Allotments 4 All
Produce => Under Glass => Topic started by: Two Choices on March 24, 2007, 17:54:59
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Running out of heated space and am wondering when it is safe to sow seeds in an unheated greenhouse. Alternatively, if seeds are germinated in a propogator, when can they be placed in the unheated greenhouse?Thinking specifically about Marigolds, Cosmea, Dahlia, Butternut Squash, Dwarf Beans, ???
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I still reckon it's too early for Squash & Beans. But you should be able to sow anything in a cold 'house. I'm risking some outdoors now that the soil is at 42F
Flowers? Don't do flowers!
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our marigolds are in the unheated greenhouse, the dwarf beans are in the poly border, covered with fleece ;D
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What about moving tomato plants (about 4" tall) out to a cold greenhouse. Still too soon?
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we've put ours in trays with a plastic cover (69p from homebase) , covered with fleece and put in the greenhose as well, they don't seem too bad, we just uncover them during the day :) sorry, the cover's 69p ;D
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Don't quote me, but my toms go into the cold 'house at the end of May.
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I take toms out every day to the cols g/house and bring them in every night, forget some recently and they survived. If the temp does not drop too much I am sure they would probably be okay
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I have a frost free greenhouse. I start most of my seeds off in the house, next to the patio windows. Once they have germinated, they are moved to the greenhouse - they all seem perfectly happy there!
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Yes - all is possible. However, I lost a row of toms in the cold 'house in June!!
And things like Cucumbers "do NOT like it below 50F".
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My green house is not frost free, but Marigolds are fine there, I moved them in January, Cosmos was moved about 3 weeks ago, they are also fine. Tomatoes, peppers and eggplants are in Wilko polytunnel inside the green house, so good so far, some of them were there since February. The conditions are still not quite good and last week I forgot to move some tomatoes into the polytunnel, left them just in the greenhouse, so 3 out of 4 got frost bite, but I can't keep plants at home, my husband goes mad at me, he can't stand soil in the house.
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Have found this thread really useful thanks. I think that I keep my toms on the back bedroom window sill too long and am going to try risking a few in the greenhouse... :)
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Hi all, :)
I have to make the best of what I have, That means everything in pots
and trays will be started in the unheated greenhouse. I put some new dahlia tubers in some boxes of leafmould to store and they have started to grow.
I have squash and toms in covered trays and there is germination going on.
(I didn`t examine each tray).
My greenhouse should be undisturbed all week
so the heat stays in. (The door was open yesterday I don`t know if I left it open all week or if someone is poking around, the dalhia shoots survived).
I will be doing a lot of planting over easter because thats when I have the time.
If seeds grow and survive I`ll be off to a good start and if not I`ll just start over.
Best of luck to us all, Col
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We're away for a week over Easter so think I'll wait until we get back to move stuff out, just in case we get a frost.
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Again I think it depends largely on what you plan on sowing, let the packet be your guide! at least for temperatures rather than say the sowing times!
Generally;I would say that any seed that can be sown directly into the ground would be suited to cold greenhouse germination.
If a minimum temperature is stated on the packet then it is wiser to follow these temperature guides.
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hello
We have allsorts growing in our unheated greenhouse
sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, lettuce,onions, leeks, peas, beetroot,
sweet peas and marigolds. All are doing great. ;D
The only heat in there is the sun
Hope this helps. We are in yorkshire by the way :D
debbie
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Not far from me, then, debbie- that's encouraging!
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I have germinated broad beans , sprouts ,cabbage , leeks and caulies in my cold house ...
I would say its too early yet for tomatoes ,cucmbers etc ..,,
Cheers, Jim
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our marigolds are in the unheated greenhouse, the dwarf beans are in the poly border, covered with fleece ;D
Hi Manic, did you germinate your marigolds in the cold GH or indoors?
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inside, just until they were showing then straight out to the greenhouse :)
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thanks - will try the same
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Yup i confirm its too early for Toms. Put about a dozen in on sunday went this morning and half of them have been zapped dead with the frost. Not to worry just put another dozen seeds in the propogator.
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all tender babies are inside on the spare room bed for a week. they're going to be home alone !!!!
have had to leave various stuff in the greenhouses (unheated cos at christmas bessie mate ruined one of the heaters and can't be trusted with gardening things) lol.
the sun actually killed some of my radishes which were started off in the g/h, fried them to death. :'( so them and some salad leaves are now in a raised bed under some fleece.
at least if everything's deed when i get back, i can start some more !
i really am worried about my toms though, hope they behave themselves.
;D
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Got the same problem- away for a week from Sat & daren't put stuff in the greenhouse yet but think they'll get too hot in the sunny kitchen & not enough light in other rooms. May have to take everything up two flights to our bedroom which is cool but light (seed potatoes are already in there!) and hope for the best!
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Yep, Start everything in the conservatory, then into unheated greenhouse, I do cover everything up at night with fleece though.
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I start everything off in the conservatory too. Then I decide which plants are going to take the risk of the cold greenhouse, as I need the space. So far, the poor plants that drew the short straw of the greenhouse are onions , leeks,lettuce, globe artichokes, and several flowers.
More will face eviction in the next few days, as, yet again, I have run out of space, and more seedlings need pricking out or potting on. I think the tomatoes will get it next, but I will keep 1 of each type in the conservatory just incase. You've got to be tough to be one of my plants!
cj :)
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In my unheated greenhouse, I have PSB, Calabrese broccoli, Kelvedon wonder peas, Salad bowl, Lolla Rossa, Saladin lettuce, Tender & True Parsnip, Avorn resister parsnip, Primo cabbage, Moneymaker tomato, Mussleburgh leeks. All sown 9 days ago. Most have germinated, except for the parsnip.
