heated propagator

[hawthorns]

ive just got a heated propagator for christmas. any suggestions on what veg seed i can start growing now.

[Dobby]

You sound just like Me and Mrs D did last year, itchy fingers ahh carnt wate to start growing.
I supose you could start chills of I did at the start of jan last year be be worned they grow and soon your house will be green

[smallblueplanet]

Yes Dobby's right - we all get the urge to start growing as soon as possible! You could try a few chilli's or aubs which need long growing season. Be prepared for the aftermath which is as Mr D says. They will really demand lots of heat and light to be happy.

[hawthorns]

what about trying onion seeds off in propagator

[smallblueplanet]

Oddly enough it'll probably be too hot and they'd not germinate! Try some chillis or a couple of toms - everyone does! - but be prepared to coddle them like houseplants for a while!!!

[Dobby]

what about trying onion seeds off in propagator

If you have some onion seeds you can just put them in a seed tray but do not over water or heat just put the tray on a south facing window for max light
I,m starting our onion seeds new years day

[hawthorns]

thanks for your advice. will just have to be patient. nightmare

[shirlthegirl43]

I know it isn't veg, but to get something under way you could try sowing some cactus seeds, they can be sown any time of year. It would satisfy your desire to plant something in your propagator and will give you the experience of keeping the compost moist in there! I failed miserably with everything I tried in my heated propagator last year coz I just couldn't master the keeping it just damp. Good luck.

[smallblueplanet]

Didn't your heated prop have a piece of capillary matting on the bottom to help keep the pots/trays/modules damp?

[hawthorns]

no its a 22 watt heated base tray

[shirlthegirl43]

Didn't your heated prop have a piece of capillary matting on the bottom to help keep the pots/trays/modules damp?

It has matting in the bottom but keeping it consistently damp gave me huge problems. I expect I will have more success this year as I now know how quickly it dries out (and also Madmax will be abroad and won't keep unplugging it)

[rustylady]

no its a 22 watt heated base tray

Main thing is how big is it? I have a small one (same size as a standard seed tray) and I use it to germinate my tomatoes, chillies, courgettes, marrows etc. They need to be moved out of the propagator as soon as they show above the surface of the compost. I know it's horrible waiting but unless you have the facilities (heat and light) to grow the seedlings on you must wait a bit. It's heartbreaking to germinate them and then lose them because growing on conditions aren't right. Things like onions and lettuce don't need extra heat to germinate, and indeed may fail if too warm.

[hawthorns]

its 57 cm long by 38 cm wide by 25cm high

[Hole Digger]

what about trying onion seeds off in propagator

Ive always started my onion seed off in a propagator,i just leave the lid off and let the compost have a bit of bottom heat,in the evening turn it off and drop the lid back on.Make sure you get a thermometer so you can keep a check on temperaturePS Make sure you take them out of prop when germinated.

[Madasafish]

Early this year, I used my heated propagator plus Grolamp to sow and germinate peppers and tomatoes in January.
Never again. I ran out of space, my greenhouse even when heated was and is too cold in Feb/Mar and we don't have enough warm windowsills which keep warm at night.

I now will leave till late Feb...