The Seedlings’ Journey

(i)            The Propagator

I sow my seeds in an electric heated propagator whenever possible. I have three – one which holds 7 small seed trays, and two which hold a full-sized (or more normally 2 half-sized) seed-trays each. And they are working overtime at this time of the year.

As soon as seedlings poke through, I open the vents, and then a day or 2 later transfer them to the conservatory window-sill. There is always something waiting eagerly to take their place.

(ii) The Conservatory

After a couple of days on the window-sill, I remove the lid to the seed tray. The trays sit on capillary matting and I water from below. Carefully! (This is mainly for safety reasons, as there are normal domestic electric sockets installed, and electricity and water don’t go well together.) The amount is critical. The matting must be moist, but the trays/pots must not be standing in water.

The window-sills in the conservatory are full at the moment, (about 20ft worth), as are a variety of improvised shelves and tables I have placed alongside.

During the day I keep the French windows into the house open. The conservatory  faces south, so in sunny weather it acts like a solar heater, pumping hot air into the house (and away from the seedlings which might otherwise fry). In cold winter I have the woodburner lit and the warmth helps bring the seedlings along. The building is of sufficiently high quality that I can be confident that when I close the French windows at night, it will remain frost-free at this time of year.

The seedlings  will be pricked out into pots before continuing their journey.

(iii)The Greenhouse

When the seedlings are sturdy enough, I transfer them to the greenhouse. Here they sit on staging and I water them every other day from above with a fine-rose can.

After my experiences a couple of weeks ago, I need to keep a eye out for frosts. Tonight, for example, the forecast suggests -2 degrees. So I will fleece the seedlings inside the greenhouse, and make an extra journey there in the morning to remove the protection. The potato sacks can simply have their tops turned over.

(iv) The Plastic Mini-greenhouse

The winter storms mashed up my plastic cold frame in January, and I have decided not to repair it, but instead to replace. (I was never that happy with it anyway – it was a real pain to get the lid to slot into place.) So I have replaced it with a discounted plastic mini-greenhouse. This has the advantage that it allows vertical gardening - I can save ground space by placing it against a fence and securing it against wind.

This is where I will harden off seedlings. In the past I have found that moving seedlings from the cold greenhouse, to a cold frame with the lid open works well as a way of hardening off. Now I can just leave the plastic door rolled up instead.

Once it is no longer needed for hardening off, I am hoping to use it as somewhere to grow cucumbers. I have had poor results in the past trying to grow cucumbers in the same greenhouse as tomatoes. The thing is, cucumbers like a humid environment, and tomatoes don’t. (Or at least, I’m worried about splashing water around near the tomatoes because of blight.) When I remove the shelves in the mini-greenhouse,, the lateral shelf supports should be ideal for tying in the growing plant and taking the weight of maturing fruit.

The main disadvantage is that it is flimsy, and the plastic will deteriorate and crack and need replacing in a few years. And, or course, by then the garden centre will have stopped stocking this line and it will be hard to find. (Have you noticed how they do that?) With this in mind I will buy a replacement already and keep it in a frost & sunlight –free environment at home.

So my seedlings start their life in the propagator, move to the conservatory window-sill, then later to the cold greenhouse, then again to the new mini-greenhouse/cold frame before finally being planted out.

I am hoping that by growing far more seedlings than I actually require myself, I can pass on to friends and family, and maybe sell a few to defray the costs of seed & compost.