keeping the greenhouse frost free

s4lvatore

Thanks for the concise replies so far guys.

I am going to be keeping things on windowsills for as long as possible, so hopefully that should be till the 2nd week of March at least.

Will be interesting to see what happens and will be keeping you guys updated.

As I said before my only real concern will be condensation and the dreaded "damping off".

Will just putting a fan next to my heaters work maybe a small dehumidifier? Am a bit worried about leaving the door open till atleast April, it would also be a bit counter productive with my heaters.

jennifernil

There is some stuff you can get that would help prevent the damping off, can't remember the name now as it's a while since we used it, you mix it in the watering water, it's blue. We used to use it in the first watering, at seed planting, only.

Some info here.....

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=151

If I find an old tin I will post the name, just wondering if it is still available.

If you are not putting stuff out till it's bigger then you should be ok, but overwatering is the easiest way to get problems. If you water from below, let the compost suck up what it needs but not let it get soaking on top, then let any excess drain away, that will really help. Once the plants are in individual pots, watering from the top is fine.

For the seed planting, consider using the inserts for the trays that mean each seed is in its own individual cell or plug. No pricking-out needed so less chance of damaging the stems. It also means the seedlings are more spaced out so less likely to get leggy. The inserts come in sheets that can be separated into strips for smaller trays. The seedlings stay in the cells till it's time to move them into maybe 3" pots, so, depending on which compost you use, you may need to add a little feed to the water occasionally, but only a very little.

When it's time to move the little plants into the pots you just pop out the whole thing, so wait till you see plenty of roots appearing at the base of the cell. If you are careful, the cells can be washed and re-used a few times.

A little fan to keep the air moving in the GH is good, I don't think a dehumidifier is a good idea, just ventilate a bit when the weather is nice. Are there any vents/opening windows, or is it only the door?

Sally_A

s4lvatore wrote: »

I will be growing mostly tomatoes, pepper, chilis, aubergines.

Also onion and leek seedlings. May start some early potatoes in pots too.

Where abouts are you S4lvatore? If you want to try early spuds, start them in Feb, they can be moved outside by March if you are not expecting sub zero temperatures.

As the greenhouse is portable, can you stick it against a house wall, the warmest ones will be south or west facing, these should also be the most sheltered against wind. I'm always gutted by the amount of warm air the tumble dryer wastes through a vent, and if I had a greenhouse like yours, I'd see if I could erect it near the vent, and tumble dry overnight.

As for tomatoes, chillies, aubergines, peppers etc, I sow them indoors, in February, and probably wouldn't put them into the greenhouse until April, with the option to fleece, and then put into their final pots on the first May Bank holiday.

Here, I tend to work on the last frost being around the 3rd week of May.