starting seeds in the greenhouse

Here is what I am wondering.. assuming that you have no heater.. do you think you could start tomato seeds out in the greehouse directly? I think it would be warm enough during the day..just dont' know about the night time.

I am mid Ohio for reference

i'd go for it. Grhouses do a good job of holdng the heat from the day into the night. Use warm or hot water when you mist the seeds to keep the soil temps up. I think you will get great germination

Make a "heat mat" from a 55 gallon drum. Put the seed trays on top of the drum. The thermal mass will add warmth to your seedlings, a few degrees at least. People often put those plants with root warmth requirements up on a water container with the same thing in mind.

I started a number of tomato seeds outdoors in flats, and NOT in a greenhouse (winter sowing). They came up fine. And about 200 volunteers sprung up in the garden. Tomato seeds don't need much; just a day or two of warmth.

Jazz, do you mean to start them now? Your biggest challenge will be keeping them evenly moist. They will shoot up and grow in record time and even pass up ones started earlier. I know because I started some about this late last year!

Hey Chele, No I was thinking ahead to next year.. wondering if I could start my seeds out in the greenhouse vs in the basement. I don't have any heat out there and wondered if this was possible and how early I could get them going. Say March or even Feb?

They won't come up until they get warm enough. I was heating mine only at night most of the time and they didn't come up until the temps levelled off a bit. I started some other ones a few weeks ago and Morganne laughed at me for putting them in hanging baskets. LOL Turkey! I told her soon they would fill that whole basket and she pointed out just the other day how much they had grown.

You could always put a heating pad under them or start them indoors and move them outside. I've sprouted lots of stuff in mine and moved them to an unheated hoophouse in March with no problems. Of course you and I both know better than to trust Ohio weather!

This message was edited Jun 1, 2006 8:48 PM

An inexpensive way to get passive solar heat is to paint 2 ltr soda bottles black and fill them with water. I use them in my greenhouse. You can place your flats on top of them and it will give gentle bottom heat.

X

Badseed.. Don't I know it!!!!

Xera.. hmmmmm hmmmmm interesting... now I have to find someone who drinks pop!

Or you could take a hot water eliment,stick it through a piece of styafoam,to floot,in a barrel,55 gal,or so,wireit with a cord(old lamp OK)and place the plant on a shelf on top of the barrel.You can get creative,and make a container to fit on top of the barrel,allowing warm moist air to fill it.Just a thaught.Mike

I have used truck intertubes,filled with water,with clear plastic cover on top of my worm bedes,to winter the worms.holds heat real well. Mike

This message was edited Jun 9, 2006 2:18 PM