On 2009-05-20 11:46:54 +0100, mr w said:

Hi

As a heated greenhouse is not a possibility, I was wondering what I
might do in my lean-to in order to get an early start on growing veg.
The lean-to is very well lit, but chilly as hell in winter as there's
so much glass and its got a poly roof.

Heating the leanto itself isn't an option, as there are too many gaps
for the heat to escape, so I was wondering about something like a
very big heated propagator. Something three foot wide and six foot
long would sit nicely in the leanto and be next to a powerplug.

Any products out there? Or suggestions for putting my limited handyman
skills to use? Built a mini greenhouse and get a v low wattage
electric heater?

Mike

I don't see why you shouldn't build a sort of polythene tent and put
clear glass over the top to keep warmth in. In our propagating house
we have two of these (without the glass roof) because although the
prop. house is warm, some plants need an extra bit to get them going.
Matthew put up a metal frame round a small area of the heated bench
and then hung wide strips of polythene from them, each one touching the
next. This means that the worker can get their hands into the 'tent'
to tend any particular batch of plants without having to undo the whole
thing. You might not have the heated bench but you would have the mini
greenhouse.

--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.com
Exotic plants, shrubs & perennials
South Devon