i've just started some field pumpkins, egyptian walking onions (going in the strawberry tower), gourds, wildflowers, and morning glories indoors. It's much warmer and sheltered in central London so they can go out in 6 weeks (maybe 8) I love the heather idea. I grow predominantly 50 or 60 sunflowers on my balcony, to help out the bees and entertain my autumnal lumberjack squirrels. But finding early nectar-bearing plants is my number one priority at this early part of the year, as the bees have a limited supply. I have some ice plants, blood oranges and dragon fruit I started from seed last year but they stay in for now as they are still too young. I've just ordered the giant Mongolian sunflowers, this is a very brutalist, concrete landscape and I try to create a hangout for the bees. I only have an 18 foot by 6 foot space but I try to make it count. Every pot is overrun with European red wiggler worms and I have a couple of wormeries. My cardoon actually overwintered outside next to the artichokes which was great stuff.
Hi, Niall. I have been sowing seeds since January. As for February, I am a great fan of starting seeds on a wet, paper towel. This month, I’m awaiting the germination of white, wild strawberries 🍓, luffa, pepper 🌶 (from my own seeds 😉). It is an extremely exciting time for me! Some of the varieties I am growing include Black Pearl, Machu Picchu, and the white variety of Bishop's Crown pepper. Can you believe it? I’m sowing seeds of Bishop’s Crown pepper even though I successfully overwintered two bushes of this particular variety last year, and as a result, they’ve doubled in size, meaning I should have plenty of fruit from them. But no, I still have to sow more. What madness! I must be a sowing freak. 😅 I am also starting sweet potatoes, sowing pepino (mini melons), watermelons, lavender, cosmos, snapdragons, not to mention nigella, double hollyhock plants, ground cherries, and both annual and perennial delphiniums-perfect for my friends - stunningly beautiful, day-flying moths. By the way, I am in zone 6/7, and my potted version of cyclamen plants has survived in the ground. It was a discounted purchase during a sellout of spring flowers. Oh, you know how it is- they were withered, looked pitiful, and seemed to be pleading for a new home, so of course, I had to buy them 😔 I could not have acted otherwise, could I? I am sure you know that feeling! ;) Once they established themselves in my garden, they blossomed like crazy. Their burgundy and pinkish flowers looked stunning, peeking out from under the snow. The temperature here dropped to -8°C for a few days, yet they kept blooming since early spring last year. They were so beautiful that I even made delicate bouquets for my relatives as cheer-up gifts during last year’s dreary holiday season. That said, I must admit that I did not believe they would make it through the winter, so I ensure my planting success by purchasing Cyclamen Coum, too. I bought your variety and another one of the white flowers. Surprisingly, they produce much smaller flowers than the home cyclamen plants, and they have shorter stems with a tendency to curl. But even so, snowdrops and pseudo-hyacinth blooms are even tinier, and I absolutely adore them. So, really, what’s not to love? They are true showstoppers that create a colourful, winter display in our gardens. Have a lovely weekend, Niall, as well as a delightful and successful sowing month! Love your videos!
What a lovely message and thank you for taking the time to write it - it sounds like you've got great things going on in your garden and I love the selection of plants you're growing. You say it's exciting and I don't doubt it! It's such a positive time of year when we start all sorts of things from seed! Thanks again and do stay in touch! xx
Started under my grow lights are asparagus, 3 kinds of cabbage, 2 kinds of cauliflower, and broccoli. All will be planted out at the end of February under frost cloth. USA zone 6b.
Loved the video but kept waiting for you to introduce the primroses! 🙁 They aren’t easy to find in the US in my experience, so I grab them up whenever I find them.
I love heathers. I made a little grouping of different varieties in a low wide pot last year, with a couple of nice big stones. it looks so nice. Lovely video 🙂
@LouciferFlump a multi purpose compost with added john innes. But just because that's what I had. Not sure a proper gardener would tell you it's the right one. Tho I can't imagine Heather's are too fussy!
I like buying from j Parker’s they are Manchester based and I have most of my fruit trees from them including a mulberry, she is still a baby but I love her..
Yeah I have to say that I've been consistently impressed with them - great quality, reliable delivery, and actually the people are lovely to deal with.
