Topic: unheated greenhouse

[okra]

Does anybody have advice regarding winter useage of an unheated greenhouse - what can be grown over winter or started early?

[manicscousers]

i've just started off overwintering lettuce for baby leaves, also onions from seed, we overwinter herbs and things, more expert people than me on here, though  :)

[okra]

thanks, I will give onion seed a go

[Marymary]

I'm starting quite a few flower seeds in the conservatory including sweet peas plus broad beans & as soon as they are up I am planning on putting them in my unheated greenhouse & will cover them with fleece when frosts are forecast.

[Tee Gee]

Hope you don't mind me saying but I think you might struggle germinating your onions, they usually require a minimum temperature of 16°C (60°F) to germinate.

But all is not lost, try germinating them in the house, cylinder cupboard would do. Once germinated then they should perform quite nicely in a cool greenhouse.

This applies to lots of seed........ highish temperatures to germinate then the heat requirements are substantially less.

As I was taught;...... warm feet, cool head is the best.

[manicscousers]

sorry, forgot to say, I'm starting them off on a windowsill in the house then in the greenhouse  ::) ;D
and the lettuce have just reared their heads, brill  ;D

[supersprout]

We're mostly using the cold g'house for storage over winter:

- root veg layered in pots of peat, sand or compost - we dig out a few days' supply at a time
- cleaned pots and trugs
- hazel poles and pea sticks for next year - they last longer if kept dry
- drying beans waiting for shucking
- dismantled compost bins, ready to put together once warmer weather arrives

Growing

Like you say, at this time of year I germinate e.g. onion seed in root trainer modules in the warmth at home, to go to the cold greenhouse when they're established. I sowed the first baby carrot and beet indoors a week ago. In a few weeks from now, I'll plant them in pots of compost in the g'house, fleeced against frost :) Lettuce up? Yay! ;D

[okra]

thanks for all the advice. I have started off some onion seed in a propogator indoors and will transfer these into the unhaeted g/house once germinated. Do they also need fleecing?