March sowing

This weekend I promised I'd start to sow Mediterranean veg so I sorted through my seed catalogue and selected three things: tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. Despite the fact that it's warming up and forecasts suggest 16 degrees next week, I'm going to use my heated propagators for all three to help the seeds germinate.

That's a lot of seeds! 

Tomatoes:

The whole family love tomatoes. My children prefer simply picking them off the plants and eating them fresh and in salads. My husband and I enjoy them fresh too but we also use them a lot in cooking. In the past I've made passata, which I stored in jars over winter to add to sauces and dishes.

 I've got quite a few varieties sown so here's a list:

For passata - 

• Marmande
• Cour de bue
• Roma
• Red pear

For salads and cooking - 

• Moneymaker
• Harbinger
• Red cherry
• Gardener's delight
• San Marzano red plum
• Yellow perfection
• Ildi
• Gartenperle

For interesting colours and flavours - 

• Noir russe
• Black opal
• Noir de crimee

I've sown five of each variety and am hoping for good germination. Once these start growing on, I'll move them to various places in the garden but will try to keep most indoors - greenhouse and polytunnel (depending on room). 

Tomatoes always seem to taste better when freshly picked! 

Tomato seeds were lightly covered with some compost and then watered.

The heated propagators are covered to prevent heat loss and stop the compost getting dry too quickly.

Courgettes:

Rarely wasted in my garden, courgettes are quite versatile. I've sown one variety only - Black Beauty, but I'm hoping that three plants will provide plenty of food for the four of us and other family members. Courgettes are not something that I store over winter so it's truly a seasonal veg for me. I like to add it in soups whereas my mother has a very simple dish of sliced courgette cooked in passata to add to a main meal. 

Courgettes tend to dislike windy areas, which is why they've always preferred my garden to the allotment, which was too exposed. I'll be looking at where a good site will be for them as I plan the veg garden in the next few weeks. 

I've sown three seeds, into potting compost (peat free), and placed these in a heated propagator too. 

Aubergines:

Two varieties will feature this year, provided they will grow well. I've managed to grow good plants but not always good fruit. Viserba and Long Purple, two classic purple varieties, but there are more out there to choose from. Below is a photograph of some very striking looking aubergines trialled at a local grower's:

They may look very different but these are all varieties of aubergine.

A very beautiful aubergine flower. 

I'll be focusing on potatoes and mushrooms next time. The garden will still have plenty of room for more fruit and veg, which I will have a think about over the week. I'll also be planning what goes where once my seedlings have started to make an appearance. 

Until next time!