Grow Your Own Magazine

Hi, I have a mini plastic greenhouse which I got as a Christmas present. I'm not quite sure what do do with it. When I see references to cold frames, cloches or polytunnels can I use my mini greenhouse in the same way? Does anyone have one of these and do you find it usefull? I am dying to do something with it but think the weather may still be too cold for anything at the moment.
Poppy

They are very useful but do tend to get a lot of condensation if you don't open them up early enough! The seedlings are then prone to rotting.
Also make sure it is well secured as one of ours took off in the wind like a kite with all the seed trays and plants inside! Needless to say we lost most of the seedlings as it was blown around the garden!
Nice pressi!

Hi Poppy,

I had one for some time but the cover eventually went brittle and the local GC stopped stocking them so I use it in the greenhouse now as staging.

If you've got a greenhouse you could put this in to help keep some of the more tender plants ticking over (Fucshia's) if you don't heat the greenhouse (bit like partitioning a bit off).

If you wanted to raise some aerly plants you could get a little coldframe heater and put it in the bottom and the seed trays on the next shlelf and move them up as the germinate into the light and then into the main part of the greenhouse to harden off.
My coldframe heater runs for about 2 weeks on 4 pints of parafin so it would be fairly economic.

Before I built my green house I used two of these plastic mini houses every year. In March I sowed seeds in trays and later took the shelves out in May and grew tomatoes in them. Three tomato plants in each mini house.
To solve the problem of condensation I cut a very small hole and inserted a plastic cylinder and used gaffer tape to seal the edges where I cut the top of the green house. In winter to keep the heat in I just inserted a scrunched up supermarket carrier bag in to the plastic tube/vent.
Jax

Thanks everyone for your advice. I don't have a greenhouse (yet) Nick but think it might be a good idea to order a spare cover whilst I can still get one. Think I will probably put some heavy pots at the bottom (or an old window box full of bricks) to stop it blowing away. Also like the funnel idea to combat condensation. And, yes, it was a good pressie Nicos, mind you I dropped enough hints before Christmas. Just wish the weather would warm up a bit, it's so frustrating, I keep looking at my seed packets and wanting to get started. Thanks again.
Poppy

also...check for slugs regularly too as they will just love their new B&B!