Nelson, Lancashire, UK class="st0" cx="4.4" cy="3.4" r="0.8"/>

Sowing seeds in autumn




Sowing seeds in autumn is very similar to sowing them in spring. The ones that germinate can be killed off by the frost outside, but many more seeds will lie dormant and and turn into seedlings in early spring. For those of us who always leave spring sowing a little too late, this is a great way of yielding crops earlier in the year.



23/08/2021, 18:00
Hello everyone

23/08/2021, 18:01
Hello

23/08/2021, 18:01
Evening!

23/08/2021, 18:01
Hi all!

23/08/2021, 18:01
Happy Monday dear women x

23/08/2021, 18:01
Is it gloriously sunny with you lot?

23/08/2021, 18:02
It’s a happy sunny Monday here

23/08/2021, 18:02
So lovely to have the sun back to ripen the pumpkins

23/08/2021, 18:02
Totally changes my mood. 😊🌼

23/08/2021, 18:02
Pretty sunny in Lancashire after a very wet few days though I've been office bound sadly today.

23/08/2021, 18:03
Had a nice walk in the sunshine by the river today

23/08/2021, 18:11
Nice and sunny here in Blackburn

23/08/2021, 18:12
Hello all, nice and sunny in Manchester today 👍

23/08/2021, 18:22
We chose these two herbs because they are LOVELY to grow, powerful to use, and best still perfect to sow NOW

23/08/2021, 18:23
Great

23/08/2021, 18:23
Valerian and Wild Clary! Can't wait for these lovely new friends

23/08/2021, 18:23
I’m so glad we have valerian

23/08/2021
Nice to be growing the same thing together this time as well 🤓

23/08/2021, 18:24
Valerian is a wild, wild thing and if it likes you; well you’ll know about it because it loves to gives you thousands of babies, everywhere!

23/08/2021, 18:24
Two amazing herbs ready for winter

23/08/2021, 18:25
This time next year we’ll all have a glut of Valerian

23/08/2021, 18:25
The bees and hoverflies love valerian too, it is a very important food source for them to fatten up on before winter hibernation or their final bout of egg laying.

23/08/2021, 18:26
Is this Valerian the on with red flowers?

23/08/2021, 18:26
Valerian is mostly used herbally to make a powerful concoction that aids sleep.

23/08/2021, 18:27
I’ve used it to aid sleep and it’s always helped me 💤

23/08/2021, 18:27
No, this is Valeriana officinalis, the tall white flowered form that is used for its roots!

23/08/2021, 18:27
The valerian flowers smell so delightful but the cats go wild for the roots so if you grow it in a pot you have to wedge it in a way they can't rip it over

23/08/2021, 18:27
Tip not rip

23/08/2021, 18:27
Great!! I love the tall white one, can’t wait to get this in my new plot

23/08/2021, 18:28
Officinalis- just means it’s one of the official medicines from way back when they started giving plants Latin names in the 16th century

23/08/2021, 18:29
It feels like a very long time since we first sowed our seeds together. I feel a bit rusty

23/08/2021, 18:29
The other great thing about This valerian is that it is as happy in a pot as it is in the ground. But you will eventually have to give it quite a big pot because it grows very tall!

23/08/2021, 18:29
My plants got to 7ft this year!

23/08/2021, 18:30
One of the reasons I’m excited to be sowing this now with you all is because autumn sowing of certain things is much easier than spring!

23/08/2021, 18:31
In fact, as climate change, we’ll, keeps changing. Autumn sowing is going to become the new spring!

23/08/2021, 18:32
How can I keep my neighbours cat away from my pot??

23/08/2021, 18:32
He’s very cheeky

23/08/2021, 18:33
try using up turned plastic forks so the spikes are sticking skyways.

23/08/2021, 18:33
Hello - just caught up! I grew this valerian on the plot this year - the roots stink!

23/08/2021, 18:33
Thank you

23/08/2021, 18:33
And it’s very very tall

23/08/2021, 18:34
is right. The roots are really smelly and for the matter bitter too! But powerful

23/08/2021, 18:35
I love the smell of the roots

23/08/2021, 18:35
One of the reason autumn is such a good time is because the summer has warmed the soil, and August guarantees it is wet too. Warm and wet means very happy seeds.

23/08/2021, 18:36
I've been thinking a lot about autumn planting and I'm excited to give it a go this year. I think I'm nearly always too late in spring

23/08/2021, 18:37
One choice is to direct sow the seeds. You could sow into a pot that is empty. Maybe it had potatoes in it and now it’s bare? Valerian doesn’t need particularly rich soil so you can reuse compost to sow it in.

23/08/2021, 18:37
Or if you had a bare space in the ground you could try this too. But it must be empty of weeds and it needs direct sun. That’s very important

23/08/2021, 18:39
If you’ve got no where to sow the seeds directly can they also be started off in trays or pots? Will they transplant ok in spring?

23/08/2021, 18:40
Yes, exactly that. You can also sow in to trays, small pots, yoghurt pots (with holes in) and that sort of thing. These plants are going to stay very small over winter. Just hunkering down till spring comes along.

