Has anyone started their seeds off yet

Caz2_2

Hi just wondering if anyone has started their seeds off yet for veg and bedding plants. If so do you start them off in the house?which room do you find best, or are they in heated green house. I have a green house but can't get it warm enough so i have to start them off in house and always struggle to know which room to put them in, what do thers do and how long do you keep them in the house. I can't seem to time it right especially tomatoes I want them early but house becomes over run with seedlings. Any advice would be welcomed. Also was anyone sucessful with tomatoes last year mine were terrible I only got green tomato chutney out of them they had brown patches all over them and were an odd shape.
Thanks for any help
Caza

samnmalc

I think now is the time to start off potatoes and onions...chitting I think they call it![
It may be a little early yet for seedlings outside as there is still a risk of frost.........I am probably wrong though

Spendless

Can't answer you about seeds but both MIL and neighbour barely had any tomotoes either last year.

An aunt made Green tomato chutney out of MILs last year and all the family got a job (except me!!).

I guess it was due to the amount of rain we had last year.

Magentasue

I've started off cabbage and put them outside under a frame. Also have some beetroot and fennel in pots to go out in Feb - will be putting peas, tomatoes and sweetcorn in soon. I have a shelf in a porch and start seedlings off in pots in a £3 propogator from one of the DIY sheds (Homebase, B&Q). I bought the coldframes too but you can make from old windows or scrap wood if you're clever. Mine are over winter stuff now but I'll start lifting them off during the day soon so that I can get the tomatoes and peas under them. First time I've tried being so organised - hope it pays off!

No point in growing more than you can protect outside though - it's all a bit labour intensive compared to sowing them outside later.

Caz2_2

Thanks for all your replies, a porch sounds like a great idea, never thought of that. I don't have one but we have been planning to build one, i'll make sure its done for this time next year. As for this year I went into greenhouse yesterday and made up 20 trays of tomatoes, herbs and bedding seeds, they are all now in my kitchen, only got another 30 lots to do! I'll have to spread them about. PS by the way i don't use propagators I use a seed tray and put it in clear plastic big freezer bag, I don't water seeds because there is enough condensation within the bag to keep them moist, once the seeds germinate i then take bag off. I'm wondering now if there is an even cheaper way to do.
Also wondering what greenhouse heaters other people use mines a parafin one which is pretty useless meaning i can't transfer seeds to it till about march. Thanks again for replies so far.

pandas66

Just a tip I've used. I'm now saving all my old egg boxes, the cardboard variety for my seedlings to start off in. When they get larger you transplant the whole pot as its biodegradable. Just put a few seeds in each 'pot'. Waste not want not! I also had a bad crop of toms last year. I start my seeds off to in the airing cupboard for a couple of days. Brings them on a treat as I don't have a greenhouse.

Caz2_2

Thanks for that but guess what i have just thrown an empty egg box out last night its a great idea right i'm off outside for it now.

Galtizz

Fantastic tip about the egg boxes, thanks for that. They'll take up less space too, which is a bonus in my tiny house. Think I'll be adding omlettes and flans to my Febuary challenge

My tomato plants were rubbish last year too - I think it was the weather. The most succesful plant was a trailing variety (moneymaker, I think) . I put it in a hanging basket and some how it must have been more protected as I got lots more tomatoes from that than the one in a pot. My pepper and chilli plant also got swamped and died last year (I haven't got a greenhouse so they were outside in all the rain)

mink35

A similar tip to the egg box one but really useful for runner beans is toilet roll inners. As they are quite long they are ideal for runner beans and you can plant them straight into the garden in May. To early to start them off yet tho but you could save the inners now!

pandas66

That would also be a good idea for sweet peas. I'm saving for those too. Thanks

humph_2

I grow different types of chili peppers. I will be looking to start them off indoors by the end of february.