Sowing 'under cover'

[eirish]

So as usual I'm getting a bit ahead of myself...I haven't even bought the materials to build my cold frame tops yet but would like to know what I can do with it when it's finished!

Question is: when packets say to sow 'under cover' in March (or what have you) does a cold frame count?

It should be pretty well insulated - the base is concrete and on a south-facing slope, and I'm (currently) planning to use 6 mm twinwall polycarbonate for glazing.

[rustylady]

Yes, a cold frame is under cover. However different seeds need different germination temperatures so whilst a cold frame should be fine for brassicas, lettuce, leeks etc it probably wouldn't be warm enough for tomatoes or chillies for example.

[eirish]

Thanks - yes, chillies are getting started indoors in the heated propagator and I may not even bother with tomatoes up here in the (literally, at the moment!) frozen north. I had a terrible time with direct-sown peas and lettuce last year so hoping the cold frame will help with those.

[Aberdeenplotter]

I may not even bother with tomatoes up here in the (literally, at the moment!) frozen north. I had a terrible time with direct-sown peas and lettuce last year so hoping the cold frame will help with those.

Peas and lettuce germinate perfectly for me in the open up here in the really frozen North. You lowlanders are just soft I have even grown tomatoes outside successfully so don't let one poor season put you off.

[eirish]

Yes sir.

But can I be let off the charge of being a lowlander? I'm actually a muddled-up-move-around-too-much-er. I've lived places that make you lot up there look like the softies (but admittedly I never tried to grow veg there...).

My tomato plants grew pretty well last year but produced exactly...nothing.