Seeds - Part 3: The propagating greenhouse at Fern Verrow

Seeds - part 3: The propagating greenhouse at Fern Verrow

What to do once your pots are in the greenhouse?

We raise all of our plants ourselves and once they are sown we keep the majority of them in our propagating greenhouse, which offers them protection from the elements and a perfect place to germinate and grow.

Most seedlings like to germinate at around 15 degrees Celsius, so our propagation greenhouse is kept at this temperature. The main issue we face here is keeping our plants moist but not too wet, as too wet could lead to rot and disease.

How long should you leave plants in the greenhouse?

On average, we leave our plants in the greenhouse between four and five weeks. Some of our seedlings will germinate within a few days, while others will take a week or more, depending on the temperature.

To get the plants ready for outdoor temperatures, we harden them off. This means taking the plants outside for a few hours a day to acclimatise them, and then bringing them back into the greenhouse afterwards.

Do this over the course of a week, increasing the time outside by an hour or so each day, and by the end of the week they'll be ready to plant out.

Its alright not to use a greenhouse?

If you don't have a greenhouse, your seeds will still germinate outside and you won't have to bother with hardening off. But put a pallet on the ground to provide a barrier to slugs.