Yea you’re not wrong. They’re a nightmare realised. I didn’t even plant them. I’ve literally no idea where the little b… er, *blighters* came from!!! 😤🥴
Are you in Washington State? Asking because of your UA-cam name. If so, blackberries are unfortunately endemic there. We lived on a large property outside of Tacoma and let our sheep loose on the brambles. They ate them to the ground and eliminated them completely in our cultivated area of over 5 acres. They are much better at clearing than goats (believe it or not). The only downside is that they are worse than deer in the garden if they get loose! 🐑
@ I am in Washington, out on the coast. 6 or 7 years ago I bought a 12 acre former sheep farm that had become completely overgrown by brambles (thus the name Brambley). I’ve made some good progress beating back the blackberries while encouraging native Salmonberries and Thimbleberries to fill the void. One day I might get a few sheep to help.
Good morning Niall and everyone,hope all ok. I've got two lovely cyclamen plants on my room windowcill,two different pinks they're looking very pretty with loads of flowers on, both gifts for birthday which is end of month, had them years but like the lovely indoor colour. As I've said before I can't grow veg, too many cats around using the lovely soil for toileting 😢. My snow drops are starting to show their white petals,love them. Spring us in its way 🎉. Thanks for the vlog, have a great week stay warm bit cool here today. Church time in a bit so bye for now. Happy gardening xx🤗🌷🌸💮
Have a nice morning in church. Yeah that's such a shame that the cat situation stops you from growing veg. Great to hear though that the snowdrops are starting to look good!
Hi Niall, some great suggestions here 👍 I finally got my chillies sown yesterday and some 'socrates' cucumbers. A new to me variety! I will sow some other varieties later on as we do like our cukes! I'm waiting for some peppers to be delivered then will get them sown, getting late I know 😬 I've ummed and argh'd over aubergines but decided I'll cheat and pick one up from the garden centre when they're in. They're not something we eat a great deal of but i do like them layered in a summer veg lasagne along with all the gorgeous courgettes and fresh tomatoes, oh I can hardly wait!!
I'm not familiar with socrates either?! Sounds interesting. Yeah I've never had massive success growing aubergines from seed - I can get the plants to a certain stage and then they just seem to sulk!
Starting Cabbage, Cauliflower and Broccoli as well as Lettuce and other salad greens this week. I didn't even think about sprouting broccoli until you mentioned it. Thank you for that as I will be adding that.
Sounds great, you're welcome! It's a crop that I've come to really love. It's something we eat a lot of anyway, so those crops always make the most sense.
Hi niall great video I sow summer sprouting broccoli spears and I always get a stack of caterpillars so I was glad to see you get them as well, I will get a raspberry as I didn't realise you could grow in a container, also doing onions and verbascum seeds
Sounds great! Yeah don't worry, you're in good company re the caterpillars. Sometimes when they decimate something I just shrug my shoulders and accept that at least I've fed something, even if it's not me!
Great tips Niall. I’ve tried cyclamen in containers for a few years now and the cold frost seems to kill them off. Any tips? I’m living in Ireland so the same climate as you.
I suppose the two things I would be thinking would be this… There are different types of cyclamen, some are hardy and some are not, so my first thought might be that the ones you’ve planted aren’t hardy so they’re killed off by the frost. Alternatively, it could be that they’re just sitting too damp along with the cold which might kill them off?
Thanks for video, agree about raspberries but make a own bed for it and you can easy cut the shoots with the lawnmower and keep them in place so healthy and good👩🌾
I've started brassica seeds today, it's old seed so it's basically a germination test, if they germinate then I can pot them on, if not, then it's still early enough to sow them with fresh seed
hii, I am now growing some eggplant and peppers on a heatmat and they are growing quite quickly. I am also growing a pomegranate and passionfruit from seed and they are doing wonderfully indoors. Climate zone 8a, the Netherlands :)
Hi Niall, where were you seeing bare root plants for sale online? also curious where you got your broccoli seeds was it a local shop up north or online?
For the specific summer sprouting broccoli seeds, I think I spotted them in a local garden centre. However, for most other seeds, I source them from Seeds Ireland. J. Parkers have a good selection of bareroot plants and otherwise I've also used 3fatpigs (funny website name I know!) for bareroot fruit trees and bushes. Hope this helps!
Love sprouting broccoli never planted purple. Adding this to my list. I'm planting beets, swiss chard, radish and additional asparagus crowns. Enjoyed the video. Will you be removing or pruning the English Ivy from your trees?
