temperature controlled propagator

I saw this company's products at a gardening event recently, they are top notch, I don't have one yet but maybe Father Christmas will bring me one because I can't afford it: http://www.greenhousesensation.co.uk/product-range/pod-range/vitopod-propagator.html

 

I did what Dave has suggested - built my own. I didn't use polycarbonate as it wasn't easily available when I built it 34 years ago.

I'm not very good as a handyman but didn't find it difficult but almost certainly didn't use the correct materials. Mine is 5ft x 3ft. The base and the sides are made of cheap laminated chipboard (sides are 9" shelving) and I lined them with heavy duty plastic. I then put in 4" of course gravel, drilled a hole at that level to put the sensor through, screwed the control box to the outside of the front, laid the heating cable on top of the gravel and then put approx 2" of fine gravel over the cable.

I then made a very simple but not very professional cover that took me about 15 minutes. I inserted 1" x 1" uprights in the gravel, in the corners and the middle of the sides and pinned them there. Then put a roofing tack in the top of each upright, ran some lightweight wire around the tacks to make a wire perimeter and across from one side to the other. Pinned some lightweight clear plastic (with drawing pins) to the two uprights in the back corners and draped it over the side and front uprights and wires. To get to the inside of the propagator I just simply rolled the plastic back.

Total time to make it - about two hours. Cost was negligible apart from the heating cable and control (£30 in 1976). It is still working well :yho:.

I don't have the uprights or plastic top anymore as Oscar the cat has his home in the corner. k-l

 

Good point Hex :thumb: