Seeds to Sow, 2025

Spring is in the air, and I have been sorting through my seed packets to decide what annuals and vegetables to grow this year. It is always a matter of juggling for space, as our last frost date here in southern Germany is not until mid to late May. So I have to be strict with myself and not sow too much, or I won’t have room for all those pots of tender seedlings. I am sure many of you have the same problem!

In terms of vegetables, I usually grow runner beans, zucchini, beetroot, kohlrabi, cucumbers and butternut squash. I have chosen a climbing zucchini called ‘Quine’ this year… also suitable for growing in containers.

For a change, I have decided to try growing some aubergines in a container on the patio. I tried them once, years ago, and they were still only golf ball size in September, and hard as rocks. Aubergine  ‘Black Beauty’ was therefore my priority to sow early, as soon as I got my potting compost. So they are ticked off the list now.

The tomatoes, some kohlrabi and a few specialties have also been sown already. I am so looking forward to a juicy ripe home-grown tomato!

The tomato seeds I chose were all left from last year, many of which were in a big selection box. The beefsteak tomatoes rarely do well here – they seem to cook on the plant if we get really high temperatures! So I focus on the smaller ones. I wonder if any of these are familiar to you? The small yellow ones are an absolute favourite.

The rest of my flowers and veg will be sown in stages in April, either indoors or in the cold frame/mini greenhouse outside.

When it comes to flowers, Cosmos are a must, and this year I am trying a couple of new sorts. I’ll only sow a few of each packet, and maybe sow some more later on.

The company I order most of my flower seeds from send them in plain packets with no photo, and all the instructions are sent on a separate sheet of paper. But they do put all cosmos, climbers, perennials, annuals etc into pretty envelopes…

I hope to dry some flowers this summer, so strawflowers (Helichrysum brachteatum) are at the top of the list for that and I have several different seed packets, including Lemon Yellow, Silvery Rose, Copper and Salmon. I also found some other everlasting flowers to try too:

‘Papierknöpfchen’ (Ammobium alatum), ‘Sonnenflügel’ (Helipterum roseum), and ‘Immortelle’ (Xeranthemum annuum)

Zinnias rarely do well in my flower beds, but maybe I have just grown the wrong sort. So this year I’ll try these, most of which are new to me…

I will grow them in large containers. That means I can move them to a shady spot temporarily if we get a heatwave, and control the watering better too.

Sunflowers left over from previous years will also be sown later on…

Basil (lots of it!) will of course be sown in containers, for pesto and salads. And here are a few of the other random annuals I want to grow. Calendula, Cornflowers, Levkoje and the decorative grass Lagurus ovatus  ‘Bunny Tails’.

I wonder if you grow, or have grown, any of these? I’d love to know what seeds you are sowing this spring. Or do you buy plug plants from a nursery?

Thanks for reading,

and

Happy Gardening!