[adri123]

Hi

I want to start some stuff off early under lights indoors.  Assuming I can get a decent setup together how long before last frost dates do you think I could start things off?

I was thinking of sowing peppers etc in Jan and moving into the PT when they get to 6" tall or so.

Anyone tried this?

TIA

Adri

[mumofstig]

It depends how warm your polytunnel is - without heating overnight temps can drop very low until early May.

[DD.]

Anything that's destined for the unheated greenhouse, I don't sow indoors until April, it gets way too big  before it can be moved safely.

I sow indoors in February if it's going into a heated greenhouse.

[3759allen]

i started my tomatoes and cucumbers last year in about feb, march time. think i was just keen to get a head start as it was my first year growing anything.

however due to my eagerness and the winter dragging on longer than i thought the window sills and spare room were packed with plants. i'm sure everyone passing thought  i was growing something illegal. lol. by time i could eventually plant them out a lot of the plants were getting on for 3ft from the base of the large pot.

i will prob go for march sowing and hope the spring comes on time, i'll just wind the mrs up by using the whole house as a propagator. she has to moan at me about something so may as well be that. lol

just like to add that mine were more than happy on the sunny window sill, even when there was frost outside. didn't close the curtains and had the heating on in the room. used the tin foil trick until they got too tall.  imo the expense of artificial lighting and heat is not worth cropping a couple of weeks earlier.

[archibtbm]

I tend to start chillies\peppers off towards end of Jan in a  heated prop with lights in the spare room, as they benefit from the longest growing period.  Move them onto heated window sill prop without covers until about 6" tall.  Move them into Greenhouse with small paraffin heater which keeps the chill off.

[Headgardener22]

I sow peppers in late January and move them to a heated "greenhouse within the polytunnel" when they are 1 inch tall and grow them on until the weather is warm enough in the polytunnel to mean I don't need overnight warmth.

[BabbyAnn]

and move them to a heated "greenhouse within the polytunnel"

what a clever idea   

[adri123]

What heat do you have to supply to the 'greenhouse in the polytunnel'?

I've got 8x4 ft beds inside the polytunnel and was thinking of making one of them into a heated area by making a mini polytunnel over the top of one bed and putting a heater into that.

Would one of the little parasene heaters like this...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Parasene-586-Large-Cold-Frame-Heater/dp/B000TAUQX2/ref=pd_cp_lp_0

do the trick?

TIA

Adri

[adri123]

Found this vid on youtube...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN3N_bxprXo

I'm not going to be able to wait until March/April to start sowing so I'll give this a try and do my best to hold off till late Jan early Feb.

Adri

[Steveharford]

I use one of those 5 shelved covered growhouses for my seedlings within the polytunnel. A small electric tubular heater in the bottom keeps everything frost free.

[ididntdoit]

I have previously grown lots of veg and plants in a garage i had under flourescent lights. As mentioned above, space becomes a huge problem. I also found out that the temperature of the soil was far more important than the air temperature. Place any heating under not over the soil - as near as you safely can.

When all's said and done you just have to give it a try to see what the problems and advantages are. After a couple of years trying I ended up with a double garage full of plants all racked up with enough flourescent lights to put Blackpool Tower to shame. And yes, the neighbours needed constant assurance about what was being grown!