Sowing now on kitchen window sill

[Primrose]

Am itching to get sowing. What success would I have if I sowed some peppers & aubergines now on my window sill? I normally don't start until mid March but have just bought one of these mini foldaway greenhouses with a plastic cover and was hoping I could harden the plants off outdoors in this.

[mazmezroz]

I know just what you mean, but I've found if I get going too early even with my mini greenhouse and my maxi glass-greenhouse it makes the plants v. leggy and vulnerable.

This year we're moving house, and I am not allowed to plant anything!!! We've got a 'gap' between leaving one house and going to the next, so don't dare have anything else to remove apart from vital elements like sofas, tables and the like. So I am desperately hoping that we're in by April, but know in my heart of heart it isn't going to make much difference.

Trouble is, the weather is now actually deciding to be more like winter instead of just vague autumn/spring like nothingness, so anything we do get ahead with now might have to wait too long to be in the ground.

Frustrating, eh?

[Chris]

Hi

I've just sown peas (meteor), lettuce and spring onions in a heated propagator on the kitchen windowsill. Once germinated they will go into a cool (frost free) greenhouse before planting out in a polytunnel. And in a couple of days I'll sow raddish directly in the tunnel. It's good to be sowing again - but you must have a plan for protecting the plants until they can cope - March can be a cold and windy month.

Maybe the best way to satisfy the urge to sow without doing silly things is to do sprouting seeds and the old mustard and cress.

[madasafish]

Well I have sowed geraniums, begonia, busy lizzies, a few tomatoes ( long maturing ones), peppers, and a few petunias.
On our south facing window sills in covered trays . Same routine every year. Means come March life gets a bit hectic...

[Monika]

If you have to keep them on the windowsill, put some silver foil (or at least white card or paper) on both sides and on the room side of the tray/pots, then any light coming in from the window will be reflected onto the plants and they become too etiolated (I think that's the right word).
Our onions (now about 2 inches high) have been out in the greenhouse (unheated but beautifully warmed by the sunshine) for the last four days DURING THE DAY, and then back in the house from about 4pm until 10am, and that always seems to work. Now, tomorrow, if the promised snow materiaises, they will spend all day on the windowsill with the help of aforementioned silver foil!

[vivie veg]

Onions are VERY tough so should be happy in your unheated greenhouse overnight.

I put 2 trays of onion module out last week and they survived the over night snow. Also they are only in a VERY holey plastic green house (cheap 4x6 foot 4 years old now lets in plenty of fresh air!) Although I have put clear tray covers (cheap from Wilko) over them so they don't get snow or rain falling directly onto them....you just have to keep a better eye on them re watering and overheating.

[Monika]

Vivie veg, I don't think the little onion seedlings would have survived the minus 5 degrees we had in the greenhouse last night! All the pots with pansies, irises. crocuses etc were frozen hard, even still during the day today because it wasn't sunny, although I covered them up with bubble plastic overnight.

[vivie veg]

Well Monica,

You pays your money and makes your choice. I don't know what temp my green house was as my max/min thermometres are currently elsewhere, but the polytunnel got down to -5 degrees and has been for several nights over the last week or so.

Good luck with everything, I'm sure they will be fine once they have thawed.

[WestHamRon]

We planted tomatos, peppers (sweet and chilli) and aubergines last week and put then in a warm place (in wardrode near boiler) they are shooting like mad - how can we keep them healthy??

We are quite new to gardening and don't want the seedlings to stretch etc.

Any advice welcome.

[jane E]

Well I'm setting seed tonight - everything I can lay my hands on! Let's make an evening of it! Then it will all go into a heated window sill propagator until it shows through and straight out into the greenhouse which is heated to between 10 and 15 by paraffin. I'd better get off here and get started!

[Malk]

I've planted my toms, peppers and a few other things on windowsill in a tiny heated propagator. I find they do get a bit leggy, but I just bury the long stem down when I transplant them. Gives them more area to root from. Don't know if it's wise, though.

[Jenny Green]

I do the same, Malk, doesn't seem to bother anything at the seedling stage.