Windowsill space

[Comfreyfan]

I also have the windowsill space problem, saw this recently:

Seedhouse Grow Your Own - Indoor

It doesn't look that sturdy, but if it was just to go on the windowsill it could be ok.

It would be small enough to wrap in fleece, and it would go inside a small plastic greenhouse, inside a bigger plastic greenhouse!!

[lynda66]

Sorry to sound like a complete ignoramus but what's a growlight? It sounds like something you can use inside to give plants light or mimic daylight. If that's it, I never even knew there was such a thing.

Where can they be bought and how do you use them?

a very quick look on ebay produced these
grow light, Home Garden, Business, Office Industrial, Toys Games items at low prices on eBay.co.uk

basically they provide the same light spectrum the plants use from the sun to make them grow, it allows you to mimic daylight length ..... they work best in a cupboard, and you can increase light intensity by covering the inside of the cupboard with silver foil, as it reflects the light back ...... it means you can grow plants indoors in the depth of winter, and the plants think it's summer

[Two_Sheds]

ended up putting fleece over the ... tomatoes/peppers and that was in May.

We always grow our T & P in an unheated greenhouse, never had probs, always get a good crop.

Are you starting them off too early p'haps ? How big are your toms and peppers in May?

If you buy plants that have been cossetted indoors, and then plunge them into a cold greenhouse, they will sulk, even die.

Can you give us a bit more info Womble?

[womble]

I had tomato and pepper plants in a small plastic greenhouse from middle and end of March respectively this year. They had no additional heat / protection and survived the experience unscathed. It was full of other stuff from April onwards. I was germinating things indoors and then moving them outside once they had sprouted. I probably would have put more in the mini-GH in March if I'd been organised - but I only decided to grow some veg on 17 March!!

Next year I was planning to keep a few of the more tender things indoors until the worst of the weather is over, but now I have a big plastic greenhouse, most will go in there. I won't be babying anything - and I expect a few casualties but on the whole I reckon most things will be all right, and if not I'll have time for a second sowing. As you might guess, I'm attracted to the "grow 'em hard" school of thought!

(I will however be putting the mini plastic greenhouse inside the big plastic greenhouse and grow the more tender things inside that, for a double layer of protection.)

Interesting, thanks for that.
This thread could be worth a read.

edit: Oh, can't get the thread to link. Its on another sites forum, KG, in seasonal tips, last post June 13th 2007, titles Cold Greenhouse. Worth a read.

It says that tomatoes shouldn't really go below 10 degrees, although they will survive much lower temps, especially for shorter periods.
I was experiencing temps down to 1 or 2 degrees last May in the greenhouse.

[zazen999]

I started off my toms in Jan this year [aurora] and they were hardened off quite harshly [by putting outdoors whenever there was sun - even if it was windy] and I would brush the leaves and stem when indoors. The biggest went outside in the courtyard from the beginning of May and into the ground on 1st June. It flowered on 4th April and our first harvest was 8th June. It did have a blip during August, but produced fruit until the blight got it around the end of Sept.

the Chilli Peppers, are also hardened off quite harshly; they were started off during Jan and Feb, and put into our cold garage [which does have a light roof], into little pots, and were put outside in a cold frame once they were 3 inches tall. Some did die but the others have been fine - slow to ripen but have grown really big. They are coming indoors again this week, as I do want some to go red.

Strangely - our Sweet Chocolate peppers have had no problem turning chocolate colour, and they have been grown both alongside the chillis and 3 were put in the ground about May time. they have produced decent size sweet peppers and still have fruits on them now.

Next year, I'll have a greenhouse, so will be growing a fair amount of T and P in there. Can't wait!

[maytreefrannie]

a very quick look on ebay produced these
grow light, Home Garden, Business, Office Industrial, Toys Games items at low prices on eBay.co.uk

basically they provide the same light spectrum the plants use from the sun to make them grow, it allows you to mimic daylight length ..... they work best in a cupboard, and you can increase light intensity by covering the inside of the cupboard with silver foil, as it reflects the light back ...... it means you can grow plants indoors in the depth of winter, and the plants think it's summer

Thanks, Lynda, I'll look that up - it's yet another thing I've learnt about from this site.

[coreopsis]

Zazen,I'm going to grow the same tomato next year-Aurora but I thought that the end of January is a bit too early as I won't be able to put them outside earlier than June.All my plants will be squeezed on the windowsill-it's fine when they are small but as they grow the place is a bit overcrowded.So when should I start them?The instructions on the package says"late February".I'm a bit confused

[Two_Sheds]

I'd go for late February then

[Alison]

As I understand it the dates for sowing etc on packs are usually based around the south (probably London as people seem there seem to think it's the centre of the universe!!!!!) so you may well be better adding a couple of weeks seeing as you're in the Highlands and therefore presumably a bit later.