare bottom! 😂🤣😂 Sorry, a bit childish of me, but I couldn't help but laugh for a good few minutes. Love your advice, and your sense of humor as well! Thank you for a good laugh. 😉👍
Glad to have made you laugh Laura. Gardening should always have a touch of humour to it too! :-)
We moved 500 miles south last fall, so I'm starting all over from scratch for my garden!! I've really enjoyed setting up raised beds, which are easier on my knees, and other than fighting fire ants (eww) this year's growing season has gone lovely! I've got 5 varieties of onions growing, shallots, and two varieties of potatoes all growing in beds. I've got 6 varieties of tomatoes ready to go out in a few weeks, 2 sweet pepper varieties, 5 chili varieties bc we LOVE them, 4 types of eggplant, dill, 6 kinds of basil (mmmmm!) 6 kinds of zinnia, 4 kinds of marigolds, 2 types of calendula, borage, and I started rhubarb from seed which has done fabulous. I had to start my herb garden from scratch so I started oregano, thyme, chives, parsley, sage, lemongrass (maybe others? Lol) from seed, some are already transplanted. I just started squash, celery, and will be starting beans this week also in plug trays. So much to do, and so much fun!!!
Wow - you’re growing so much already Jamie. Great job!
Excellent channel! I always learn something new watching these videos. Love this channel
Thanks Bobby. :-)
Appreciate this inspiration -and love your everwatchful supervisor
Thanks Stace. :-)