It may be February and it may still be too cold to sow any seeds directly into the ground, but if you’re itching to start sowing there are some seeds that can be sown indoors now ready to be planted outside once the soil warms up. To get your sowing season off to a great start we have a list of seeds that you can start sowing now.
1. Broad Beans
Could anything taste any better or be any easier to grow than your own home grown broad beans? If you’ve never considered growing your own, now is the time to do so. Simply sow the amount you require, but bear in mind that broad beans will continue supplying you with beans as you harvest it throughout the growing season. To grow your own, check out Broad Bean ‘Stereo’, from Sarah Raven, which is known for its excellent taste.
2. Leeks
Many gardeners are often put off sowing leeks as they require a lengthy period to reach maturity. However, for a dainty crop for your summer salad bowl you can start sowing your leek seeds now for a summer crop. You can also sow them in mid-spring for your main winter crop. Choose a good F1 variety such as the Leek ‘Apollo’ AGM, from Marshalls Seeds, which has attractive dark green leaves.
3. Carrots
If like me carrots are a staple vegetable in your household this is one vegetable that you want to start sowing as soon as possible. Thankfully there are carrots seeds that can be sown in February providing you with an early crop around June. Sow carrot ‘F1 Bangor’ from Suttons for an excellent heavy yielding crop.
4. Lettuce
Lettuce is probably one of the easiest crops to grow and one of the earliest seeds that can be sown too making it the perfect vegetable for newbie gardeners to start out with. Try the ‘Tom Thumb’ lettuce variety from Thompson & Morgan for early maturing small heads.
5. Onions
If you want to sow onions seeds you should get your seeds sown in February as they have a limited time window as to when they can be sown and require a long growing period. Try your hand at sowing red onion seeds ‘F1 Kamal’ from Seekay for a deliciously flavoured onion with a good strong red colour, both inside and out.
6. Chilli Peppers
If you want to sow something different this year, why not try your hand at sowing chilli peppers? These hot peppers are attractive to look at and produce a beautiful display of colours throughout the growing season. To grow your own, try the ‘Barak’ chilli pepper variety from Grow Your Own Fruit for seriously hot bullet shaped peppers.
7. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a great vegetable to grow yourself as you’ll be able to produce lovely, lush, and delicious fruits for you and your family to enjoy. To grow your own, try ‘Alicante’ from Seedaholic for early maturing, medium-sized fresh fruits early in the season.
8. Broccoli
Broccoli is a lovely crunchy tasting vegetable that is a delight to grow yourself. For a first class variety that is delicious to eat with dark green florets try sowing the ‘F1 Stromboli’ from DT Brown Seeds giving you the perfect variety for spring and summer sowings.
