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Post by Biggles on Feb 22, 2009 22:17:03 GMT 1
I just thought this might be a good subject to discuss--
If you haven't a Greenhouse--How-Where and When do you propagate your Stock (Seeds/Cuttings)
General ideas are Welcome--
I have to manage on my Kitchen Window Sill now so am limited to what I can grow--
Do you buy from Boot-sales and Why?
Do you prefer the Garden Centre and Why?
Or do you just grow Vegetables, Annuals or Hardy flowers and sow straight into the alloted space?
It would be interesting to hear from all members about their ideas on Sowing ------whether Greenhouse or Direct Sowing-- or 'Ready Made' from other sources-
Bigs
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Post by maggyd on Feb 22, 2009 22:40:55 GMT 1
Well Ill start the ball rolling with a couple of ideas,
I find the best place to germinate seeds is the bottom of the airing cupboard.
A windowsill in a spare room is ideal for keeping them once germinated.
Car boot sales are much cheaper than garden center,s you even get smallholdings with quite a big selection.
Garden Centers have bargains too and offers so keep your eyes open.
Once the weather starts to warm up a bit you can easily make a polyhouse in a sheltered space in the garden with makeshift shelves and a drop down weighted front, also a cold-frame is a boom its amazing how much you can get in there.
That said I don't do a lot of seed sowing now but I used to have loads on the go! you cant afford to leave them to look after themselves for more than a couple of days they soon dry out once the sun gets out and that is when I'm expected to drop everything and go away!! it causes too many argument's so I now buy plants already to plant out in containers or garden and buy perennials that look after themselves.
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Post by alicat on Feb 23, 2009 0:37:55 GMT 1
Hi Biggs I do have a Green house but it is unheated.  To give my seedlings some extra warmth and protection this early on I have bought some mini G/houses that fit inside the main one. Now the weather is warming up it should work quite well. For some Annual seeds ( Lobelia Petunia etc) I buy them as plugs from wilko's 2 for £5. Depending on what I choose I can get upto 48 plugs for a fiver.  if i'm really lucky I buy them when they are reduced due to a couple of plants have died. ;D It works for me and all i do when i get home is pot them up into decent sized cell trays. then water, feed, pinch out as normal until end of may/ last frosts and plant out into their postions in the garden. |
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Post by bogmyrtle on Feb 23, 2009 14:07:26 GMT 1
Having not had much success with seeds put straight into the garden - they never appear! - we bought a cold frame last year which I intend to make more use of now. If do plant seeds, it is on the kitchen window sill or the conservatory.
I would like a small greenhouse against the fence, but that isn't going to happen in the short term, so as an alternative I may get one of the plastic greenhouses - at least it will be somewhere to grow more things.
In the past I have just bought what plants I need be they to fill the tubs or to fill a gap, but I will have so many more if I grow those I can from seed. There is a car boot at the cricket club which will start again in May and there is one guy who takes a van load of plants each week - he sells out pretty quickly though.
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Post by Biggles on Feb 23, 2009 20:44:33 GMT 1
I buy some plants from the Bootsale from a couple (like Myrtle has described) they always have clean healthy plants that they grow themselves. If buying at Bootsales or GCs watch out for Vine Weevil Grub- Examine the roots of the plants for these horrible creatures- because once they get into Containers they eat the roots and you dont know they are there till the plant suddenly collapses and dies.   Photograph of Grubs and the Adult Weevil-- I always use Pravdo Vine Weevil Solution on most of my Container plants (watered in the soil) These things love Fuchsias-- I am posting this on another thread titled Vine Weevils-- |
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Post by maggyd on Feb 23, 2009 22:06:16 GMT 1
Hi Biggs I do have a Green house but it is unheated. To give my seedlings some extra warmth and protection this early on I have bought some mini G/houses that fit inside the main one. Now the weather is warming up it should work quite well. For some Annual seeds ( Lobelia Petunia etc) I buy them as plugs from wilko's 2 for £5. Depending on what I choose I can get upto 48 plugs for a fiver. if i'm really lucky I buy them when they are reduced due to a couple of plants have died. ;D It works for me and all i do when i get home is pot them up into decent sized cell trays. then water, feed, pinch out as normal until end of may/ last frosts and plant out into their postions in the garden. I used to make a greenhouse inside a greenhouse with bubble wrap and use a sump heater (mind it smells) . |
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Post by alicat on Feb 28, 2009 11:42:49 GMT 1
Maggy whats a sump heater please  |
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Post by alicat on Feb 28, 2009 11:46:13 GMT 1
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Post by jad on Mar 17, 2009 16:01:57 GMT 1
Hi Biggles I dont have a greenhouse I am using a plastic grow house to germinate my seeds, too early for them to come through yet but Ill keep you posted on their progress, it is quite warm in there at the moment . |
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Post by maggyd on Mar 17, 2009 17:37:43 GMT 1
Maggy whats a sump heater please Ali sorry Ive just seen this  its a little paraffin heater its round and small they were used to keep the frost off cars yeas ago I think they were more for diesel cars ! if you can imagine them bombs that they used to bury that blew up tanks etc; they just remind me of them they are about the same size! O.H. says you can still get them probably from hardware shops. |
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Post by maggyd on Mar 17, 2009 17:39:52 GMT 1
Thats interesting Ali thanks Ill read through that when I have time.
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Post by jad on Mar 17, 2009 17:46:30 GMT 1
This type of heater sounds very much like a cold frame heater I saw recently in the garden centre  |
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Post by Sleepy on Mar 17, 2009 17:50:00 GMT 1
This type of heater sounds very much like a cold frame heater I saw recently in the garden centre ` I'm guessing it is like this:  |
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Post by jad on Mar 17, 2009 17:52:01 GMT 1
Yes that's what is was.
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Post by maggyd on Mar 17, 2009 17:58:15 GMT 1
Only thats a modern one the one we had was probably 60 years old  I think my Eldest Son probably pinched it from us. |
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Post by jasmine on Mar 17, 2009 21:29:12 GMT 1
OH has been looking at GH's recently but while the boys are still using the garden as a footie pitch I don't think it is a good idea. I use a lot of our window sills and I have 2 mini greenhouses well away from the football! The mini greenhouses are ok - the covers don't last long but they are in a sheltered spot and I cover the plants with fleece on really cold nights. After losing a mini greenhouse to high winds I weight mine down with breeze blocks.
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To give my seedlings some extra warmth and protection this early on I have bought some mini G/houses that fit inside the main one. Now the weather is warming up it should work quite well. 
its a little paraffin heater its round and small they were used to keep the frost off cars yeas ago I think they were more for diesel cars ! if you can imagine them bombs that they used to bury that blew up tanks etc; they just remind me of them they are about the same size! O.H. says you can still get them probably from hardware shops. 
