I've just ordered a blow away. What can I put in it now?

Hello Phillippa, and welcome to the Vine.

A lot depends on where you are in the country or world! but if it is in UK, I would just be using the blowaway for giving the seedlings some light if it is warm enough during the day and hardening off later on.

I think it will still be too cold overnight to put anything other than the hardiest plants. I, personally only use mine for daylight and hardening off. I wouldn't be sowing seeds in mine but, I am by no means an expert. I'm sure someone with more knowledge will be along shortly.

They need 10C minumum (Day & Night). I doubt you will be able to maintain that in a blow away just yet

Can you put your location in your profile pls? If you are in Cornwall then no problem, Aberdeen probably not so good yet!

It will keep wind and rain off, and warm up nicely during the day, but it will cool to pretty much the same temperature as outside during the night. Keeping even a gentle breeze off small plants is a big help as they don't have to fight the transpiration water loss (cloches and cold frames have similar benefit).

So you won't be able to raise anything that needs warmer temperatures. Various solutions to that, such as putting a heated propagator in there, or bringing the plants in on cold nights (putting them in a garage / utility corridor is enough, and I've only had a couple of nights in the last fortnight where it has been that cold - another couple coming up over the weekend, and I get a really cold night in May only about once a decade).

They need 10C minimum too. I'd let the garden centre look after them for you they will get more stock in, which will have been lovingly grown at lovely temperatures.

I should have read to the end first. 10C ... that's what you need

Something very heavy to stop it being blown over . . . my sister didn't listen and was telling me how her "blowaway" had blown over fortunately she only had trays of MPC in it as she hadn't gotten round to sowing any seeds yet . . . she still got to tidy the mess up though

Am I correct in thinking anything less than ten deg but above freezing wont kill young seedling but it will slow them right down? I have a lot of tender plants in my poly tunnel and night temps have been hovering around 7 deg for a few weeks, everything looks healthy but they aint growing much. Are plants that stall like this going to thrive when temps improve or would seeds sown now overtake them?
I have now room in the house and so no choices.

Depends what they are ...

Tender things get cold stressed. They often look fine, but will be at increased risk of disease later in the season. I think a lot depends on "how long" too, particularly as at this time of the year as the temperature in the greenhouse, at night, is falling well behind the outside temperature (as likely that it was a sunny day that lead to clear skies/frost, so greenhouse and soil / concrete / etc. was nicely warmed during the day and then acts as radiator at night). So chances are that sub-10C temperatures are only for an hour or so, which may be fine (although I don't know if that is the case)

Below 10C Tomatoes, for example, won't take up Potassium; their leaves go purple-ish as a consequence. Once that happens they take ages to get going again (it would be better IMHO if folk cannot maintain 10C that they delay sowing, or sow backups if they are taking a gamble on a warm Spring). So for anyone making an early start, to get early, lush and bumper crops, I think it important to try to make sure the plants are not set-back by cold stress (even if it is not apparent at-the-time)

Even to bring them in for the night? Garage? Utility room corridor or similar?

I have a heater in my greenhouse that I only use at this time of the year - just as insurance that the greenhouse does not fall below 10C. Fuel cost is not significant for the few nights that it is needed (well ... ignoring the long cold spring of 2013!)

Thanks for the help. I'm in Lincoln, east midlands.

Sounds like it won't be as much use as what I thought it would be then. Think I could really do with a greenhouse but have neither the cash or the DIY skills to put one together. Maybe next year!

I was hoping to not have to keep swapping stuff from inside to outside between day and night. Though I guess if I have stuff on trays and overnight just keep them by the backdoor it might only take a few mins to transfer them.

I work and mornings are a mad rush getting me and kids up!

Worth looking out on Freecycle (and gardens near you for an unloved one, often they are given away for nothing/very little).

Can't help with that bit! Bright Young Man near you ho would like a few quid pocket money perhaps?

Yeah, its a PITA and every year I drop a tray of precious plants through the tedium of in-and-out'ing them

This is what I've ordered by the way, seems to get good reviews.

Wilko Walk In Greenhouse with Staging & PE Cover at wilko.com

Then it shall be the heater I think.

I don't think I'd dare use a paraffin heater, would be scared it would all catch fire.

It'll be too far from the house for electrics.

I'll have to save up for a proper greenhouse and pay someone to build it.


The description on the Wilkos website does call it a greenhouse but it's very much one of the cheap, plastic things.

I have electric in my greenhouse (wanted to power a mist propagator in Summer, and Electric is so much more convenient this time of the year than anything that has to be lit - and cheaper as it uses very little fuel, thermostatically only coming on when absolutely necessary).

But ... ... I also have a bottle gas heater and that works OK (just in case of power cuts). Thermostat is nothing like as efficient as electric one (I have a proper one for the Electric that keeps the greenhouse to within 0.5C, which saves a lot of money over the cheap thermostats that swing anything up to 10C hysteresis), but at least the gas heater runs on a pilot light when thermostat is "off", unlike a paraffin heater that is on from the moment you light it.

My gas heater came off eBay for 20 quid I think, and they threw in a couple of empty gas bottles - which are probably 30-quid deposit. We have bottled gas for our BBQ, so the bottled are "shared" with that.

Less condensation with gas, than paraffin, I think?? but electric is better on that count too - although this late in the year I don't think condensation is a problem/risk, whereas in mid winter the extra condensation is likely to cause things to rot or go mouldy. Again, Fan heater wins on that score too. Just blinking expensive getting an armoured cable installed to the greenhouse ... conservatory attached to the house much better in that regard, particularly if heated by radiators linked to the central heating boiler - and Bonus Points if your central heating system is mains gas - it then becomes cheap enough to consider heating it to 10C in winter, coupled with the benefit of a shared-wall with the house Sadly our house is light-years away from the nearest gas main

We saw a smaller version in our local Wilkos and thought it was quite ok for price and purpose. My husband even said we may get one. I too would love a greenhouse, one day, I hope. For the meantime, I would make do with a heavily weighed down blow away to put all my seedlings in

But a green house wont be any warmer than your blow away and if you are considering heating the blow away then so will you have to heat the GH.

Hi, I have a blow away greenhouse type thing and a blow away green house. I have started off all my stuff in there apart from my broad beans and runner beans which I started off in the house. Wish I hadn't bothered as neither have started off very well at all.
I have had weight my tall thin green house down with grow bags. In winter I had two bags of top soil and a load of tools in it to stop it tipping. My green house is weighed down with grow bags.
The main problem with them is the heat they trap in without you realising. My OH opened the walk in and he said the steam that hit him was unreal. Also if its a tall thin one like mine you have to be carful the sun doesn't fry your seedlings. I had to rescue my sprout seedlings cause they got a bit baked.
I would love a proper greenhouse but its down to cost, vandalism down the allotment and we are in rented so when we have to move it would mean taking it apart and having to relocate it somewhere.
Will try and get photos done so you can see the size I have.