Hahahaha! Yes, the ivy.... that's a long story and I'm always a little conflicted. Our old apple trees are covered with it, and really I should remove it, but it's so beneficial for insects and small birds particularly that I always end up leaving it! But it's at stage where big staggly bits are dangling down! Because I'm not concerned about the apple trees being productive and since they're strong, I'm inclined to leave it. What do you think?
Ah I do know what you mean - unfortunately it's more just of a title naming thing, so hopefully you understand that I'm not actually that forceful a person!
I also like Heather but in the last 11 years living on the County Waterford coast I have lost about 90% of every Heather I've planted - indestructible they are certainly not! 😒
Hello hello! 👋 What are you growing this month? Make sure to leave a comment and let's swap notes!
Allium cernuum, dahlia early bird and dwarf amore, gazania, echinacea paradiso dwarf 😊
J Parker’s hedging, and cornus are great.
Good Day to All
Argoretum is something I will be starting by seed.
I ❤ the color!!!
kale, some Indian spinach purple sprout broccoli 😊
i've just started some field pumpkins, egyptian walking onions (going in the strawberry tower), gourds, wildflowers, and morning glories indoors. It's much warmer and sheltered in central London so they can go out in 6 weeks (maybe 8) I love the heather idea. I grow predominantly 50 or 60 sunflowers on my balcony, to help out the bees and entertain my autumnal lumberjack squirrels. But finding early nectar-bearing plants is my number one priority at this early part of the year, as the bees have a limited supply. I have some ice plants, blood oranges and dragon fruit I started from seed last year but they stay in for now as they are still too young. I've just ordered the giant Mongolian sunflowers, this is a very brutalist, concrete landscape and I try to create a hangout for the bees. I only have an 18 foot by 6 foot space but I try to make it count. Every pot is overrun with European red wiggler worms and I have a couple of wormeries. My cardoon actually overwintered outside next to the artichokes which was great stuff.
Hi, Niall. I have been sowing seeds since January. As for February, I am a great fan of starting seeds on a wet, paper towel. This month, I’m awaiting the germination of white, wild strawberries 🍓, luffa, pepper 🌶 (from my own seeds 😉). It is an extremely exciting time for me! Some of the varieties I am growing include Black Pearl, Machu Picchu, and the white variety of Bishop's Crown pepper.
Can you believe it? I’m sowing seeds of Bishop’s Crown pepper even though I successfully overwintered two bushes of this particular variety last year, and as a result, they’ve doubled in size, meaning I should have plenty of fruit from them. But no, I still have to sow more. What madness! I must be a sowing freak. 😅
I am also starting sweet potatoes, sowing pepino (mini melons), watermelons, lavender, cosmos, snapdragons, not to mention nigella, double hollyhock plants, ground cherries, and both annual and perennial delphiniums-perfect for my friends - stunningly beautiful, day-flying moths.
By the way, I am in zone 6/7, and my potted version of cyclamen plants has survived in the ground. It was a discounted purchase during a sellout of spring flowers. Oh, you know how it is- they were withered, looked pitiful, and seemed to be pleading for a new home, so of course, I had to buy them 😔 I could not have acted otherwise, could I? I am sure you know that feeling! ;)
Once they established themselves in my garden, they blossomed like crazy. Their burgundy and pinkish flowers looked stunning, peeking out from under the snow. The temperature here dropped to -8°C for a few days, yet they kept blooming since early spring last year. They were so beautiful that I even made delicate bouquets for my relatives as cheer-up gifts during last year’s dreary holiday season.
That said, I must admit that I did not believe they would make it through the winter, so I ensure my planting success by purchasing Cyclamen Coum, too. I bought your variety and another one of the white flowers. Surprisingly, they produce much smaller flowers than the home cyclamen plants, and they have shorter stems with a tendency to curl. But even so, snowdrops and pseudo-hyacinth blooms are even tinier, and I absolutely adore them. So, really, what’s not to love? They are true showstoppers that create a colourful, winter display in our gardens. Have a lovely weekend, Niall, as well as a delightful and successful sowing month! Love your videos!
