Greenhouse and flowers

Hi everyone,

I'm quite new to gardening. I wonder if anyone can help with 2 questions:

1) I want to grow flowers in my greenhouse and then plant them outside. Is there a planting chart/calendar that will show me what flowers to sow when and to transplant when. I have charts for growing and keping in greenhouse and for sowing and keeing outside but (correct me if I'm wrong) growing in the greenhouse and planting outside means I will have some flowers blooming sooner than just planting out.

2) My greenhouse has no electricity. What's the best way to heat it and is there a real advantage to heating it?

Thanks

 

Hi buzzbuzz, welcome to GC. Your question is really quite complex.

The reason for starting flowers (or vegetables or anything) in a greenhouse is that it is a sheltered environment. That is, it's warmer and less wind battered and and more frost protected than outside. So plants come on quicker. That said, it is pointless to grow stuff in a greenhouse if, when you want to plant it outside - it is still too damn cold.

For example, if you plant flower seeds now in a greenhouse they will be ready to go outside in December or January. That would be crazy, the frost would get them and you would lose the lot.

If, on the other hand, you have some plants that you know are safe outside at the end of April then you could give them a head start by planting them under glass in, say, mid March. Thus by putting seedlings in the garden at the end of April you are 6 weeks (or whatever) ahead of putting seeds in at the same time. So you get earlier flowers.

A small oil heater will lift the temperature a little so you can plant even earlier. That means that when you plant out your seedlings, they are bigger. So an even better start. But don't keep heating all the time. Towards the end of the growing under glass period you must start to harden your plants off. To take them from a heated greenhouse to the open air will be too much of a shock. So turn off the heating once bitterly cold weather is finished.

This answer may seem complicated but really it's more a case of using your common sense and different plants require different treatment. So when you decide on a plant, I suggest that you ask about that particular plant.

 

Hi Buzz and welcome, I agree totally with John but may I add one more thing, when you buy your seeds it will tell you on the back of the packet the best time to sow them, also, before buying a heater I would suggest you insulate your greenhouse with bubble first. This will help cut down the heating costs. David.

 

Thanks for the answers. It makes sense but I guess raises a few more questions:

As I'm gambling with the frost, how cold and for how long will it take to kill a typical flower?

I'm prepared to experiment - e.g. plant a few seeds every week and plant out at different times and stages. Some will die, but at least I'll have a better idea next year. That said, with all this climate change - who knows what will happen next year!

 

A far ranging question bb each plant is different most blossoms of fruiting trees are very susceptable to frost usually -1c will kill the flower after bud break, other flowers will tolerate quite hard frosts most of the winter and spring flowering plants will ride out a frost helebores, winter pansies,snowdrops and the like, duration of the frost is another factor you may get away with one night of light frost but frost for several days may take its toll, heavy freezing causes cellular rupture which is why plants get cut to the ground,evergreens have the ability to pull up nutients even in frozen ground to keep them ticking over until the warmer weather, as you say it's a gamble.

 

We had a touch of air frost two days ago and the dahlias are blackened!

If you are gambling with planting seeds early hardy annuals can be sown outside now. They will overwinter through some hard frosts and get a head start as soon as conditions are right. You can also use cloches for some extra protection or keep half a packet of seed back and do a greenhouse batch in say March. I already have some sweetpeas under way from some harvested seed and are they are normally OK. The canytuft, marigold and echium just look after themselves and they never fail.

Tender plants need to be sown later (April/May)and hardened off before going outside. Waste of time planting tomatoes too early as they need not only warmth but a good lenght of daylight.

 

Some good advice here - thanks.

On a completely different subject does anyone know when I can get 2ft x 2ft acrylic(perspex) panels for my greenhouse which don't cost the earth? Preferably 2mm. I want to fit the roof and door with them I don't like the idea of all that glass above my head!

Thanks
BzzzzzzBzzzzzzzzzzzz

 

Try here B B you can cut these in half.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Clear-Acrylic-Glazing-Glass-Sheet-610mm-x-1220mm-2mm_W0QQitemZ160158857944QQihZ006QQcategoryZ20594QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem