Just before the anniversary of the March 23 Covid lockdown my greenhouse was waiting, with empty shelves, to be filled with ready-sown seed trays and pots of bulbs. I too was anticipating new seedlings emerging from their compost. But, now the greenhouse was double-glazed, and although the space felt very warm, especially on sunny days, the thermometer showed it was barely 33deg F inside the polycarbonate ‘glass’ house.
I knew it was too early to sow beans but I had packets of cosmos, sunflowers, sweet peas and leeks, lettuce and spinach. 33 deg F was far too cold for germination. Even D, my shed & greenhouse builder, remarked how tropical it felt inside even though the thermometer sternly said it was merely a few degrees above freezing.
On the evening of March 23 itself I lit a candle on our front steps in remembrance of those lost to covid.
In our bubble we had all had our first jabs and I was relieved that we were beginning to feel safer. The lead GP at the practice where we were jabbed even said it was safe to stop washing all groceries and disinfecting newspapers and the mail that came into the house. That gave me confidence too.
And it was still light at 7pm. Spring had sprung. But not in my greenhouse!
I spent time potting up Suttons beautiful lilac and pink primulas and laying bark on the flower beds. My petunia plugs were no longer than the first joint on my little finger but I could use the greenhouse to bring them on. And my begonia bulbs were ready to plant in pots. All were suitable for the greenhouse, despite the thermometer reading.
By the 12th April lockdown restrictions were partially lifted, our patio fence had blown in, and it was our 40th wedding anniversary. Nevertheless we had a patio party under the rule of six. The primulas made the patio look pretty, even though the fence was hanging badly. I covered it with a screen which displayed our Ruby Wedding cards and bunting.
Meanwhile the greenhouse thermometer was resolute that it was 32 deg F. Friends had given us a lemon tree as an anniversary present, but it would be far too cold for it in the greenhouse. I opted to place it in the new, well-clad shed, in front of the big glass window. As stated in the instructions I repotted the lemon tree as soon as I could and kept the watering can nearby. I didn’t want the water temperature in the can to drop to outside temps. It might be too much of a shock. And I wrapped my new citrus tree in bubble wrap.
That week we enjoyed an anniversary trip to Devon, had warm days on the beach and cooler evenings eating out at the many restaurants and pubs questing for business. We had to book and couldn’t sit inside. There were still covid restrictions.
And at the end of that sunny week I bought grafted ‘Sweet Petite’ tomato plants. But they stayed in my kitchen. It still registered just above freezing in the greenhouse, even though a blast of hot air met me when I opened the door.
It was then I took a closer look at the meniscus on the thermometer. In fact it was reading 48 deg F. The mercury had pulled away from the bulb and it needed a magnet to reset it.
Although it was still just too cold for germination my petunia plugs were growing and I brought my begonias on. Spring was almost springing.
Although it was too early to sow my French beans, dwarf and climbers, the leek seedlings were finally fatter than a strand of hair and D gave me some pea plants to grow on the same shelf as the petunias.
But what to do about raising the temperature? I opted for a small gas heater. It sounded fine in theory, especially in a greenhouse that suffers from leaks and rain getting in through the roof top window. But I had advice about putting heat in the greenhouse and electricity seemed too dangerous. I don’t like paraffin heaters. The small gas heater seemed to fit the bill. And - on first use - the temperatures rose.
It was the end of April and I felt ready to start sowing my beans and transferring the tomatoes into the greenhouse. But then we had the wettest, coldest May on record. And the manufacturers of the little gas heater were most insistent it wasn’t safe to use it without ventilation ie have the greenhouse window open. But it hadn’t said that in the description when I bought it. Another conundrum. If I opened the window the rain got in. Again I was pondering what to do about the leaks and, apparently, cold temperatures in the new greenhouse.
Back to square one. It was far too cold to use the greenhouse without heating. Temperatures had to be 50 deg for germination but I couldn’t leave the gas heater on over night - the coldest hours. The gas heater manufacturers said so. And I wasn’t going to set the alarm to wander out into the garden in the wee small hours to remove the gas heater once temperatures were higher.
What to do? I could light a candle in an upturned terracotta pot. Or I could use the gas heater on dry days and just in the day time when I was home. But that’s hardly running the greenhouse at a regular temperature. And it wasn’t just the heater that was somewhat problematic. The thermometer hadn’t actually working at all.
I came up with a better solution: More on the pesky thermometer and ‘heating the greenhouse’ in Green Fingers V.
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