What a lovely message and thank you for taking the time to write it - it sounds like you've got great things going on in your garden and I love the selection of plants you're growing. You say it's exciting and I don't doubt it! It's such a positive time of year when we start all sorts of things from seed! Thanks again and do stay in touch! xx
Started under my grow lights are asparagus, 3 kinds of cabbage, 2 kinds of cauliflower, and broccoli. All will be planted out at the end of February under frost cloth. USA zone 6b.
This is great - you've got loads going on! Sounds like you'll have a super growing year!
Loved the video but kept waiting for you to introduce the primroses! 🙁 They aren’t easy to find in the US in my experience, so I grab them up whenever I find them.
No way! That's so funny because here they're ten-a-penny!
I love heathers. I made a little grouping of different varieties in a low wide pot last year, with a couple of nice big stones. it looks so nice. Lovely video 🙂
What compost mix do you use for this? Mine keep dying off after a year or so.
@LouciferFlump a multi purpose compost with added john innes. But just because that's what I had. Not sure a proper gardener would tell you it's the right one. Tho I can't imagine Heather's are too fussy!
@ mine seem to be! Maybe the John Innes is your secret saviour…? I’ll try it! Thanks!!
That's a great idea! And thanks!
Greetings from New Jersey! Growing hot peppers from seed. Love your channel!
Awesome! Thank you!
I like buying from j Parker’s they are Manchester based and I have most of my fruit trees from them including a mulberry, she is still a baby but I love her..
Yeah I have to say that I've been consistently impressed with them - great quality, reliable delivery, and actually the people are lovely to deal with.
Keep the inspirations coming!!!🎉 i have hit a slump in my gardening journey~ this has been a pop of inspiration !🤩
Don't worry, everyone hits the slump. I certainly do. So if this has given you a boost, I'm really happy!
Just terrific! Thank you, Niall. DA
My pleasure Donald! Thanks for the comment - hope you're well!
Raspberries 😵💫. I’ve spent the last five years battling 4 hectares overrun by raspberry and it’s evil cousin Himalayan blackberry.
Hahahaha! Yeah if left un-checked they can go a bit wild!
Yea you’re not wrong. They’re a nightmare realised. I didn’t even plant them. I’ve literally no idea where the little b… er, *blighters* came from!!! 😤🥴
Are you in Washington State? Asking because of your UA-cam name. If so, blackberries are unfortunately endemic there. We lived on a large property outside of Tacoma and let our sheep loose on the brambles. They ate them to the ground and eliminated them completely in our cultivated area of over 5 acres. They are much better at clearing than goats (believe it or not). The only downside is that they are worse than deer in the garden if they get loose! 🐑
@ I am in Washington, out on the coast. 6 or 7 years ago I bought a 12 acre former sheep farm that had become completely overgrown by brambles (thus the name Brambley). I’ve made some good progress beating back the blackberries while encouraging native Salmonberries and Thimbleberries to fill the void. One day I might get a few sheep to help.
Looove the sweater!
Why thank you!
I did Summer Purple Sprouting Broccoli last year and they were fabulous - I loved it
They're a brilliant plant aren't they? Great to grow and even better to eat!
Good morning Niall and everyone,hope all ok.
I've got two lovely cyclamen plants on my room windowcill,two different pinks they're looking very pretty with loads of flowers on, both gifts for birthday which is end of month, had them years but like the lovely indoor colour. As I've said before I can't grow veg, too many cats around using the lovely soil for toileting 😢. My snow drops are starting to show their white petals,love them. Spring us in its way 🎉.
Thanks for the vlog, have a great week stay warm bit cool here today.
Church time in a bit so bye for now. Happy gardening xx🤗🌷🌸💮
Have a nice morning in church. Yeah that's such a shame that the cat situation stops you from growing veg. Great to hear though that the snowdrops are starting to look good!
Hi Niall, some great suggestions here 👍 I finally got my chillies sown yesterday and some 'socrates' cucumbers. A new to me variety! I will sow some other varieties later on as we do like our cukes! I'm waiting for some peppers to be delivered then will get them sown, getting late I know 😬 I've ummed and argh'd over aubergines but decided I'll cheat and pick one up from the garden centre when they're in. They're not something we eat a great deal of but i do like them layered in a summer veg lasagne along with all the gorgeous courgettes and fresh tomatoes, oh I can hardly wait!!
I'm not familiar with socrates either?! Sounds interesting. Yeah I've never had massive success growing aubergines from seed - I can get the plants to a certain stage and then they just seem to sulk!