23/08/2021, 18:40
Hi everyone I  just been catching up with all the messages.

23/08/2021, 18:41
Hello

23/08/2021, 18:41
The point about autumn sowing is that the weather is actually more constant and predictable that spring. If you remember this March and how cold it was and then how hot it got in April. Well September is always a bit kinder.

23/08/2021, 18:42
However you do need to sow these seed by the end of September. In October the light levels will be too low and the days too short to get germination going.

23/08/2021, 18:42
Great!! Sounds like they’ll be doing what I’ll be doing…. Hunkering down until Spring

23/08/2021, 18:42
So do they stay outside all winter or do we need to put them under cover?

23/08/2021, 18:43
They need to go somewhere sheltered from the very worst weather, but they don’t need to come inside.

23/08/2021, 18:44
Do they need their own space or can I put then between other things like onions or garlic 🤔

23/08/2021, 18:44
One of the best places to put them is next to the house, tucked in against a wall.

23/08/2021, 18:44
The Clary sage could go between, but the valerian will take over

23/08/2021, 18:45
The Valerian eventually has a very deep root and that will upset the garlic. And onions are notoriously uppity about anyone throwing shade near them 😂

23/08/2021, 18:46
It’s so true about the onions 🤣🤣🤣

23/08/2021, 18:57
You only need to over the seed up with a very, very thin layer of soil. Don’t bury the seed as it needs a little light to germinate

23/08/2021, 19:07
Once you’ve lightly covered the valerian you just need to water it in and label it. It can take up to a month to germinate.

23/08/2021, 19:09
It’s great to be sowing seeds again . I do think I have a seed sowing addiction

23/08/2021, 19:11
The Clary Sage can be sown exactly the same way.  Clary sage smells very, very good. It’s a bit musky but also has this lovely clear, rich notes and is used in perfume a lot.

23/08/2021, 19:11
🥰🥰

23/08/2021, 19:12
Recent studies show that the essential oil of clary Sage is also very good for hot flushes in menopause.

23/08/2021, 19:12
Apparently you can rub the essential oil (diluted first) on the soles of your feet to counter balance hot flushes.

23/08/2021, 19:12
Wish I had known that !

23/08/2021, 19:13
I have a bit of a crush on clary sage so thank you

23/08/2021, 19:13
Clary sage flowers are edible, good in salads (very pretty purple) and good in herbal teas. It’s a lovely thing.

23/08/2021, 19:15
It does need full sun and really does best in poor soil. So when it gets big enough to plant out if you can dig some sand in or plant it somewhere with lots of grit or pebbles then that really helps it thrive.

23/08/2021, 19:15
You can also batter the leaves of clary sage and fry them. It’s a Sicilian thing, very delicious and fragrant on a hot evening as a snack.

23/08/2021, 19:16
Can wild clargy be used as an ointment ??

23/08/2021, 19:17
Would like to try that

23/08/2021, 19:17
The essential oil can be diluted into a carry cream, but I’ve not tried that.

23/08/2021, 19:19
Also two sage leaves with a little hard cheese (parmesan) or anchovies, battered and fried is very delicious. They call these dishes little bird’s wings in Sicilian

23/08/2021, 19:20
OMG this sounds delicious 😋😋😋

23/08/2021, 19:20
I love cheese
I love bay leave
I love anchovies
I love batter 💜💜💜

23/08/2021, 19:21
👌🏽😋

23/08/2021, 19:21
😘thank you

23/08/2021, 19:21
Ok thanks 

23/08/2021, 19:27
both the valerian and clary sage can be sown exactly the same way. Both need full sun and if the compost dries out, re-water it, but other than that you don’t have to do anything else! If you have a propagator lid/clear plastic takeaway tray you can use that help keep it moist and speeds things up a bit. But it is not essential

23/08/2021, 19:27
👍🏼😋

23/08/2021, 19:40
Also I just wanted to say that if you want to start the Valerian abd Clary Sage off on a kitchen windowsill that’s fine too. But it is warm enough for them to just go outside.

23/08/2021, 19:53
I have learned so much about herbs from this group thank you so much everyone you are all great

23/08/2021, 19:53
Definitely

23/08/2021, 19:54
I love Monday evenings, which isn’t something I ever thought I’d say. But hanging out with you lot is so much fun and I learn so much every time.

23/08/2021, 19:56
It’s so good to hear everyone’s experiences of plant wisdom & to share it. Thank you every one. Especially the plants 🌱 Xc

23/08/2021, 19:58
big thanks to the magical, wonderful, caring, forgiving, wise, wise, wise plants!

23/08/2021, 19:58
We owe a lot to Mother Nature she really is too kind

23/08/2021, 19:58
Honestly one of THE BEST things. Treasures from the soil

23/08/2021, 19:58
What a wicked session and again a fab end to a Monday 🥰 Thanks everyone for all your knowledge and generosity in sharing ✊🏾

23/08/2021, 19:59
Thanks for a lovely two hours everyone, it’s really flown by .