Your sowing tips

[Sara]

It's a misty late-autumn morning but here at Grow Your Own we're already thinking about next year's growing season.

We'd like to know how you look after your extra-early sowings. What's the best way to protect your seedlings from February's cold weather and low lighting? Whether you use a sunny windowsill, heated propagator or greenhouse, we'd like to hear your tips!



Your answers may be edited and published in February's issue of Grow Your Own.

[VirginVegGrower]

I utilise ALL my windowsills. Not the greenhouse for me until a bit later but windowsills, dining table for potato chitting - anywhere I can find. I move them around daily as we perform the seedling quickstep. I have no need of a heated propagator as we have an open fire - can get quite tropical at times.

[singleseeder]

I use the skeleton (shelving) of a blowaway inside south facing french doors in the kitchen/diner, as well as wide windowsills of a large south-west facing bay window. These are moved away from the glass at night and sometimes covered with fleece. Card covered in tin foil can be used as reflectors if plants are growing a bit leggy.

[Sara]

Thanks for your tips Singleseeder and VirginVegGrower. Keep them coming, everyone! Has anyone made their own propagator?

[chris]

Heated propagators for me, if tomatoes get leggy, they'll get buried up to their seed leaves when repotted - chillies and the likes that are sown early (Jan) just have to make do with being leggy until they can beef themselves up a bit more!

[veggiechicken]

I use two small heated propagators (they're actually TOO small!) and the other sowings take their chances in the airing cupboard, near the range or on the window sills depending on whether they like the light or dark to germinate. The greenhouse isn't heated but on a warm sunny day I will move some of the more advanced seedlings out there for a burst of all round sunshine. If frost is forecast, I bring them back into the house again!

[binley100]

I use the clear plastic boxes that you get meat etc in (after washing of course) as lids over trays of seedlings...some seeds go in the airing cupboard to germinate , but as soon as they show their faces they go on the kitchen windowsill for a few days then into the conservatory. Then as and when depending on what they are go into the greenhouse. I put a small plastic blowaway in the greenhouse for a bit of extra cover.

[vegnut]

I find that most other seeds, apart from tomato, peppers and chitting potatoes, can be sown much later either outside in a cold frame or unheated greenhouse. They always seem to catch up with the earlier sown ones.
This way i don't clog up all of the windowsills with leggy seedlings.

[singleseeder]

When you cut the bottom off poly bottles for mini cloches in the lottie, keep the bottom bit. These 1" high discs are often just the right diameter to fit inside the tops of the pots you've sown your seeds in. This gives extra insulation and seals in any evaporation creating a micro climate. If you cut them higher they can be used for individual cloches on each pot. The discs can be used for saucers too.

Early in the season, pots in a cold greenhouse can be stood on and individually wrapped in thin sheets of polystyrene to keep the compost warmer. Also, I like the polystyrene modules (saved from bought plantlets) because they keep the roots warmer.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Sara, if you weren't aware before, us gardeners are an inventive lot and it is no wonder that allotments are very often the place of last repose for many items that would otherwise go straight to landfill.

As a grower for exhibition as well as for the kitchen, I have a thermostatically controlled heated growbench in operation from November onwards as well as artificial lighting which provides overhead heat as well. As there is often spare capacity in the growbench,this enables me to start off many of my kitchen plants earlier than I would be able to otherwise and as we have a shorter growing season up in this area, it certainly is a boost. To maximise the benefits of the lighting, I also have my shed walls covered in white polythene, the roof is covered in white contiboard and I have mirrors and mirror tiles arouind the edges of the growbox. All recycled. As you can imagine, it is a very bright space but the plants like it as do I as it doubles as a lightbox which helps in the dank dreary days of reduced sunlight.

[snakeshack]

in the spring I now use one of my 4 ft vivariums with thermostatic control and natural daylight tubes to bring on my tomatos and peppers,also use it as a handy chick brooder when required.otherwise to root cuttings,I put two pins on either side of the window about 2 thirds of the way up and put a piece of string tight between them,then take small sealing food bags,the type you can reuse and put a good handfull of mpc in,insert cuttings,seal bags then attach to string with a clothes peg,they don,t interfere with the curtains,you dont have to water them and as the bags are clear you can see when they have rooted,no reason why you couldn't start seeds in them either I suppose.
Also prevents swmbo complaining about the windowsills being full.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I start my toms etc in polystyrene modules on my windows sills with tinfoil at the back to reflect the light. When transferred to pots they go on a high shelf in the green house with a parafin heater if there is a frost forecast. Having them up high helps with the light and also its warmer up there.

Other sowings are made into polystyrene fish boxes and again placed in the green house. Like others I find the polystyrene helps retain heat.

Colin