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What should i start in my new propogator now?
Posted: Wed Feb 27, 2008 10:47 am
by WishIWasAWalton
I recieved a heated propogator for Christmas, i'm mad keen to start sowing now. What could benefit from a heated start now? Has anyone any good tips on best use of a propogator.
Thanks in advance.
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:56 am
by sally wright
Dear W
celeriac peppers and aubergines need to go in now. Basil, just a little for now for the window sill, do a bigger lot towards the end of March for outdoor planting.
8 weeks before planting out time for tomatoes melons and some kinds of squash (eg turks turban and butternuts not sure why but they take longer to germinate and grow than the others) 6 weeks for cukes and the rest of the squashes and marrow thingys. Watch out for mice with the squashes etc.
Once the seedlings have opened up and are upright they can be removed from the propagator as they will tolerate slightly lower temps and so will free up space.
Regards Sally Wright.
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 6:55 pm
by Monika
Hello WIWAW, you could sow tomatoes IF you have a slightly heated greenhouse for them to go into when they are due to leave the propagator.
Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 10:08 am
by Vecten
There is no point in growing anything in it now unless you have the heat to plant out.I should leave it a month unless you use it to start off more hardy plants.
Posted: Fri Mar 07, 2008 4:33 pm
by Primrose
I got rid of my heated propagator which I kept on a wide bay windowsill in my lounge because I found everything germinated very quickly and grew too leggy. As as I don't have a greenhouse and a means of hardening anything off, the end results were very disappointing and I invariably ended up resowing later to get sturdy plants. If you've got a gently heated greenhouse, go ahead and sow now. Otherwise I'd be patient for another 2 -3 weeks.
Posted: Sat Mar 08, 2008 12:20 am
by Johnboy
Hi Sally,
I would add Celery and possibly Parsley to your list of Celeriac, Peppers and Aubergines. I would leave Tomatoes for a while yet.
The above mentioned are the only things I would use a propagator for. I propagate Parsnips, and all the Squashes using moist kitchen paper placed on the top of my solid fuel boiler and these are germinated rather than propagated because as soon as they show a radicle they are planted up and taken off heat.
With Parsley when I was growing masses I used a dark propagator and waited until I had a few whispies up and then simply place the tray on the seeding bench in a tunnel and within a week you have a very green tray (in my case modules of 576x10 at a time!)and masses of plants.
JB.