[sutersj]

Having moved house last year, I now have a 8 x 6 greenhouse that I want to grow organic fruit, vegatables and herbs in.

I need to know what I should be doing at this time of year - I've washed the glass, so now it's more of a clearhouse than the greehouse that it was.  It doesn't look like it's been used for years and the only thing in it right now is my olive plant that lives on the patio the rest of the year.

[John]

Today I have been potting up garlic cloves which are in the greenhouse and I've got onions starting from seed.

To some extent it will depend on how warm you can keep it. We've had a few really cold nights and I suspect there will be more before winter is out.  I picked up  a great paraffin heater on ebay - they're pretty cheap to run especially compared with electricity.

If you can insulate the house with clear bubble plastic - often available cheaply from DIY or garden centres off a roll or better still free from a skip - this will cut down on any heating costs as well.

The house will really come into its own in mid-February. March when you can get a start on peppers, tomatoes etc.

Even with a warm greenhouse, do remember that plants need light and  are often sensitive to daylength. Starting some things too early can be counter productive.

[sutersj]

Thanks.

This may be a daft question, but can I use garlic gloves from the kitchen, or do I need special 'seed' ones.  I guess they need general purpose organic potting compost - on the surface or buried - in a propagator?

[John]

The main reason not to use kitchen garlic is that the variety is probably Spanish and won't do so well in our somewhat colder climate.

If I was you I'd get onto Dobies and buy some seed  ones - see the links page for their site.

I've just used all purpose compost in 3" pots with the clove pointy end up and the point just below the surface.

The advantage of pots is that you get them going in a controlled environment whereas the ones planted directly are more at risk from the weather. Drowning seems to be a problem on our site!

I dib a hole and put some sharp sand in before planting to provide drainage but it's still a bit hit and miss.

I'm not using a propogator - I just keep them in the greenhouse or a coldframe to offer a little protection. I've been told garlic likes a cold spell to help it germinate - not sure on that.