Starting seeds in a greenhouse anyone?

Using a greenhouse this year anyone? I have a greenhouse and am planning to start seeds in it and I was thinking " Hey! I should start a thread for people to post how they start seeds in their greenhouses!" So this will be a thread to post your pics and share your plans about what you are doing with your gardens and greenhouses this year! So post away! I would love to know how you all do it because Im still not quite sure how I will grow mine.lol (Both flowers and veggies are welcome in this thread.)

2chicks poultry said:

Using a greenhouse this year anyone? I have a greenhouse and am planning to start seeds in it and I was thinking " Hey! I should start a thread for people to post how they start seeds in their greenhouses!" So this will be a thread to post your pics and share your plans about what you are doing with your gardens and greenhouses this year! So post away!

I would love to know how you all do it because Im still not quite sure how I will grow mine.lol (Both flowers and veggies are welcome in this thread.)

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This is my first year using a greenhouse. I greatly enjoy drinking green smoothies, but i'm in zone 6 so i can't grow them year round and the cost of buying store bought organic greens is way too high. The longest i've got my green to grow outside was to October when even bok choy and kale died due to the temp. I bought one of those small cheap chinese built walk in greenhouses from big lots and have swiss chard, mustard greens, and bok choy growing in it now. If i can get them to grow to maturity I'll use the greenhouse to keep me supplied with greens during the cold months. During the summer i plan to grow basil in it.

What seeds are you starting in it?

hello there.i live in Virginia.i have a greenhouse ,probably 4x6 in size.i used it my 1st time last year,as that is when I got it.i jumped in.and I filled the whole thing up,tables on both sides.i had tomatoes,broccoli,flowers,peppers,cauliflower.it was full.the way that I do it is.i start my seeds in house on dining room table.once they sprout up,i move them out to greenhouse.i start planting my seeds the last day of febuary or 1st week in march.since it is cold still when I move them outside,i have a small upright heater,that I use when temps go below freezing.i have thermometer in there.i have bought my tomatoe seeds for this season.my husband and I put out a pretty large garden.i can tomatoes,greenbeans,etc.so the green house is working out well for us.any way that I can help you with advice,please feel free to ask.i had to ask someone when I started.also I have 5 hens and 1 roo.spring is coming,as I am itching to play in the dirt.

Thanks Nannie and fluffnpuff for relpying! And wow Nannie you grow alot of stuff! I was wondering have either of you used grow lights? Ive heard alot about them and I was wondering if they were worth all the hype? And do you need a heater in there all the time or just when its below freezing? Thanks you guys! oh and also what do you think is the best thing to have the seeds grow in? Keep the most coming!

2chicks poultry said:

Thanks Nannie and fluffnpuff for relpying!

And wow Nannie you grow alot of stuff! I was wondering have either of you used grow lights? Ive heard alot about them and I was wondering if they were worth all the hype? And do you need a heater in there all the time or just when its below freezing? Thanks you guys!

oh and also what do you think is the best thing to have the seeds grow in? Keep the most coming!

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I don't recommend buying a grow light for 3 reasons

1. If you honestly cannot get something to grow without them, its a good indication that particular plant is either unsuitable for your environment and/or the location you put your greenhouse in. In other words, why not pick a plant that will grow easily in your location rather than picking something difficult.

2. The cost factor. This doesn't just apply for grow lights but towards the whole public perception that plants require a myriad of expensive gadgets, tools, and gimmicks. If you type in "master gardener" into a search engine you would think it takes 3 different types of mulch, a dozen fertilizers, an irrigation system monitored by a super computer, weekly soil analysis, a cocktail of fungicide, pesticides, herbicides, and a team of physicists to monitor the sun for solar flares just to get a single radish to its maturity date.

3. Law Enforcement. Militarized police and a general ignorance of where food comes from is a recipe for disaster. Type in "police raid garden" into google and you will see what i mean. While it may be cute when an elementary school student can't tell a turnip from a squash, it becomes a disaster when little johnny is 25 years old, carries an assault rifle, a badge, and is promised a federal grant if his department makes an insane number of pot arrests. Not exaggerating, in the last few years cops have confused maple leaves, okra, butternut squash, and collard greens for marijuana. If you happen to live near a dysfunctional police dept there is a real danger they will assume your grow lights are part of a pot growing operation.

That is true about how they make growing plants sound like rocket science and Im glad that I dont need to get one because its expensive and they didnt have grow lights back in the day so I should be able to grow seeds without them lol and wow I cant believe that the cops were so ignorant about it! I thought they would have to take an identification class or something?!But thank you for the advice. And so I could just put a heater in my greenhouse and put the seeds in pots and take care of them and they should grow even if its over cast in the winter all the time around here?

no I don't use grow lights.my greenhouse is in backyard.the location is where it gets plenty of morning sun.you will be surprised how warm it gets inside.get a out door thermometer,put it in there. if the inside of my green house is reading between 40 to 50 degrees then thru the day I might cut it off.but just watch the weather and if temps are going be below freezing,i run my heater.the cost on my light bill is roughly 40.dollares a month.the dirt that I use is miracle grow.the kind that feeds for 6 months.yes dirt makes a difference.my green house is reading 40 right now,outside temp is 28.to be on the safe side keep heat on .check on it through the day.i would leave my heater on all day today and nite.temps are going to be in 60 rest of week.that should keep the house warm without heat.but I don't start my seeds directly in the green house.why waste the electricity.just use the space in your house.[a sunny window,etc] any more questions feel free to ask.i enjoy talking about it.

oh ok thank you nannie so what type of pot do you put your seeds in? Ive heard about the little greenhouse things that you put in your house and stuff like that or do you just use regular pots? I used the greenhouse thing in my house a while back and they got all spindly and didnt grow well. The seeds Im growing in the greenhouse Im going to transplant outside once the weather is nice so I need an easy way to be able to take them out of their pots. Suggestions are very welcome thanks!

I purchased a 6x12 greenhouse from the greenhouse mega store in January this year.Due to the rain,snow,and frigid temperatures it took three weeks to put it up.And my DH is good at putting things together,this turned into a major challenge.Several weeks ago I had started peppers in the house.they are doing great.and last week planted tomatoes seeds and they are already up.I do not have any source of heat as of yet.so we have been carting the seedlings back and forth.put them out in the greenhouse in the mornings and taking them back in the house at night.

This is my 5th year to have a garden and I'm super exited for it. This year we started earlier then usual only because the Texas summer heat always seems to get our plants before we get a good amount of produce from them.

So this year we started the 2nd weekend in February, we had the seeds starting in the biodegradable trays from Home Depot (which I didn't like ). The box states the roots will grow through the tray but none of mine did. I had better luck starting my seeds off in old toilet paper rolls. We used special ordered bulbs from buildmyled, that we're made specifically for plant growth. I loved them and so did my plants. Everything I planted did wonderfully well. Last weekend we cut the bottoms of the trays off and transplanted them in our garden. Hopefully everything goes well now!!