I’d like to grow more of my own plants from seed this year, having had success on a very small scale last spring. Do you think it’s worth my while investing in an electric propagator?
Maria H, Dublin
Ask any seasoned gardener to name the conditions necessary for reliably good germination and they’ll confirm that heat is very often (but not always) one of them. If you’re planning on growing your own chillies, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, squash or sweetcorn from seed, for example, then an electric propagator, soil heating cable or heated mat will make a huge difference to both the speed and rate of germination. The same goes for many kinds of half-hardy or tender annuals and bedding plants, from pelargoniums, petunias and begonias to nicotiana and cosmos.
Choosing the right propagator to best suit your purposes is key. If you’re only planning on growing small quantities from seed, then a compact electric propagator suitable for placing on a bright windowsill should be perfectly adequate. These are relatively cheap to buy and to run, typically costing around €40-€70 (recommended Irish stockists include mrmiddleton.ie and quickcrop.ie). They usually come with a series of small containers with vented lids to help you create the kind of warm, humid conditions that optimise germination and protect against cold draughts.
READ MORE
For something a step up, consider investing in a Vitapod electric propagator (quickcrop.ie). These are thermostatically controlled, height adjustable (so they’re suitable for taller seedlings as well as cuttings) and can be supplied with grow lights to ensure steady, healthy growth, even if placed in a dark basement or shed. The Cork-based supplier Fruithill Farm (fruithillfarm.com) also stocks a great selection of different electric propagators as well as various grow lights that can be customised to suit a particular growing space.
[ The rewards – and challenges – of growing your own foodOpens in new window ]
If you already have a polytunnel or glasshouse with a nearby power source, then it’s not difficult to make a dedicated propagation space inside it using some combination of the above. But just bear in mind that once they’ve germinated, you’ll then need to take your young seedlings away from the heated propagator and place them into somewhat cooler, bright, protected, frost-free conditions until at least late spring. This is where gardeners can often struggle to find enough suitable growing space, especially if you’ve given in to the understandable temptation to sow lots of different kinds of seeds.
But again, if you’ve space in a glasshouse or polytunnel, then a thermostatically controlled heated mat or soil cable set at a lower heat can be a good solution in terms of creating a suitable space nearby to wean young seedling away from the ultra-protected growing conditions provided by a propagator, while still offering essential shelter and protection from rain, wind and cold. Just bear in mind that they’ll still need the additional protection of a few layers of fleece or Bionet on chilly nights until late spring.
