Sowing starts here.
Discover what you can sow and plant now. Or find a vegetable and see how to give it a good start.
What can you sow now?
Ideas for the rest of november still to sow or plant.
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Guide periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, sufficient light and measured soil and air temperatures.What would you like to grow?
Find a vegetable or browse the species. See when you can start and which approach suits your propagation space.
A good start: warmth and light
Warm sowing can be done indoors or in a heated greenhouse. After germination, every seedling needs enough light. A dark attic needs grow lights. An unheated greenhouse can become very cold at night: measure the temperature and check the advice for your crop.
1 of 108 species and crop groups
Armenian cucumberStart under cover in warmthMid-April–mid-May
Mid-April–mid-MayStart indoors in warmth and reserve enough bright space for raising plants.
- Germination and temperature
- Germinate in warmth; for melon, at least about 18 °C. Follow the packet for watermelon and cucumber melon.
- After emergence
- Give seedlings light immediately after emergence. A dark loft needs suitable grow lights; warmth alone is insufficient. Ventilate and keep the compost moist without saturating it.
- Pricking out and potting on
- Sow in individual pots or deep modules. Do not prick out bare-rooted; move the whole root ball before the roots become restricted.
- Hardening off and planting out
- Gradually acclimatise indoor-raised plants to sun, wind and outdoor temperatures; shelter them again on cold nights. In a warm greenhouse or very sheltered warm position, with the root ball intact. Plant out only once cold nights are over.
Dutch outdoor growing is uncertain in a cool summer. Choose a suitable early type; do not confuse cucumber melon with an ordinary cucumber.
Sources and use
RHS · meloen ↗Britse teeltrichtlijn voor een gematigd klimaat; de genoemde perioden zijn richtlijnen voor Nederland en Vlaanderen.
Association Kokopelli · Carosello Scopatizzo Barese — soort en warmtemethode ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Royal Horticultural Society · Warmteminnende groenten in de kas — Britse gids ↗Soort- of productgebonden bron; buitenlandse perioden zijn geen vaste Nederlandse zaaidatum.
Guideline periods for the Netherlands and Flanders. Check the variety, available light, soil and measured temperatures. Greenhouse heating does not guarantee enough winter light.