Topic: oh I could cry!!!

[wilko]

 :'( :'( this is my first year 'growing my own' got the greenhouse, dug the beds, I had tomato plants about 4" high,chillis, cucumbers,basil,etc I nurtured them every day, but today i forgot  :-[ I left the house and didn't open the greenhouse, or the mini greenhouse in it, and when I got home, they were all cooked  :'( :'( temp was 120 + in the mini, over a 100 in the house I don't think I can salvage any thing, is it too late to start again??

[Hyacinth]

dry your eyes wilko...no, it's not too late - honest! :-*

[ninnyscrops]

Aw Wilko   :'(   Happened to me last year with the mini in the greenhouse, lost all my tom seedlings.  It's not been allowed back in their since and now lives outside the greenhouse for hardening them off.

No, you're not too late - have you got any more seed and a torch?  You could pop down to the greenhouse and sow some now!!  ;)

[northener]

Mine gone the same wilko. A combination of really hot green house and low evening temps. I'm going to be nice to wife see if she'll let me use windowsills.

[jollyroger123]

I have some flower seedlings in the greenhouse.  Temp went up to 40C yesterday all seem fine.  Going to fit another auto vent today. 

What is the max a greenhouse should be allowed to get to ?

Not sure if my dial Max/Min 100% accurate although it should be for a tenner.

[wilko]

Thanks for the sympathy folks  :'(  I still feel sick about it this morning  :( I never thought this growing your own lark would be easy, but i thought maybe some nasty disease or virus could get the better of me, never thought it would be my own blinking memory ( another senior moment  :-[ ah well) . Do you think I could use the seedling compost again, or should I start fresh?? ( could that be cooked as well  ???)

[ellkebe]

Wilko - I only sowed toms etc last week, roughly the same as last year, so no (I hope!!) it's not too late to sow again.  Are you ok for seeds? I have a few cucumber and chilli seeds I could let you have, and maybe toms - I'll have to go look for the latter.  Just pm me if you want them.

There's also small plants from the allotment shop/ garden centre to grow on if you think it's all a bit time critical now.

Cheers
Ellkebe

[tim]

I'm only just sowing mine for a cold 'house.

Max temp?  For most things, 80F.

[wilko]

Thanks ellkebe, I'm ok for seeds  ;) and slowly cheering up, maybe all is not lost eh!  :)

Tim how can you regulate the temp in a green house ?  :-\

[tim]

You can't!! I was just about to come back on this.

We have 24 vents & use shading & we still exceed the 'limit' by yards!!

A Fan helps - at a price?

[Gazfoz]

I suppose  the difficulty is due to our ever changing climate in this country. If we could rely on some steady weather for a few weeks we could remove some glass from oppposite the greenhouse door and get the hot air to circulate through, a bit like a glass poly tunnel, hmm, might try it.
If I get some rolled up polythene to cover the back of the greenhouse at night it might just work, a bit like a soft top greenhouse ;D ;D ;D

[carolinej]

Does anyone have any thoughts on watering the floor of the greenhouse to take the temperature down a bit? I know it would only be a temporary measure as it would evaporate pretty quickly, but would it help to do it just around mid day if the temperatures soar again this summer?

cj :)

[Tee Gee]

Does anyone have any thoughts on watering the floor of the greenhouse

I wouldn't do it at this time of the year!

With the extremes in weather we have been having recently (warm days/cold night) it  plays havoc with the humidity in the greenhouse. If you are like me and have a greenhouse/s full of seedlings the risk of 'damping off' is increased in my opinion.

I like to keep the air in my greenhouse as dry as possible at this time of year, and I can only do this if I am not throwing water all over the place and by keeping up with ventilation (but not draughts) when I can.

[carolinej]

So that's a daft idea then :-[

cj :)

[Gazfoz]

Your idea isn't daft, in fact  greenhouse gardeners have been using water as a method of lowering temperature and providing a degree of humidity in Summer  for many years but seedlings do keel over with very little provocation sometimes.
I start mine off on a windowsill in the spare bedroom, not quite so much light but a very constant temperature, turn them regularly to avoid wobbly stem syndrome and keep moist. When they are a little more robust they will be fine outside

[Tee Gee]

So that's a daft idea then

As Gazfoz says it is alright in 'summer' but I as I mentioned I don't think it is a good idea at this time of the year.

[tim]

Yes & yes!!

[shirlton]

So sorry to hear about your plants Wilko. We have just had a second greenhouse and it sits in the sun whereas the old one is part shady. I couldn't believe it when I went in there. had to take the cover off the mini GH. I cover it with fleece to shade it. Does the trick. Thats the problem this time of year the weather can be so changeable. My plants are in one day and out the next. Soon we will be having to shade all the time and water. Crazy eh!. I hope you manage to get some more plants. I bet you won't do the same thing again will you.

[wattapain]

Just sow them again, they'll be fine.
Like Tim, I'm only just sowing mine. I find they're much better if sown late, they grow up much tougher and they only need TLC for a few weeks. Treat 'em mean .... ;D
When I used to sow them in March ( or even Feb when I couldn't contain myself  :o), they needed constant mollycoddling, grew into pathetic sickly plants and often died so I would have to plant more - then they grew much better.
So that was a lesson learnt.

Do have to give 'em a bit of tlc though , throughout  April & May, then they go outside and fend for themselves but they usually do me proud  ;D
Terri

[ninnyscrops]

I've been seriously thinking about putting one of those plastic tarpaulines over the greenhouse roof while the sun has been so hot and strong during the day.  It will let through some light when it's on. If I put it on about 11.00 ish and take it off about 5.00 ish, do you think it might work or am I having one of my "moments"  ::)