Growhouse, cold frame, or greenhouse advice?

[PippiL]

Fairly novice gardener just about to sow some veggy seeds.

Seed trays have holes in the bottom. Can't put them on my windowsills!

Last year I got a plastic growhouse thingy and the plastic ripped within weeks.

Can't afford proper greenhouse, and rent so would have the pain of moving it anyway.

What do I do with a coldframe - would that have to go against a wall??

Any help on what to do with my 5 seed trays appreciated.

Could you get a big plastic tray to put the seed trays in and pop it in a spare bedroom? Or put them outside and put plastic bottles cut in half over the top of them?

What are you planning to grow? Lots of things don't need to be protected, even if you want to sow them in seed trays.

Maybe you could just have the trays stood outdoors somewhere out of easy slug reach (eg a bench on a patio)?

Tomatoes
runner beans
carrots
courgettes
spinach

My garden is fairly sheltered.

Am more worried about the seedlings once I transfer into slightly larger pots.

Could leave them all over the garden table in the sun I spose. But am going to have a fair few as my plot is a good size.

You can get trays without holes in to put them in

Couldn't find any of those.

Presuming that all "serious" gardeners have their greenhouses etc to put these things in rather than plonked on baking trays, perched on windowsills

Tomatoes - too late to start from seed really, I would have thought you'd be better off buying plants.

Carrots - wouldn't you be better starting them direct? They don't really transplant well.. .

Spinach - ditto, I guess you can start in modules, but they do tend to bolt if transplanted

Runners - should be fine on the garden table, my main concern would be mice eating the seed if sown direct. You can chit the seed on a thick layer of damp paper towel on a a plate somewhere warm with a plastic bag wrapped round it loosely (so air can get in but it stays damp) but you need to check every day & put them into pots in the light as soon as they start to sprout!

Courgettes - ditto re starting somewhere warm, they are the only ones I would be inclined to bring on on the windowsill, and I can't imagine you're going to want that many plants . . .

Yes, a greenhouse is great, but you can definitely get by without with a bit of ingenuity.

Until last year all mine were on window sills all around the house and in a plastic greenhouse thing. I got my trays from wilkos if you have one.

Tbh though it is much easier to buy tomato plants!