Sowing seeds and plastic greenhouse?

lolly5648

Our house doesn't have windowsills and I can only sow a limited number of seeds indoors (kept in bathroom on ledge).

If I sow seeds and put them in a plastic greenhouse will it be too cold for them or will they survive?

katholicos

Firstly i would recommend you reinforce the plastic greenhouse (tie it to something imoveable) so it can't be blown over. Last year and this year i have put seedlings and sown seeds in trays in the growhouses i use, but you must be prepared to be a bit fussy over them....the flappy door thing must be opened during the day (if not cold weatherwise), and closed in the evening. You must also ensure that you water when necessary, and of course, you must keep the seed warm. I tend to put bubble wrap over the seed trays and even over the propogator lids if v. chilly. Everything grew really well and germinated with no probs last year. This year my seeds are beginning to germinate in the growhouses, but the trick is to keep a watchful eye on them. It can be easy to forget about the seedlings in the growhouse because they are not in the house where we would normally be prompted to tend them. The main thing to worry about with a plastic growhouse is it's stability. The last thing you want is to lovingly sow your seed and care for its growing needs and then have the whole lot blown away by a sharp gust of wind.

TonyMMM

If you get the timing right ... the small plastic "greenhouses" can get very hot if in direct sun, and very cold at night.

If you don't sow too early, and open/close it to regulate the temperature, you can very successfully grow loads of things from seed.

LJM

i have one of these which i have attached to my shed wall otherwise the slightest wind and it would take off. i have had no problems using mine just remember to keep it open in day and close it in the evening otherwise your seeds plants etc can scorch in the sun ive done it before

scottishchick27

LJM wrote: »

i have one of these which i have attached to my shed wall otherwise the slightest wind and it would take off. i have had no problems using mine just remember to keep it open in day and close it in the evening otherwise your seeds plants etc can scorch in the sun ive done it before

Thanks, I didn't know that! I'll start leaving mine open during the day.

ginvzt

I get my seeds to germinate inside the house, so I can keep a better eye on them. Then they go out to the plastic greenhouse. I got a small walk in one from Wilko. During the night, I light candles there and cover them with the terracotta pots making sure there is gap for the air to get in. I also have one of the lanterns from IKEA that I use. If the night is not forecast to be very cold, I will put one candle. Tonight, as I just took out some fresh salad seedlings there, I have put 4 candles, two probably won't last the whole night. I don't think I had more than 4 candles there so far. This keeps the frost out of the greenhouse, as proven by the thermometer!

(Candles are from IKEA, less than £2 for 90 hour one, and I also stocked up with 30-hour candles for 49p)

lolly5648

ginvzt wrote: »

I get my seeds to germinate inside the house, so I can keep a better eye on them. Then they go out to the plastic greenhouse. I got a small walk in one from Wilko. During the night, I light candles there and cover them with the terracotta pots making sure there is gap for the air to get in. I also have one of the lanterns from IKEA that I use. If the night is not forecast to be very cold, I will put one candle. Tonight, as I just took out some fresh salad seedlings there, I have put 4 candles, two probably won't last the whole night. I don't think I had more than 4 candles there so far. This keeps the frost out of the greenhouse, as proven by the thermometer!

(Candles are from IKEA, less than £2 for 90 hour one, and I also stocked up with 30-hour candles for 49p)

I have never heard of doing this - its a very interesting idea but I would be scared that the plastic would catch alight or something!

Furny

lolly5648 wrote: »

I have never heard of doing this - its a very interesting idea but I would be scared that the plastic would catch alight or something!

I have a great little gardening book where the author also suggested this but that is also the first thing that came to my mind.
I went away for the weekend last weekend & left my seeds in the heated propogator with it on (hubby said it would be fine) but I felt so uneasy doing it, glad it's not just me been paranoid over such issues;).

ginvzt

The flame is covered, the pots are not so light to be blown away.

My greenhouse is covered with a few bricks at the bottom rails as well, so it is quite ok. It has survived the winds we had couple of weeks ago. With the candles on.

smithyjules

Hi there, haven't a clue about planting with regards to using plastic greenhouse...I'll be watching this thread with interest!

Just popped in to say I put ours together last week and having read stories of blowaways :eek: I brought some cable-ties and medium sized metal eyes. I have attached it to the shed with the cable-ties and eyes in 6 places (just in case lol). I then cable-tied the wire shelves to the horizonal bars that they sit on...I've decided I'm not taking any chances...and also that I think cable-ties are GREAT! Ingenius invention lol! Didn't take more than 10 mins, just had to pierce a coupld of holes in the plastic which I did snivel about but needs must.

savemoney

I have a plastic green house with seeds in now outside and two cold frames, I do keep some of the seeds in plastic propagators though

I also put a couple of bricks in greenhouse same with cold frame

There is a picture in this post showing what I have out

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=42372752&postcount=20