When to start planting with this odd weather

[PreppingPingu]

Well I have dug over the allotments beds and my spuds are chitting away in egg boxes on the dining table but the weather is so cold and wet, I am wondering how soon I will be able to start planting anything. I normally put the first early spuds in in march but the weather looks like it will be staying damn cold even down here in the south, so I am not sure how soon I will be able to start planting seeds and the like. My small plastic green house got nicked from the allotment last summer and as I can't get down there every day, I am not sure about putting up another, esp as what ever you put in it needs better looking after on a daily basis than I gave my poor toms and peppers last year. Any thoughts on managing planting when the weather is poor. I know you guys further up north tend to have a later growing season - I guess I need to be patient!

[featherstick]

Well, my initial response is "Not yet". It is still only March. I'm in the South-East too and it is still too early.

However, if you must, you could try a)warming the soil with a mypex mulch, and then b) planting under fleece protection.

I won't be putting spuds in for another couple of weeks though...

[hobo]

Not even thinking about it until the allotment dries out some more! Didn't really get going until Easter last year

[jansman]

Don't even consider it until mid April at the earliest. I won't. I don't like colds wet feet,and nor do plants.

[Brambles]

Same here. I'd love to get down there and make a start too, but I'm still dealing with plasticine. I am pottering in the greenhouse and starting stuff off in pots though.

[Deeps]

Her Maj has 't started yet either but we're in the Scottish central belt so still trying to remember what sunshine looks like. Annoyingly she's not started her(my) chillies yet which she does in the house to start with, no excuse.

[Brambles]

Her Maj has 't started yet either but we're in the Scottish central belt so still trying to remember what sunshine looks like. Annoyingly she's not started her(my) chillies yet which she does in the house to start with, no excuse.

Tell her to get a wriggle on! My Chillies and Peppers are germinating nicely and should be ready to pot up next week.

[Deeps]

Her Maj has 't started yet either but we're in the Scottish central belt so still trying to remember what sunshine looks like. Annoyingly she's not started her(my) chillies yet which she does in the house to start with, no excuse.

Tell her to get a wriggle on! My Chillies and Peppers are germinating nicely and should be ready to pot up next week.

'Telling' her to do anything is a gamble, I've 'suggested' a few times and its on the 'to do' list. Funnily enough, her 'suggestions' are supposed to obeyed like the word of God. Go figure.

[nickdutch]

most of our planting we do in May. Its a safe bet, but it depend on what you are growing I suppose, and what season it needs to be dug in

[ForgeCorvus]

Her Maj has 't started yet either but we're in the Scottish central belt so still trying to remember what sunshine looks like. Annoyingly she's not started her(my) chillies yet which she does in the house to start with, no excuse.

Tell her to get a wriggle on! My Chillies and Peppers are germinating nicely and should be ready to pot up next week.

'Telling' her to do anything is a gamble, I've 'suggested' a few times and its on the 'to do' list. Funnily enough, her 'suggestions' are supposed to obeyed like the word of God. Go figure.

This is dependent on having matching chromosomes or not