Good mornin'

[Occupiedblond]

Hello,

This year, (as of a month ago) I have become the proud owner of my very first greenhouse! It has been previously loved for the last 30 odd years and therefore doesn't owe anything to anyone. Hubby and I have spent the last couple of weekends trying to set it up and I am getting so excited about finally being able to grow my own food...ahhh. It came complete with a very old parrafin heater and I have had it on for the last two days just to monitor if it makes a difference. At the moment it's keeping the GH about two degrees above the outside temp at night. I had it on all day yesterday and the max temp on the thermometer was 17'C. Stinks though.

Indoors, I have quite a lot of very leggy plants, tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower that I started off in an unheated propagator. I didn't realise that you are suppose to take the lid off once they had peeked out. I'm learning, slowly.

I also have my name on a waiting list for an allotment and have been told that I am number 40 and that 9 were allocated last year so I figure that I have about 4 years to learn what I'm doing?!

Should I start off more seeds? Is it worth continuing with leggy seedlings (about a week old and three inches tall!)? When can I start to actually use my greenhouse? I'm trying to be green and the idea of burning parrafin to heat it seems mad, do I need to heat it? I'm sorry that I have so many questions...plenty more too.

Sherry

[Occupiedblond]

Wow, as a first ever post that was appauling. Sorry everyone, can I start again?

Hello...My name is Sherry and I am new to the "grow your own" or indeed any forums. This is my first day. It is very nice to meet you (through your posts) and I look forward to getting to know you.

[pipkins]

Hello Sherry, Welcome to the vine.

[CaroltheCarrot]

Hi Sherry and welcome, unfortunately up here we will have to sit on our hands for another few weeks ( wish I could take my own advice) with the likes of tomatoes and what not.
Caulies and cabbages (hardy stuff) should be fine in an unheated gh
Someone who knows what they are talking about will be along soon

[chris]

lol, hello ! I'd get some foil behind the leggy seedlings to reflect more light back onto them.. if the day is warm, put them out out, in a SHELTERED! (don't make the same mistake as me!!) sunny place (they won't go white and kick up their toes with wind burn then ) for an hour or two, then back in on a sunny windowsil - hopefully that'll help them gain more strength. Last year I was in and out in and out, in and out from mid march -> may with my seedlings!

bit too cold to go in an unheated greenhouse permenantly yet (could put them in there during the day - it's not windy in there!) - but bring them back in the house at night time so you don't get caught out by a frost.

Personally, I carried on with my leggy seedlings - just to see what would happen. They all fruited, but not as much as seeds sowed again, as backups (was then inundated with vast amounts of toms, cucs, peppers, chillies, aubergines, etc !)

[Occupiedblond]

Thank you, I am just so excited to get ahead of myself...and reading different seed packs I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I was behind schedule. Perhaps not because you are quite right, it's still really cold up here. Snow just last weekend! My garlic in the garden (planted last Oct) seems to be holding up though. This is the first year that I really want to grow everything!!! I only have a tiny garden, now that the greenhouse nearly takes up a quarter of it... still I have two deeply dug 1m*2m wee plots of ground that I hope to grow things in?

I have just put two covered seed trays of cauli & cabbage in the gh, more as an experiment but with the hope of germination.
Thank you.

[Occupiedblond]

Hi Chrismarks,
Thank you for your advice..I will go put them out in the gh right now as it's sunny and should be really warm in there today and bring them back in at teatime when it gets a bit nippy (2'C).

[Occupiedblond]

I've just put them out and the temp is reading 15'C...might just take out my cup of tea and watch them for a bit...heehee.

[CaroltheCarrot]

15! crikey thats near tropical mine is reading 5.9

[ginger ninger]

Hello Shelly and a very warm welcome to the vine from Jinny cat & Me as well.

[Occupiedblond]

It's had a helping hand though with the parrafin heater overnight. The temperature drops like a stone...to about 2'C above the outside temp. I'm not sure if I should bother with the heater or just go with nature??

[Occupiedblond]

Hello Shelly and a very warm welcome to the vine from Jinny cat & Me as well.

Thank you, if only the temperature matched the warmth of your welcome!

[Occupiedblond]

I've just been out to check the gh again and the temp is reading 20'C!! The thing is, if it gets to that now...what's it gonna be like when we get "real" sunshine (finers crossed that that will actually happen)?? I'm definately going to need to replace my vent opener (30yrs old & rusty)!

[Flummery]

Hello and welcome. The cabbage family don't need heat. If you have toms etc that are leggy, repot them and bury them up to their neck in new compost - they;ll root from the stems.

Good luck. We all started off eager and too early. Some of us are now old, careful (and still too early!)

[CaroltheCarrot]

I've just been out to check the gh again and the temp is reading 20'C!! The thing is, if it gets to that now...what's it gonna be like when we get "real" sunshine (finers crossed that that will actually happen)?? I'm definately going to need to replace my vent opener (30yrs old & rusty)!

On that day you will just leave the door open!!