At the beginning of March I sowed broad beans and sweet peas, cabbages, cauliflower and lettuce. Now I have a problem because it is so cold I can't decide whether to put the seedlings into the polytunnel or not. They have been in the back sitting room which we dont use in winter as it looks over our garden and does not have an open fire, our front sitting room does. So I usually put stuff in there to start off.
But this year the weather has taken a turn for the worse, so I have bought one of those little mini green houses this year to keep at home as I found it tiresome keep driving to the plot to cover and uncover seedlings in the pt and the roads have been challenging to say the least.
My BB were frozen in the MG this morning. is it better to put stuff in the pt or keep them at home in the garden in the mg and cover them in blankets at night.
Broad beans and sweet peas
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Motherwoman
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Very difficult call. Broadies will take a frost if not too soft as will brassicas. The polytunnel, being a bigger volume, may not get as cold as the mini greenhouse but a lot will depend on the site. One good trick is to have a water butt in the polytunnel filled with water which heats up in the day and acts as a storage heater during the night, sometimes just enough to keep a frost off. And keep your plants down the middle rather than the sides to start off with.
Hope this helps.
Motherwoman
Hope this helps.
Motherwoman
Catherine, I don't know if you have already bought your potting compost but if you have, store the bags in the polytunnel because with the sunshine during the day (and the sub-zero night temperatures at the moment), the potting compost will act as a storage heater. I certainly have my three bags of potting compost laid out on the benches in the greenhouse and the chitting potatoes, leek seedlings, shallot seedlings etc on top. In addition I cover them at night with double bubble plastic.
I also have some radish and cut-and-come-again salad seedlings in big pots but they do not like the cold night temperatures. In spite of being covered during the night, some of them are turning yellow.
I also have some radish and cut-and-come-again salad seedlings in big pots but they do not like the cold night temperatures. In spite of being covered during the night, some of them are turning yellow.
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Catherine
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Thank you MW & Monika. I am going to get some bubble wrap tomorrow and put the compost in the PT. I have covered the MG with two big old brushed cotton sheets and pinned them down but the sweet peas are bent over this morning but have perked back up this after noon. I think I am going to move them to the PT tomorrow and put compost bags and bw in there. Our water is still not on at the allotment.
Hi Catherine,
Both Broad Beans and Sweet Peas are fairly hardy but if they have been raised indoors then I feel that it may be better to put them in a decreased temperature area of the house for a time and then after about a week introduce them into the tunnel and then they should be used to a reduced temperature but gradually.
JB.
Both Broad Beans and Sweet Peas are fairly hardy but if they have been raised indoors then I feel that it may be better to put them in a decreased temperature area of the house for a time and then after about a week introduce them into the tunnel and then they should be used to a reduced temperature but gradually.
JB.
Today (after having had minus 5 last night) I dared look at my broad beans and peas under the single plastic cloche outside and they seem to be quite unscathed.
The sweet peas have been outside during the day for the last two or three days and I will plant them outside soon, just using some fleece round (not over) them as a protection against the easterly wind which is due to come back.
The sweet peas have been outside during the day for the last two or three days and I will plant them outside soon, just using some fleece round (not over) them as a protection against the easterly wind which is due to come back.