This is a very new thing for me, this vermiculite. I have a real hard time keeping soil tops from drying out when I start my seed indoors. The air is so dry. And plastic just creates mold. It sounds like this could help out considerably. I will have to start a search.
Good luck with that, Mel. I had a quick look and saw that there are several places where you can order it in your neck of the woods. The only thing that I will say is that there ar several different grades of the stuff. I tend to use the finer ones. Over time you will find which size works best for you.
That's good, i haven't used it in the ground. Good luck Melody, i didn't know that you could get different grades.
Looking nice, Sjoerd! My overwintering peas were eaten. There are little holes where each pea was planted. They were covered with fencing. I'm guessing, mice. So trying some indoors now.
Cheers Daniel. However it is a bit bittersweet to then see that yours have been decimated. I can really feel for you and understand how that must feel as the same thing has happened to me. It is why I never germinate in the ground any more. Failure because of voles or mice just winds me up…I am gardening for fun, y’know. It just winds me right up! Anyhow, it is a good idea to begin indoors. In fact I do not put them out until they are well developed and the little pea halves that were once the seeds have shrivelled. If I can, I remove all the pea halves just to be sure, because the mice will go after them, destroying the plant in the process. I use this technique with all bean sorts as well. Annnnnnd do you know what else I do? I time my beans and peas to go in after the other gardeners in my area have already planted theirs. They never do theirs inside at home, so the mice go for their little seeds and leave me alone by the time that I am ready, the garden pests are interested in other things and have moved along. Mean, I know but I am really trying to avoid frustration here. Darn beasts !!
Daniel that's a shame about your peas, someone told me that they're going to soak their peas in paraffin before planting, don't know if that will work.
So sorry to refer yet again to 'past times', but when growing veg with my dad, many moons ago. Our beans and peas would soak overnight in the shed. Then be planted direct into the open ground. We had very few failures, from whatever. Sowing was simple. A string line and a dibber. The seed was dropped into the hole and the soil covered over. This was followed with a good soaking from the watering can. Incidentally. There was no piped water supply. We had a 50 gallon used oil drum sunk into the ground. This was filled by me collecting spring water some 200 yds away. Also we had a galvanised ex. domestic water tank, to catch the rain from the shed roof.
