If you want to grow perennial plants from seed you don't really need a greenhouse, especially if you have a conservatory. One packet of seeds will generally give more than enough plants of one variety for the average garden. Annual bedding plants and vegetables do seem to require a lot more space and effort.
@GemmaJF good luck!! Hopefully it won't be long before I'm hot on your heels!!
@Yviestevie I'm fairly comfortable growing some seed, I've done veg this year (peas, runner beans, salad, beets, spinach, chard) but I'm dealing in smaller numbers as I only have a small area dedicated to veg (3 raised beds about 1.2m square). The rest of the garden seems huge in comparison and I can't envisage how much space is need to start filling out with plants.
I think I just need to be more organised, as you are, and have a system for moving things through the different available spaces so there is always something happening.
Like the others I love growing from seed. My propagator is an ancient one from Dobies (I think I had it before we moved here and we've been here 36 years!) with internal dimensions close to a quarter of a square meter. The plastic lid died, so it has a homemade one of plywood and bubble wrap , but it works well. Also comes in useful on occasion for raising orphan ducklings
Every spring I set it up on my bedroom windowsill, which is just above floor level, so I can get out of bed in the morning and go to see what has popped up overnight that wasn't there yesterday. Always an exciting moment!
I sow seeds in pots and prick out into seed trays which then go to sit on the windowsill of the spare bedroom next door, with clear lids if needed. Once established and growing well they move to the greenhouse, kept just frost free, but tender things like peppers and tomatoes go in the back porch, which is like a mini conservatory, until it gets warmer. As Strelitzia said there can be a bit of a logjam if things can't go out when you need the space and this year was hard as even hardy things couldn't be planted out because of the heat and drying winds.
But it is worth it to see my veg garden fill up with home grown plants and fun too to grow things you don't usually get to buy. I've grown some Laurentia for my tubs which is really pretty but not usually seen on sale. I'm well behind on the planting out though, as we went from drought and too hot, to rain and what felt like arctic cold in contrast, with strong winds to boot and it didn't feel right to risk my young plants in those conditions. And now there are more seedlings to prick out too, for later crops. A gardener's work is never done
@London_to_Latimer haxnix root trainers are about £7 on Amazon I think. You get a frame, a cover (so just like a propagator) that you turn upside down to use as a tray, and 8 or so strips of module books. Each book has 4 or 5 cells in it, so in a single 20cm x 40cm (ish) space you can grow 40 to 50 plants.
It's intended for people who want to do one tray per plant, i.e. 50 tomatoes or ganzanias or whatever, but nothing stopping you mixing and matching.
We have a large garden so space isn't an issue. However we were total beginners only 3 years ago and have grown thousands of plants from seed, cuttings, root cuttings and divisions. We've had plenty of failure's too but that's par for the course. I only have an 8x6 greenhouse (it's shelved out so I can cram it solidly) a cold frame area and a nice sheltered spot. I love producing my own plants as you feel like it's all your own work. Carol Klein has a good book on propagation which I use a lot and Monty Don's Down to earth is another book I find useful without being to technical
@Buttercupdays, l can live with killing the odd plant, I'm not sure I could live with myself if I killed a duckling!😆 As you and others have said it seems to be more about managing your space as opposed he how much space you have.
@strelitzia32 found them on amazon for 8.99, got to be worth a try at that price.
@B3 l don't have a porch but I do think the conservatory will be seeing some use over winter. I started laying the groundwork with the better half today!😂
@Wilderbeast thanks for the book recommendations, I'll check them out. I'm trying to read The Well-Tempered Garden but am struggling a little with it. I know how you feel about producing your own plants, there's a satisfaction you get from looking at something you had a direct hand in making.
I got tempted by the plant rack outside Aldi this weekend and bought these:
I bought them mostly to experiment with. My question would be, are these the sorry of plants that could be split and potted on to make more plants? If they are, how do I go about doing it? Is it just a case of getting my thumbs in the rootball and teasing it apart?
I got tempted by the plant rack outside Aldi this weekend and bought these:
I bought them mostly to experiment with. My question would be, are these the sorry of plants that could be split and potted on to make more plants? If they are, how do I go about doing it? Is it just a case of getting my thumbs in the rootball and teasing it apart?
I would personally pot them on whole, then take some cuttings. Both are suitable for cuttings, avoid stems that have flowers on if at all possible and give it a go. Probably worth a quick internet search for both for precise instructions on the cuttings, though it will be very similar.
They are plants that can be split too, but really I wouldn't until they are much more grown on and much larger, say in 2 or 3 years time.
@GemmaJF ok, perfect, something to practice on. And I can take cuttings at any time right? As in, i don't need to wait for Autumn or something? And if my research up to know is correct, best time to take cuttings is the morning?
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@Yviestevie I'm fairly comfortable growing some seed, I've done veg this year (peas, runner beans, salad, beets, spinach, chard) but I'm dealing in smaller numbers as I only have a small area dedicated to veg (3 raised beds about 1.2m square). The rest of the garden seems huge in comparison and I can't envisage how much space is need to start filling out with plants.
I think I just need to be more organised, as you are, and have a system for moving things through the different available spaces so there is always something happening.
A gardener's work is never done
It's intended for people who want to do one tray per plant, i.e. 50 tomatoes or ganzanias or whatever, but nothing stopping you mixing and matching.
Amazon is cheaper, but here's the manufacturer:
https://www.haxnicks.co.uk/rapid-shrub-rootrainers
@strelitzia32 found them on amazon for 8.99, got to be worth a try at that price.
@B3 l don't have a porch but I do think the conservatory will be seeing some use over winter. I started laying the groundwork with the better half today!😂
@Wilderbeast thanks for the book recommendations, I'll check them out. I'm trying to read The Well-Tempered Garden but am struggling a little with it. I know how you feel about producing your own plants, there's a satisfaction you get from looking at something you had a direct hand in making.
I bought them mostly to experiment with. My question would be, are these the sorry of plants that could be split and potted on to make more plants? If they are, how do I go about doing it? Is it just a case of getting my thumbs in the rootball and teasing it apart?
I would personally pot them on whole, then take some cuttings. Both are suitable for cuttings, avoid stems that have flowers on if at all possible and give it a go. Probably worth a quick internet search for both for precise instructions on the cuttings, though it will be very similar.
They are plants that can be split too, but really I wouldn't until they are much more grown on and much larger, say in 2 or 3 years time.