Ooh eck theyve germinated !

[newbieveggie]

Hi all

It looks like I got a little over excited with the heated propagator I got for Xmas. Last weekend I sowed some chillis, sweet peppers, melons and toms. Last year I had poor germination with my cuc's so I sowed some of them also. Well blow me down, the cuc's and toms have come up already. Now I'm beginning to panic. I will shortly have to re pot them but I can't use my windowsills as my cats knock everything down. I do have a polytunnel but it's not heated. Would they be ok in there ? Have I kinda kicked myself in the foot with my enthusiasm ?

[Jimmy]

Yes the cats would be OK in the poly tunnel, however I suggest the compost bin or even better a deep hole.
Jimmy (Dedicated cat hater)

[Bigmallly]

Put them in the polytunnel if you have nowhere else to put them, you can always sow some more later if they don't make it.

[janeyo]

lol at jimmy!
I think you are going to struggle keeping them all alive til after frosts if you have nowhere heated to put them. And it's a bit early still for cucumbers.

I put my toms and chillis into an unheated g/h last year, once they were about a foot or more high but not until about end of march april and then I had to wrap and unwrap them everynight with fleece for what felt like weeks lol.

You are a bit further south than me though so you may get away with it?

[piskieinboots]

Can't you ask the famous Guernsey Tomato Growers for a little corner in their heated polys

[Flummery]

First lesson learned, I reckon! Only germinate what you can cope with.

[newbieveggie]

Can't you ask the famous Guernsey Tomato Growers for a little corner in their heated polys

Haha if only. Oh well. I will give it another week. To give you an idea of how much milder we canbe, but not always. Whilst you guys had inches of snow for weeks we had a couple of skiddy icy days and that was the lot much to my kids dismay ! Prob over here is the strong winds that knock everything flat.

[Bren In Pots]

Could you knock up some sort of netting barrier to keep the cats out of the window, but seeing as I know nothing about cats so thats probably a daft idea.

[Liza]

Put them in the polytunnel if you have nowhere else to put them, you can always sow some more later if they don't make it.

I agree with BM, you may have the last laugh as its milder where you are.

If not then its not a mistake more of a learning curve

Good luck

[stella]

A propagator hummm.... it is amazing what makes us gardening folks excited

[Amberlilly]

What about using your bathroom and close the door on the cats? At least maybe you can save some of them that way and put some in pots covered with a poly sheet close to the house wall, that may help?

[chris]

Yes the cats would be OK in the poly tunnel, however I suggest the compost bin or even better a deep hole.
Jimmy (Dedicated cat hater)

lol. spat my breakfst out

[21again]

First lesson learned, I reckon! Only germinate what you can cope with.

I must remember that one this year.

[faerieprincess]

Possibly a bit of overkill, but you could repot them into a big pot, either ceramic or terracotta which would be too heavy for the cats to knock over. It's really only little plastic pots that they will knock off the sill.