What can I sow now in an unheated greenhouse

[wbmkk]

I got an allotment late in 2013, so this year will be my first 'growing year'

I am obviously keen to get started (perhaps a bit too keen really

I've sown onion and leek seeds at home, in an electric propagator, but I am wondering whether there are any vegetable seeds I can now sow, either in trays on in 'cells' in my unheated greenhouse.

I suppose I could remove the onions / leeks from the propagator, once they are fully germinated, which would leave some space, although not too much. My tomatoes will go there soon anyway, which doesn't really leave much space for anything else.

Surely something can go in the unheated greenhouse.

By the way, I am in the north east of England, about 10 miles east of Newcastle upon Tyne.

[Alison]

At this time of year I don't germinate anything in the greenhouse but do move things out there pretty quickly. Leeks are germinated without any additional heat inside and then moved straight out as are broad beans, sweet peas and my early polytunnel peas and mangetout.


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[kathyd]

I read somewhere - possibly in The Polytunnel Handbook - that if you put a cloche or a cold frame or propagator into your tunnel (or unheated greenhouse presumably), the temp in that extra-protected area is 2 or 3 degrees above the rest of the tunnel? Must admit I've not measured the temp inside anything, but I do sow hardy stuff quite early in my tunnel - BUT I live quite a way south of you wbmkk, in the north of france (similar climate to south of england) so that must make some kind of difference... We;ve certainly had a mild winter and spring so far.... I put some broad beans into small pots in my tunnel a week or two back, and the first one's just showing its head. I've also put parsnips and leeks I believe, in pots in a cheap unheated propagator, just to see what happens. If you have some spare seed it might be worth experimenting a bit? Sow a few, label them and make a note of when planted and weather conditions/temps at the time, then a note of if/when they come up? Would be useful for future reference anyway, and nothing lost if they don't germinate .

[kathyd]

Oh! The other thing I sow really early in the tunnel is a few first early potatoes - don't get a huge crop, but it was worth a bit of space! I'm putting a few in bins this year, and then the bins in the tunnel, because my garden ones consistently get zapped by unexpected frosts even when covered with straw outside. And I bunged a few onion sets in too last year - not many, but enough to be satisfying . Again, you can plant onion sets in big pots if you want to, and put them in the tunnel. Or I believe you can sow the sets into modules now, and then plant out a bit later when the weather and the ground have improved? Someone else can probably confirm this one, I've not tried it myself.

[chilli_grower]

I sowed some red baron onion seed around a month ago, they are in the conservatory at the moment. But I will be putting them in the greenhouse this weekend along with the leeks.

I need the room in the conservatory for the chillies and toms. And from what I gather, leeks and onions will be just fine in an unheated gh once germinated....

Perhaps somebody can clarify?

[veggiechicken]

Some suggestions for veggies to start now
What to do now in your vegetable garden