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I moved all my 2inch high tomato plants into my unheated greenhouse about four days ago. At night I cover them with 4 layers of fleece. I forgot to uncover them this morning as I went out early and didn't return until 1pm. However, the fleece must have given them protection from the heat for when I took it off, the plants looked fine.
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As I only have an unheated greenhouse, and very limited space at home (can only use my kitchen window sill, as this is the only room the cats don't go in, and they very happily eat seedlings of any description, if they can get their paws on them!) We have spinach, loads of different beans and squash, broccoli, lettuce, spring onions, peas, leeks, tomatoes, loads of stuff! All have germinated and are doing brilliantly. Have made myself a DIY greenhouse, using metal poles and a double layer of bubble wrap, as I ran out of space, and this actually seems to be much warmer than my regular one!
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My squash have been moved to the cold greenhouse now.XX Jeannine
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I've only got an unheated greenhouse, so brought my tomatoes and aubergines home to germinate, but once they arrived they were back to the greenhouse. Everything is doing really well, although plants would definitely be bigger if they were at home or the greenhouse was heated.
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Everything of mine is in unheated walk in plastic green house. Bbeans, squashes, courgettes, 4" tomatos, herbs, brassicas - the lot basically. So far so good. The squashes etc did take 3 weeks to poke their heads up but probably a good thing as i was a bit ahead of myself. Sunflowers are in cells outside as no room in the inn.
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We have unheated greenhouse only, anything described as Hardy gets a day or so in the propagator and as soon as they are up out into the g'house. Half Hardy don't sow them so soon! Our Toms are out now but things like squash and CF or Runner beans can wait... they grow so fast and so large you end up having to put them out too soon, not fully hardened off or before the last frosts. G Centres and "Home base" type outlets sell them out hoping they die so you buy some more!
:-X
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What I just HAVE to see is where does all this get one? All the worry & TLC for how much earlier?
Can we have a report back thread - esp for cold houses or outdoors.
My first Peppers are just germinating.
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for me Tim, it's not so much about getting produce earlier, but rather making room for everything - I've only got limited space so have to stagger my sowings, throwing those out that are a bit tougher as soon as possible, ie cabbage, sunflowers, sweetpeas etc
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Well i started sowing my seeds in my unheated green house on the plot over a month ago, with no problems.
i have toms, beans,flowers,peas, spinch, the list goes on.
I put the very tall and big beans outside today fingers crossed.
i have toms in grow bags inside the green house there doing just fine.
started sowing sweetcorn and more peas today and lemon cucumber.
;D :D ;) :) :-*
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Yes - yes - BUT......
1. Cabbages, Spinach? No need to sow indoors.
2. Beans? Should not go out until end May - so?
3. Toms? Not sown yet. Ours cannot go into the cold 'house until end May. But - if everyone else does it - I have a lot to learn.
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I do my squash early because I grow a fair few types that need a longer growing season that nature gives us here. By growing them inside, cooling them off and putting an eighteen inch high plant out as soon as possible I can get most of the varieties I want. That's my only reason. With my toms I grow varieties that mature at from 55 days to 100 days so I start some early. Tumbler is one,only a couple of plants but we are eating the fruit in June. Then I grew a keeper to extend into January. Gives me a bigger window and I hate store bought toms
XX Jeannine
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Wish I had your patience!
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I'm sort of halfway between the two approaches. My greenhouse heater only cuts in to stop the temp going below 5degC so it's not really a heated GH, more of a frost free one. Usually open the side windows during the day and the top vent is auto. There's probably a correct term for this - is it a cool GH?
Anyway, the chilli and tomato seedlings are quite happy out of the heated propagator once they are about 1" high. Marigolds, which we use for bed edging are just given a kick start in a heated propagator in late March then moved out into the GH almost as soon as they show.
Tim, I sowed half our runners into pots in the GH last weekend because we can chance putting them out at the beginning of May (I direct sow the second lot towards the end of May).
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Nearly lost my melon seedlings this morning....my fault, had a lie in, hot sunshine meant the temperature was 80 degrees in the greenhouse at 9am, hotter in my two plastic mini greenhouses :-\ This is with automatic vents as well! I didn't get these high temperatures this early last year, I'll have to get the shading up fast at this rate! 8)
I'm starting some French beans off in pots, first lot of sweetcorn are in, I'm also staggering sowings of various brassicas and legumes which are in modules or pots as required, won't be putting them in the ground for a few weeks yet. Runners, squash, courgettes all planned for May sowings, fennel in June...where is the time going!
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You are a braver Mum than I Deb.... my Sweetcorn and CFB aren't even getting sown until May....
::)
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Ah, these are dwarf French beans that I can cloche that I've already started, I'm doing two sowings, one direct later in May. My CFB will be late April/early May too.
Corn is also sown in two lots, I am risking an early sowing but have a backup later just in case! Lucked out last year, we will see how this year pans out. Although having read Jeannines advice about corn will probaby make this second lot a bit later... ;D
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We're looking at 19-24 degC in London over the next three days - not a question of too cold but too hot?
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Thats right Barnowl some of my toms wilted yesterday and needed plenty of water to revive them - strange weather or what!