New to greenhouses

Hi Folks,

I have a brand new greenhouse and intend for next year just to grow flower seeds for the garden. Can anyone tell me

(a) what temperature the greenhouse should be kept at for the seedlings from sowing to planting out in spring/summer?
(b) is it possible to purchase a non-electric greenhouse heater with a thermometer?

I would truly appeciate any help that can be given.

 

No need for heat if you are growing annualls, a closed greenhouse and a(hopefully) a bit of early sun should do the trick.

Cheers, Tony.

 

Hi Tony,

I will be growing annuals and perennials

 

Shouldn't need any heat, but a heater is handy in case we have late frosts and there is danger of greenhouse dropping below, say, 10C in May, perhaps even April.

You can get bottle gas heater heaters that have a thermostat ... but:

Thermostat is very inaccurate, and it is (relatively) extremely expensive to run a heater that overshoots the set temperature by several degrees

Bottled gas works out quite a lot more expensive than an electric heater with a good (i.e. accurate) thermostat

No fan - so heat has to circulate by convection, so there will be "cold spots"

Gas heaters generate some condensation (although not as much as Paraffin heaters)

Better to use electricity if you can wire it up to the greenhouse (obviously not if the greenhouse is down on the allotment!)

 

Good point John. I had made that assumption (which is pointless with someone new to this hobby, of course ...)

Auntpol: I have a couple of windowsill propagators that my 1/4 sized seed trays fit onto.

 

Hi Folks,

Thanks for all the answers.

I don't have any electricity in the greenhouse and have extremely limited space in my home. In fact just enough space to put a large heated mat which has room for 5 normal sized trays. Once they come off the mat the only space I have is the kitchen windowsill which faces west and again space for just five trays.

Hence the reason for wanting to be able to move things on into the greenhouse and possibly needing a heater.