Advice on Starting Seeds in Greenhouse?

[Shortie]

Hello Hive-Mind

Okay, for all the years I have been on growing my own, I have always very sorely under-utilised the greenhouse I inhertited with the house.

I am thinking I should start off some of my seeds this weekend (brassicas, toms chillis. Not larger seeds like seedcorn, beans, peas, squashes - I know they are best in late march/arly April). However, I've so far always taken over any free space with seed trays inside the house in the past

I'm hoping I can use the greenhouse instead (standard full-glass/aluminum construction on a concrete base) to start off my seedlings

Is it too early? I have 2 parafin heaters (will need to find some fuel for them) but if I got them going, would it be warm enough to start my seedlings off now? I'm hoping it will also mean they won't go leggy as they won't be searching for decent light..

Or, if I want to use the greenhouse that way, should I hold back for a bit longer?

[burnie]

I don't think we have finished with cold temperatures yet, so I am germinating in the house, then moving out to a blowaway inside the greenhouse to slowly acclimatise the plants. At present I have onions and leeks that grew from seeds inside, that are now hardening off without causing them to stop. I have sowed some broad beans in cells in the blowaway too, but so far nothing growing. The thing is at the moment we are having quite large temperature swings up here, minus 1 at night and 18 in the day, I don't think your paraffin heaters will be big enough in a glass house at this time of year, not even in the tropical south for a couple of weeks.

[nick the grief]

Can you not run electric out to it shortie? Not remembering how big you Hoose is if its an 8 x 6 a little 2kw electric heater would do it fine and dandy and the fan will help circulate the air . I used to use parafin but tbh I found it a PITA it always runs out at the most inconvieniet moment and you have to trim the wick every day otherwise you end up with a black house .... covered in soot on the inside one of the lads in the chrysanth club fell for that one once

And you have to be around to light it cos sods law says the day you don't theres a massive frost.

That said I used to have a steel shelf turned upside down and had the heater under it, filled the tray with damp sand to disipate the heat and make it more uniform and used that as a hot bench. then if you put a shelf above that you can move stuff off the bench onto the shelf and then on to the unheates side of the Ghouse.

If you can run electric out then get a littleHeater and a heated propagator or a heat mat then the worlds your lobster

[annie8]

You can start peas now in a greenhouse. I have started some cauliflowers and cabbages too.

[ameno]

It's definitely too early to do peppers or tomatoes in a greenhouse. It won't be warm enough for them. If you want to start those now, you'll need to do them indoors.

Brassicas should be okay, although they may germinate rather slowly. You might want to start them indoors, then transfer to the greenhouse as soon as they break the soil surface. Or maybe even do what I do and sprout the seeds on damp tissue somewhere warm first, then pot them up and put them in the greenhouse.

[Shortie]

Thanks all :-D I decided to hold fire on starting seedlings in the greenhouse for now. I plan to clear off a longer unit in the utility room to get a few things started, hopefully this week, or next weekend. This weekend just disappeared!

[annie8]

Saw today that the red cabbage seeds I sowed in the greenhouse have started to come through.