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Being prepared!

just had a phone call to say my greenhouse is coming on Monday image. I am sooooo excited. I want to get cracking straights  away and take some cuttings from plants I alread have like roses, fushias penstemon and lupine as well as  thinking about autum/winter bedding. 

My question is what do I need? I literally only have the pots!

tia

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  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546

    Potting compost of course - multi- purpose will do for starters. Some (alpine) grit to add to the compost to make it free draining - useful for cuttings.  Some gravel trays are useful. You can get small ones like seed trays without holes, or larger ones for standing larger pots in. A layer of grit in the bottom makes watering easier and means the plant roots can reach the water without actually standing in it and rotting.

    Plant labels - vital for cuttings that all look the same. Fuchsia and penstemon are easy from cuttings in the greenhouse, but rose cuttings are taken as hardwood cuttings in autumn and planted in a slit trench outside, to be left till the following year.

    Lupins are generally raised from seed, but like most seed would be better sown in spring, unless it is the sort of thing that needs cold to break the seed dormancy. If you like them you could start some broad beans in the greenhouse in October, then harden them off and plant them out for an early crop next year. You need the variety Aquadulce Claudia which is very hardy.

    Once your cuttings have taken you need a range of pots in different sizes for gradual potting on. At this point you will probably need some other potting compost of the John Innes type that provides a better growing medium with appropriate nutrient levels for your plants.

    Bubble wrap to insulate all or part of your greenhouse and a greenhouse heater if you have anything that is not hardy. I use an electric one with a thermostat that can be set at just frost free, the most convenient and cheapest option if you have power.

    If you get serious about seed sowing you will probably need a propagator and seed trays. And more pots! And some pot saucers and module inserts ! You can start looking at seed catalogues anytime from now on image

    You might like to start some small bowls of bulbs inside, for the dark days of winter. I do hyacinths and small crocus and iris reticulata, and those little pots of cyclamen that you find in garden centres in autumn are not frost hardy, so better to enjoy them in the greenhouse!

    An exciting timeimage  Have fun, but don't get carried away and start too early. Do your planning, but hold back on seed sowing till the days get a  bit longer in the spring. Every year there are loads of people on here whose seedlings are pale, leggy and sickly looking because they started too early. it is easy to do, we have all done it, as we simply can't wait but it is worth trying to!

  • Thank you, I have my shopping list for the weekend image. I am going to try and make a plan and think about what I want more of! 

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