There are now drawf raspberries available. Called Razzle berries. Grow to 3 foot tall and regular size fruits. Great in it own raised bed or barrel.
You've just given me justification for another plant purchase! hahahahaha!
Starting Cabbage, Cauliflower and Broccoli as well as Lettuce and other salad greens this week. I didn't even think about sprouting broccoli until you mentioned it. Thank you for that as I will be adding that.
Sounds great, you're welcome! It's a crop that I've come to really love. It's something we eat a lot of anyway, so those crops always make the most sense.
Hi niall great video I sow summer sprouting broccoli spears and I always get a stack of caterpillars so I was glad to see you get them as well, I will get a raspberry as I didn't realise you could grow in a container, also doing onions and verbascum seeds
Sounds great! Yeah don't worry, you're in good company re the caterpillars. Sometimes when they decimate something I just shrug my shoulders and accept that at least I've fed something, even if it's not me!
Great tips Niall. I’ve tried cyclamen in containers for a few years now and the cold frost seems to kill them off. Any tips? I’m living in Ireland so the same climate as you.
I suppose the two things I would be thinking would be this… There are different types of cyclamen, some are hardy and some are not, so my first thought might be that the ones you’ve planted aren’t hardy so they’re killed off by the frost. Alternatively, it could be that they’re just sitting too damp along with the cold which might kill them off?
I love heathers, I have a few ❤
They're great aren't they!
Thanks for video, agree about raspberries but make a own bed for it and you can easy cut the shoots with the lawnmower and keep them in place so healthy and good👩🌾
That's very true! The lawnmower comes in very handy!
I've started brassica seeds today, it's old seed so it's basically a germination test, if they germinate then I can pot them on, if not, then it's still early enough to sow them with fresh seed
That's such a good way of doing things - reducing waste potentially and like you say, you still have plenty of time if you need to sow a second batch
Muito interessante, obrigado pela dica 🫂
Thank you so much!
hii, I am now growing some eggplant and peppers on a heatmat and they are growing quite quickly. I am also growing a pomegranate and passionfruit from seed and they are doing wonderfully indoors. Climate zone 8a, the Netherlands :)
Sounds great! Nice selection of things to have growing - brilliant! Keep me updated with how they all get on!
Hi Niall, where were you seeing bare root plants for sale online? also curious where you got your broccoli seeds was it a local shop up north or online?
For the specific summer sprouting broccoli seeds, I think I spotted them in a local garden centre. However, for most other seeds, I source them from Seeds Ireland. J. Parkers have a good selection of bareroot plants and otherwise I've also used 3fatpigs (funny website name I know!) for bareroot fruit trees and bushes. Hope this helps!
Im in z 5 in Iowa in the USA. Its early February. What can i grow outside for flowers this time of the year in z 5?
I'll be honest, I'm not familiar with zone 5 so I wouldn't be able to give you good advice
Love sprouting broccoli never planted purple. Adding this to my list.
I'm planting beets, swiss chard, radish and additional asparagus crowns.
Enjoyed the video.
Will you be removing or pruning the English Ivy from your trees?
Hahahaha! Yes, the ivy.... that's a long story and I'm always a little conflicted. Our old apple trees are covered with it, and really I should remove it, but it's so beneficial for insects and small birds particularly that I always end up leaving it! But it's at stage where big staggly bits are dangling down! Because I'm not concerned about the apple trees being productive and since they're strong, I'm inclined to leave it. What do you think?
@@niallgardens If you don't care about the tree it is your choice.
What camera do you use to make your videos?
I use a Sony A7R V (I'm obsessed with cameras!)
🌸
Thanks!
I’m new to your channel and would like to know where are you located and what is your zone?
I live north of Dublin in Ireland so my zone is roughly 9a/8b-ish because we don't really conform exactly to the zone system
You look lovely and I enjoy watching your videos but I just don’t like being told what I ‘must’ do😢.
Ah I do know what you mean - unfortunately it's more just of a title naming thing, so hopefully you understand that I'm not actually that forceful a person!
I also like Heather but in the last 11 years living on the County Waterford coast I have lost about 90% of every Heather I've planted - indestructible they are certainly not! 😒
Aw no that's such a shame!
How r u Niall Garden nice❤
So nice of you, thanks! I'm good!