When to plant?

[Lizzie Dripping]

Hello,

I'm itching to get stuff planted but our veg beds are saturated and we have puddles appearing so I guess anything I plant will rot.

But, I've built two 2.4mx1.2mx1.2m cold frames covered in polythene - unheated.

Can I pot seeds up and bring them on in the cold frames yet?

Also, if I had a polytunnel and heated it, what minimum temperature should it have?

And would I be able to grow all year round?

We're in Northamptonshire with a south facing garden.

Thanks.

[Two_Sheds]

cold frames covered in polythene - unheated

Can I pot seeds up and bring them on in the cold frames yet?

Read your seed packets
You can sow hardy seeds, but not tender ones, in your cold frame. Germination is generally quicker with warmth, so a small heated propagator would help you along. Sow into 3" pots in the prop, when seedlings appear put them in the coldframe.

if I had a polytunnel and heated it, what minimum temperature should it have?

Depends what you want to grow in it. Different plants have different requirements.

Personally, I don't want to pay for fuel, so I use an unheated greenhouse: I just wait until the temp is right. From April you don't need any extra heating anyway

would I be able to grow all year round?

No, not unless you pay a fortune for growlamps and heating.

Light is more important than heat: which is why *most* seeds are sown after the clocks go forward and the days are longer, and the sun is higher in the sky

We're in Northamptonshire

Go to your profile and edit: then your location shows up in your posts

[Harrod Horticultural]

Hi Lizzie. at the Harrods kitchen garden we heat our greenhouse to 7 degrees throughout the winter and this is warm enough to keep chilli peppers alive and fruiting. In February I sow seeds into a heated propagator and when the plants are big enough to pot up in March the greenhouse is turned up to 15 degrees. My tomatoes have now gone into tomato success planters and are now about 12 inches tall. Being able to heat certainly enables you to bring on plants much earlier, but obviously comes at the cost of running the heating. Our greenhouse is bubble wrapped to try and keep the costs down.