Kitchen Garden Forum

Started my onion seeds off, these are doing well so going to look through my seeds this afternoon and start off what ever takes my notice , I have a heated propagator that will take 2 large trays.

A heated propagator! Oh I'd love one of them. I've put it top of the list for my Mothers Day present and hope that my 8 year old will insist that as it's top of the list it's what I really would like

VPM
x

vegpatchmum wrote:A heated propagator! Oh I'd love one of them. I've put it top of the list for my Mothers Day present and hope that my 8 year old will insist that as it's top of the list it's what I really would like

x

I just bought a beautiful Vitapod large propergator from greenhouse sensations, I think it was featured in the magazine. Well is was a lot of money but it is maintaining 21c in my cold, polytunnel with a blanket of bubble wrap over it at night. I also have a large Bestgreen one but the plastic cover has got more tape repairs and bubble wrap patches than original plastic left and does not keep the temperature steady enough at night for the tomato, pepper, petunia, celeriac, aubergine, chillie seeds I planted on Friday.
My husband makes my life HELL every spring as he hates having trays of seedlings in the kitchen window so I bought the Vitapod system and told him it was a present for him really Our cats think they are small green littler trays.....
Today i'm in bed with the winter vomiting virus or I would have been outside planting broad beans, onions, carrots, early salad, peas in guttering, beetroot in juffy 7s in the tunnel which i Mantised yesterday. Our clay is far to heavy for early sowings outside until mid/late march and we have had giant hail stones that went through the tunnel roof and desimated my cloaches in late April before so I do a lot of indoor sowing!

Both of my propagators were under £10 - the first is soo much larger though but it is at least 8 yrs older! But the 2nd was brought only last year & still under a tenner - haven't seen any on offer yet this year around my way but it pays to window shop a bit! I get 6 trays in my first one but only 2 in my newest - no controls to adjust temp but still get my toms & chillis etc out OK if I put them in the best light position & lift the lid to adjust the temp!

Berlioz - firstly welcome, 2nd'ly - hope you get one before Mother's Day! (Can you convnce your family you were born earlier)

Westi

Nothing apart from chitting potatoes. Hope to start Broad beans, Peas, Lettuce, Sweet Peas in the greenhouse soon. But need to clean the greenhouse inside and out - too much algae, light needs improving.

Dear All,
this is what I have been up to. Chillies (3 varieties, all home saved seed), sweet peppers (4), aubergines (2), Basil sweet genovese (only a small lot now, just enough for a fresh tasty bite, the main lot will be done in about 6 weeks time) and I plan on sowing leeks and perhaps some onion seeds this week.
I will also use some blue mushroom crates to sow early lots of parsley, dill and coriander in the greenhouse, again just for an early bite.
I might even do some lettuce for an early salad.
The sweet peas are in as well, around 2-3oz of seed in about 6 varieties.
I have some mint and chives in blue crates which I will bring in and force for early use.
I got about half of last years chilli plants to overwinter and as they had started to show growth I potted those up last week.
I am lucky because I have access to a large heated greenhouse with grow lamps and a propagator, so I can do lots of things earlier than most people would dare to.
Regards Sally Wright.

It's more wet than snowy here - the roses are starting into growth and I noticed that garlic that I planted roound the roses last year and forgot has leaves about 4-5inches already!

My propagator was a christmas present 3 yrs ago, wouldn't be without it now . Just put my tomato and and pepper seeds into it 5 varieties of both

Last week I sowed broad beans and onion sets in the cold greenhouse, this week I sowed Peppers, Chilli's, Parsley, Lettuce, and Totatoes they are on the window sill in the small bedroom there is heat from the radiator in there.
This is the third dry bright day here goes cold at night.
Bren

Wednesday I cleaned out the propagator and switched it on to warm up.
Thursday I filled various pots, modules and rootrainers and put them in to warm up.
Yesterday I sowed Curly Cress, Rocket, Radish, Lettuce, Cabbage Primo, Cauliflower Snowball, Calabrese Marathon, Parsley flat and curly, Basil, Tomatoes, Aubergines and Peas, Feltham First and Delikett. Added the lights to the propagator.
So off we go on another season full of hope for something better.

after 2 weeks, nothing has come up yet!

I got cabbages

8 of them

I'm a happy bunny - the first proper seedlings of the season

VPM
x

retropants wrote:after 2 weeks, nothing has come up yet!

Patience retropants!

Many is the time I have decided that everything has failed and have resown the lot (keeping the originals 'just in case') and ended up with double everything as every seed (first and second sowing) has germinated and grown eventually

VPM
x

i know VPM! it's been too cold really! hopefully as the last couple of days have been a tad warmer, they may pop their wee heads above the parapet soon.

Against my better judgerment I did put some broad beans in pots in a cold greenhouse this morning but kept back half the packet.
The sunshine was tempting but still a bit chilly. Water levels going down is the main thing at last.

Beryl.