sowing seeds?

This might sound a bit thick but here goes anyway.

I am going to buy a small greenhouse (fabric/plastic one) as I want to give this gardening lark a proper go this year. I have a few packet of seeds to play with and when reading the back it says indoor sowing. My question is, could I put them in a tray inside the greenhouse or does indoor really mean indoor? I have a little Jack Russell who's pride of place is on my sunny window ledge so I think a tray of seeds would soon become a digging box for him!

thanks

Lelly

 

If you mean a Grow House, which is a frame with a flimsy-ish plastic cover, then that isn't "indoors" I'm afraid. The Indoors bit (on seeds packets) is an indication that the plants need warmth; a Grow House will drop to the same temperature as outside during the night :(

I have a Grow House INSIDE my (unheated) conservatory and that does a very good job this time of the year. Minimum night temperature inside the Grow House since about 19th March has been 10C and we've had a number of sharp frosts during that time.

I raise my seedlings in a windowsill propagator, pot on into (say) 3" pots and put them in my Grow House. Up until 19th March I bought them into the house each night. Some pictures in My Blog

Not sure how you work around the Jack Russell - I expect he would help digging the plot though?! Perhaps a windowsill in a spare bedroom?

 

I suppose I could put my growhouse in the spare bedroom which gets the sun. I only have large windowledges downstairs. I have the kitchen one but it doesn't get the sun, does that matter?

 

Putting the grow-house in the spare bedroom isn't ideal because I think it will cut out a lot of the light. If you can just use the shelves that would be OK, or I suppose (if you need the plastic to keep the Hound off the plants ) then with the door rolled up and facing the window.

I don't think it matters that the kitchen window ledge doesn't get sun - presumably it aces North? Full sun will tend to cook the poor little things anyway! However, if there is not enough light the seedlings will get "leggy" once they have germinated (i.e. straining to try to get to the light), which you want to try to avoid.

The seeds will benefit from the warmth of the house to germinate - so ktichen windowsill ideal.

Once they have germinated they need light, and warmth. My inclination would be for you to then put them in the grow house, outside, during the day and bring them in at night (even if there will be no frost - the house will be warmer, and it will be dark in both places!)

It that's not too much of a cigarette?

The minimum, outdoor, night temperature here in East Anglia starts to be above 5C around end April (obviously there can still be nights colder than that), so I reckon they could start to stay out then, being brought indoors if the forecast is for colder than 5C - from my records that is 11 nights after 1st May in the last 5 years of recording, so in an average year that wouldn't be much bother, and we haven't had a frost after 10-April in those 5 years either. Dunno about Warrington though! and do keep an eye on the forecast