This month, subscribers received FREE rocket and zinnia seeds*. With daylight hours getting longer and signs of life starting to emerge, it’s a great time to begin sowing this tasty salad crop and dependable annual flower, to enioy this growing season. Rocket is a reliable salad crop that can supply regular highly flavoured pickings in a small space, while zinnias will keep pumping out beautiful flowers to fill borders and vases all through summer.
Sowalong together!
■ Head to GardenersWorld.com/premium where every month our growers will be sharing tips and tricks to help you get the most from your free seeds. They’re on this journey with you, guiding you through every stage, sharing how their plants are developing and offering timely advice.
■ Check out our Sowalong podcasts for advice and inspiration from the team, and their unique take on each seed variety. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
■ Plus, share the magic! We’d love to see how your seeds are progressing. Share images and videos on social media using #GWFreeSeeds and we’ll share our favourites, or get in touch using the addresses on page 20.
STEP BY STEP Sowing your rocket from seed
1FILL deep cell trays with a good-quality peat-free multi-purpose compost and scrape off excess with your hand to level it. Add more compost to fill any dips.
2SOW sparingly, dropping a few seeds into each module, spacing them out so they aren’t touching. These modules will later be planted out as they are.
3COVER the seeds with a thin layer of compost, using a sieve to get rid of lumps or grit that can make it hard for seedlings to push through and reach the light.
4WATER gently using a watering can with a rose, to just wet the compost. Keep in a well-lit, sunny place indoors. Only water again if compost dries out.
STEP BY STEP Sowing your zinnias from seed
1FILL an 8-10cm pot with peat-free, multi-purpose compost. Gently press down with the bottom of a tumbler to create a firm, level surface for sowing on.
2PLACE individual the seeds on the compost surface, 3cm apart to give each seedling enough space to develop well and make transplanting easier later.
3COVER seeds with a layer of sieved compost then water gently using a watering can with a rose. Label and keep in a well-lit spot or in a propagator at 20ºC.
STEP BY S
