Sowing seeds

[danniiangel]

Hi there,

This may be a daft question but I wondered how you manage to get all your seeds started off at the right temperature without having masses of heated propogators all over the house.

I'm planning my sowing calendar and the bulk of my veg needs to be started off in March indoors and apparently needs approx. 20 degrees to get started. I have at least 20-30 different things to sow at this time and can't see how to manage it.

I have a greenhouse (unheated), we don't have windowsills that I could put anything on and I only have a small heated propogator.

Confused!

Thanks

[veggiechicken]

Airing cupboard?

[danniiangel]

Nope - don't have one.

[bearded bloke]

A good start would be to bring your compost indoors to lift it's temperature

[redser]

Multi-sow in small trays or pots and then prick them out into larger pots. Keep the propigator busy and move stuff out soon as they germinate for the next batch. Many things will be fine for sowing or moving out in March outside.
What's your list?

[Alison]

It's more important for some things than others as to the temperature for germination. What are you trying to grow? I only really use my heated propogator for chillies, peppers and aubergines which I'll be sowing this weekend as they appreciate the early start. My March / April sowings get, at most, a plastic cover but no additional heat and they germinate just fine. This includes herbs, toms, beans, courgettes etc

[amandaandherveg]

I used to have underfloor heating in the downstairs Shower Room in our last house - the floor was covered in seeds trays for 2 or 3 months of the year

Our house has no windowsills so I opted for heated props this year. 2 from my pal Snohare and a couple of fab bargains courtesy of Gumtree and the local FaceBay.

[Bren In Pots]

Once you have seedlings they also need light to thrive so that's something else to think about, have a look at this thread about
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...hts_69290.html

[Paulieb]

In terms of saving space you can start about 10 seeds (chillis toms aubs) in a 3" pot, then prick them out when the trues leaves are showing.

With onions all they need is to show above the soil then they go out in the greenhouse.

Also last year I had 2 toms one sown feb 1st and one sown on 1st march. By the end of march they were both the same size as I didn't have the ideal conditions (space with heat and light) to grow the earlier one. So remember there's no rush.

[rustylady]

I'm planning my sowing calendar and the bulk of my veg needs to be started off in March indoors and apparently needs approx. 20 degrees to get started. I have at least 20-30 different things to sow at this time and can't see how to manage it.

What veg are you planning to grow?

[Two_Sheds]

I wondered how you manage to get all your seeds started off at the right temperature without having masses of heated propogators all over the house.

I only use 2 small heated props, for everything.
I sow seeds in 3" pots in the propagator: as soon as something germinates (2-7 days, usually), that pot comes out of the prop and into the unheated gh. Then I sow another 3" pot.

I only really use my heated propogator for chillies, peppers

I'm the same.
I think 20c is perhaps the optimum temp Dannii, but seeds will still germinate at lower temps.

[Alison]

In terms of saving space you can start about 10 seeds (chillis toms aubs) in a 3" pot, then prick them out when the trues leaves are showing.

You see I don't like that option as I find they germinate at different rates and I want to remove each seedling from the propogator as soon as it shows above the surface and if you have more than one in each pot you can't. This is why I like my teeney newspaper pots, no root disturbance either . Always interesting how there are so many different ways of doing things and they all work best for the person that is doing them

[Paulieb]

You see I don't like that option as I find they germinate at different rates and I want to remove each seedling from the propogator as soon as it shows above the surface and if you have more than one in each pot you can't. This is why I like my teeney newspaper pots, no root disturbance either . Always interesting how there are so many different ways of doing things and they all work best for the person that is doing them

I completely agree. This is only my 3rd year of growing lots of things from seed, so I'm still trying to find the 'best' ways to do things.

In terms of saving space, ten seeds to a 3" pot works well, but as you say you could end up trying to prick out a 3" seedling next to a 1mm seedling just popping up.

This year I'm intending to plant one of each of about 30 types of toms, in which case I'll be doing the paper pot method.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Or you could get a 40 cell plastic tray, 1 seed per cell and just cut the ones that have germinated out.

Potty

[Currysniffa]

I sow my seeds in the narrow seed trays as I can get two rows in each and the 5 trays in a heated prop..







Once they've germinated the trick is to stop them getting leggy with the low light levels.